God desires our gratitude, just like we desire to be thanked for blessing others.
Philemon 1:6 “That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thanking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
I Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is very frustrating and disappointing when you do nice things for someone and they take it for granted without any appreciation or thanks.
Have you ever given someone a gift and not received thanks for it? Have you ever shopped at a store without being thanked for your business? Have you ever been taken for granted by your co-workers? Have you ever experienced being used by family? It doesn’t leave you feeling good all over.
We in America experience abundant blessings; food, shelter, utilities, hot and cold running water, heating and cooling, transportation, sanitation, health care, not to mention all the modern technology at our fingertips connecting us to the whole world in seconds.
Yet America is filled with chronic complainers and people who feel they are entitled to not only what they want, but who are ready to harm and kill you to take by deceit or by force what is rightfully yours.
Africa has 383 million people living in poverty, Asia has 327 million, South America has 19 million, and North America has 13 million. Malawi has 11.4 million living in poverty and Kenya has 10.9 million. It is estimated that 104 million children under the age of 5 live in extreme poverty, and 328 million children under age 18.
Lack of safe drinking water, lack of nutritious food, lack of sanitation, lack of proper clothing, lack of proper shelter, lack of security, lack of safety, lack of provision and protection, are every day hardships for millions of people around the world.
War torn countries torture, rape and slaughter innocent children and women as they imprison and sodomize the men. Hospitals and care facilities are bombed and raided without concern for the suffering.
Abraham Lincoln calling for a day of fasting said, “We have been the recipients of the choicest blessings of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation ever has 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.”
We are so much more blessed today that in Lincoln’s day, yet we have not only forgotten God, we deny He even exists!
Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned to give thanks. Ungratefulness is nothing new; it is part of sinful human nature. It has been around since the fall of Adam, and will increase till it gives license to the antichrist to rule this earth for a brief period of time. Natural affection has become unnatural in every imaginable way around the world, especially in America.
Micah says:
- We need to humble ourselves, acknowledging that we are not our own god.We have been created and are responsible to the Judge of all flesh.
- We need to love mercy by showing kindness to those around us, realizing that we all are sinful and struggling to deal with common issues of life.
- We need to do what is good and right, which involves being thankful, being grateful for all the good that comes to you, no matter the source, for all good things come from God and Him alone.
David was so moved by Israel’s generosity for God’s temple he exclaimed: “Blessed be you, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever.
I Chronicles 29:10-14 “Blessed be You, LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of You, and You reign over all; and in Your hand is power and might; and in Your hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of You, and of Your own have we given You”
Psalm 92:1,2,4,5,8,9) “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Your name, O most High: to show forth Your loving-kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night…For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work: I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! And Your thoughts are very deep…You, LORD, are most High forevermore. For, lo, Your enemies, O LORD, for, lo, Your enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered”
Take time to pause and give thanks to God for every good thing that is in your daily life. Even the bad things that happen to you are used by Him to accomplish His purpose in your life for eternity!
24 Little Things To Be Grateful For