Merriam-Webster defines ingratitude as the lack of proper appreciation or thanks for something (such as a kind or generous act): lack of gratitude. In our dealings with people, we are quite often in situations where we should express gratitude. For instance, we say thanks to someone ahead of us who holds the door for us, gets out of our way in the store and takes a message over the phone. How about when someone brings you a cup of water, tea, or coffee at home? You do say thanks. I don’t think we ever go through a day without needing to thank someone. We’re always in situations that require the expression of gratitude.
We are so quick to say thank you to people, which is good
and proper, but how often do we thank God? Should we go all day
without thanking Him, waiting until before we fall asleep in prayer? That’s not the proper way of showing gratitude; we must constantly express gratitude as we experience different daily situations.
Not showing proper gratitude means we think we are in
charge of all our circumstances. We pat
ourselves on the back or thank other people more than we say thank you to God. We are robbing God of the honor and glory due Him, and He has told us in the
Scriptures that He won’t give His credit to another (see Isaiah 42:8). We need
to take that as a warning because He does react when we replace Him with
ourselves, others, or things.
We must take note of the Psalmist’s experience and
learn from it. He said to the LORD, “Your favor, O LORD, made me as secure as a
mountain” (Psalm 30:7a NLT). But “When I was prosperous, I said, ‘Nothing can
stop me now!’’ (Psalm 30:6 NLT). Do we consider our achievements the result of
our own doing? Well, the Psalmist did but learned his lesson quickly: God was
not happy about his response. “Then you turned away from me, and I was
shattered” (Psalm 30:7b). Without God, we can do nothing (see John 15:5). So,
whatever we can do or accomplish is dependent upon His grace and
goodness in our lives. Let’s not take Him for granted and stop stealing
His glory!
On their way to the Promised Land, Moses warned the
Israelites about the danger of becoming proud once they started to enjoy God’s
blessings in the land. After all, the land was described as flowing with milk
and honey. Moses warned them about the possibility of getting puffed up after
they’d built houses, their flocks had increased, and their silver and gold had
multiplied. He was concerned that at that point, they might say, “I have
achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.” So he instructed them: “Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who
gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed
to your ancestors with an oath” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
This is an apparent warning to us; we cannot and
should not claim glory for what God does in our lives, which is everything. Are
you intelligent? Do you have a college degree? Do you have unusual abilities? Good for you, but don’t ever forget that God made all that possible and can take those things away without notice.
May God help us get into the habit of giving Him thanks
around the clock because He deserves it, and it is His due. The Psalmist says,
“Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his
people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into
his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm
100:3-4).
Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING celebration as you reflect on
God’s goodness throughout the year, and spend time with family and friends on this
thanksgiving day!
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