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Postured: Do Everything Without Grumbling or Arguing

Postured: Do Everything Without Grumbling or Arguing

Last updated on: October 29, 2026 at 9:37 pm by Jeff McLain

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Postured: Do Everything Without Grumbling or Arguing 2026-10-29T21:37:26-04:00 Jeff McLain

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Postured: Do Everything Without Grumbling or Arguing. Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash.

What does the way we treat one another say about what we believe?

We spend a lot of time thinking about what the church believes, what we teach, what we preach, and how faithfully we understand Scripture. These things matter. But what if our witness is shaped just as much by how we treat one another?

In Philippians 2:12–18, Paul turns his attention to the shared life of the church. He calls the Philippians to work out their salvation, to recognize that God is at work within them, to participate in the work God is doing in the world, and to do everything without grumbling or arguing. These instructions are not simply about individual attitudes or personal happiness. They are about the kind of community God is forming and the kind of witness that community will offer to the world.

It is about being a bold witness of a different way of being.

I have been thinking about the church as a puzzle. Each piece has a place, and each piece contributes to a larger image. No single piece carries the whole picture. The beauty is found in how the pieces come together. But when pieces are missing, when they are pulled apart, or when they refuse to fit alongside one another, the image becomes incomplete. Something of the larger picture is lost.

This is an important way to think about our life together as followers of Jesus.

In my last two blog posts, I explored 1 Peter 2:11–17 and Peter’s call for followers of Jesus to live as foreigners and exiles in the world. In Postured: Live as Foreigners and Exiles, we looked at three practical ways to live out the postured way of living in which Peter calls his church. In Postured: Resources for Living As Foreigners and Exiles we looked at ways and resources that can aid us in our ability to let this reality posture us in the world around us.

God Is at Work in Us

Paul tells the Philippians to continue working out their salvation, reminding them that it is God who works in them “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13, NIV).

Notice the relationship between these two things. We are called to participate in the work of our formation, but we do not do it alone. God is at work in us. He is shaping our desires, our actions, and our lives together.

This matters because the Christian life is not simply about getting the right information or learning how to behave better. It is about allowing God to form us into people who increasingly reflect the character of Jesus.

And that formation has a communal dimension. Paul is writing to a church, not simply a collection of individuals. He wants to see a community whose shared life reflects the work God is doing among them.

We sometimes approach faith as though our spiritual lives are entirely our own. We focus on our personal growth, our personal convictions, and our personal relationship with God. Those things matter, but they are never the whole picture. We belong to one another because we belong to Jesus. The way God works in each of us contributes to what he is creating among all of us.

Postured Series

Throughout this Postured blog series, we will be exploring seven passages from the letters of Peter and Paul that invite us to consider how we live, speak, and respond to the world around us. The central question is simple: What is shaping us? Then, we explore the ways that the Scriptures might be asking us to be postured in a way that looks, acts, and sounds differently.

For each of these blog posts through he Postured series, and the reflections on these verses that tell us how to posture ourselves in the world around us. I am convinced these seven passages offer seven postures that are important for followers of Jesus to embrace in our time.

The Posture of the World

Paul’s instruction is direct: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing” (Philippians 2:14, NIV).

Why would he need to say this?

The church in Philippi lived in a Roman colony, a culture shaped by status, honor, recognition, and the pursuit of position. These values influenced how people understood themselves and their relationships with others. The temptation to seek recognition, defend one’s status, and insist on one’s own interests was part of the world around them.

The church was not immune to those pressures. And neither are we.

We live in a world where people are encouraged to put themselves first, defend their own interests, demand recognition, and insist on being right. We see it in our conversations, our relationships, our workplaces, and even our churches. We can become more concerned with winning an argument than preserving a relationship. We can become so focused on what we dislike that we lose sight of what we have received.

Grumbling and arguing are not simply occasional frustrations. They can become a posture. They can shape the way we see other people, the way we interpret their actions, and the way we participate in community.

When we continually rehearse our grievances, we become increasingly accustomed to seeing what is wrong. When we allow unresolved conflict to become our normal way of relating, it affects the people around us. We carry that tension into our homes, our friendships, our workplaces, and our churches.

And, like missing pieces in a puzzle, our attitudes can obscure the larger image God intends to display.

A Different Kind of People

Paul does not simply tell the Philippians what to avoid. He reminds them of what they are called to become.

They are to live as God’s children, holding firmly to the word of life and shining among a crooked generation. Paul writes that they are to “shine among them like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:15, NIV).

This is the witness of a people who live differently.

The invitation of Jesus is not simply to become healthier or happier people. It is to become a different kind of people, a community shaped by the goodness of God.

Imagine what it would look like for a church to become known not for its complaints, its conflicts, or its need to have the final word, but for its gratitude, generosity, humility, and love. Imagine what it would look like for people to encounter us and see something of Jesus.

I remember sleeping under the stars in Washington State, on the edge of a gorge. Away from the noise and light pollution, the stars seemed like spotlights illuminating the valleys. The darkness made visible what I could not otherwise see.

That is the kind of witness Paul is describing. We live in a crooked generation, a world bent out of shape by selfishness, division, and the pursuit of our own interests. We are not called to let that world define our image. We are called to display a different kind of beauty, a different way of being human, and a different way of living together.

As we allow God to cultivate our hearts individually, he brings something beautiful together communally. We become a people who display the glory of Christ to a dark world. The image becomes clearer as we learn to love one another, serve one another, and trust God rather than insist on our own way.

Our witness is shaped not just by what we believe, but by how we treat one another.

Cultivating the Life We Share

So how do we become this kind of people? How do we cultivate hearts and souls that are not constantly pulled toward grumbling, arguing, and selfishness?

I believe there are three practices worth cultivating.

First, cultivate discipling relationships.

We need people who are willing to ask us how our souls are doing. Not simply how our week is going or what is happening in our lives, but what is happening within us. We need relationships where we can be honest about our frustrations, our attitudes, our struggles, and the ways we might be contributing to conflict. We need people who love us enough to help us see what we might otherwise overlook.

Second, cultivate daily and weekly rhythms of prayer and Scripture.

We need regular opportunities to slow down, listen, reflect, and take inventory of our lives. Prayer and Scripture help us examine our hearts, recognize where our posture has drifted, and return our attention to God. These rhythms give us space to reset rather than simply reacting to whatever happens around us.

Third, cultivate practices that help us remember what we have received and the bigger picture.

Gratitude, generosity, confession, forgiveness, worship, and shared life remind us that our lives are not centered on ourselves. We have received grace, and we are called to extend grace. We have been forgiven, and we are called to forgive. We are part of something larger than our own preferences, frustrations, and expectations.

These practices help us keep the bigger picture in view. They help us remember that we are not simply individual pieces trying to find our own place. We are part of something God is creating through Jesus.

It Is Not Too Late

Perhaps there are pieces that have already fallen out of place. Perhaps there is a relationship that has been damaged by grumbling or arguing. Perhaps resentment has taken root. Perhaps we have spent so much time defending our own corner of the picture that we have forgotten what God is trying to create among us.

It is not too late.

Pieces can be picked up. They can be brought back together. Forgiveness can be extended. Confession can be offered. Apologies can be made. We can acknowledge where we have been wrong, where we have hurt one another, and where we have allowed the world to shape us into something other than what Jesus intends.

That does not mean every relationship will be restored overnight or that every conflict will be resolved easily. But it does mean we can begin again. We can ask God to soften our hearts, renew our minds, and teach us how to live together in the way of Jesus.

Paul looks toward the day of Christ with the hope that his labor among the Philippians will not have been in vain (Philippians 2:16, NIV). His concern is that they will remain faithful, holding firmly to the word of life and living as a community that reflects the gospel.

That is our calling, too.

God is still at work in us, with us, and through us. He has not abandoned the picture he is creating. He is still shaping us into a people who can display the life of Christ.

May we become a church that shines like stars in the sky. A community through which Christ performs his ministry. A people whose shared life makes the goodness of God’s kingdom visible to the world.

And may the way we live together tell a story that points beyond ourselves to Jesus.

This is also a Sunday Morning series at River Corner Church.

You can also find it in Podcast format.

If this post resonated, subscribe for future reflections, share it with a friend, or leave a comment. You can learn more about his journey to recover a rooted Christian way of life through the Lord’s Prayer, ancient habits, leading a quiet life, and simple Jesus communities online at JeffMcLain.com, the Lead a Quiet Life blog on Patheos, or the Discovering God Podcast.

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About Jeff McLain

Jeff McLain is a Doctor of Ministry Student on the Lord’s Prayer at Kairos University, Director of Pastoral Ministries at Water Street Mission, and a pastor at River Corner Church. Mobilized by 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Jeff blogs about recovering a rooted Christian way of life through the Lord’s Prayer, ancient habits, leading a quiet life, and simple Jesus communities. You can read more about the author here.

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October 27, 2026

Postured: Resources for Living as Foreigners and Exiles

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