THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
This century is characterized by much resentment, hate, and ingratitude. Men pride in their accomplishments and who they are. We are surrounded by many who see themselves as able people who initiate and dictate their happiness and prosperity. They pride in their strength, abilities, and hard work. It is not uncommon to hear phrases such as: “I have made it this far because of my hard work. I have been diligent for years. I believed in myself and went for it. I am a hard worker. I bent and fold at nothing.”
Christians are not exempt from the influence of the sentiments that characterize our times. It is easy to fall for Satan’s bait and think it is your hard work and inner strength that make you successful.
What is God’s role in our lives according to His Word?
• It is God who works in you both to will and to do according to His good will and pleasure. Without God you are nothing. You will not accomplish anything. Philippians 2:13.
• It is God who gives you knowledge and wisdom to operate in life. He holds success in store for the upright. He guards your paths and protects your ways. Proverbs 2:6-8.
• It is God who gives you the power and ability to get wealth. Your material blessings are nothing but God’s goodness and kindness to you for the fulfilment of His purposes. Deuteronomy 8:17-18.
• Riches and honor are from God. Strength and power come from God. It is God who makes great and gives strength to His children. 1 Chronicles 29:12.
• It is God who builds and establishes you. It is God who protects you and all you possess. Without Him your rising early to work hard would be fruitless toil. Psalm 127:1-2.
Francis Schaeffer once said, "The beginning of man's rebellion against God was, and is, the lack of a thankful heart."
For the Christian, you owe everything to God. Think on who you are today and what God has done for you. Develop an attitude of gratitude and make it a practice of your life.
Look at God’s admonition in Psalm 100 and give God praise accordingly.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
• God expects you to weave worship and praise in your daily endeavors. A heart that is focused on God sees so much for which to thank Him. Psalm 100:1-2
• God is worthy of praise. We are God’s children. We are His creation, created in His image. He alone is God. We are the sheep of His pasture. We have the honored privilege of being led and guided by God. Psalm 100:3, 5, Psalm 16:11
• It is God who provides for your needs. He protects you. He comforts and ensures that you are blessed and prospered.
• A humble attitude, a loving heart, and an unfailing devotion to Him produce the best form of praise and worship.
• God is good. His mercy is everlasting. His mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
• In God’s presence is fullness of joy. The joy of the Lord is your strength.
• In the Old Testament, the children of Israel experienced God’s presence through the Ark of the Covenant. Today, Christ lives in the hearts of His children. We have God’s presence with us. We have the privilege of having a meaningful relationship. We can praise, and worship our Lord and Savior every day, and every moment.
• To bless the Lord on a daily basis calls on you to make a conscious profession. You must acknowledge who He is and the role He plays in your life every day. This demands your deliberate effort as it stems from the truth of who God is and what He does for you as an individual. To live without gratitude, praise, and worship is to succumb to spiritual deception and to credit someone else other than God for the blessings in your life.
• Take note of what God does and thank Him every day.
• Be aware of God’s presence and His working in your life.
We have been given a time and even a reason to give thanks
On April 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln read his Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer. He challenged this nation saying,
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, the many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us! It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
Keep record of God’s goodness in your life. Think on it on the years to come. This will keep you praising and worshipping.
Will your life demonstrate a sense of gratitude to God? Will you let others see that you owe your life to Christ? Will you let your joy be evidence of who God is in your life? Will you demonstrate gratitude in your life?