Gratitude
Day 292 October 18
Gratitude
“every good endowment 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.” James 1:17
As you have, you received as a gift from God. When you boast, as though you earned it, you deprive God of His glory and provoke His anger. Note three simple observations regarding gratitude.
First, gratitude must be directed to a source outside of you, you cannot be grateful to yourself and biblically call it gratitude. God calls it pride. Pride destroys gratitude. “Beware lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.1 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”1 The claim to be self-sufficient is an affront to God as well as an expression of ingratitude.
Second, dependence does not guarantee gratitude., but is essential to gratitude. You will find this true, whether the object of your dependence is God, or someone else such as your spouse, employer, or benefactor. Gratitude is an expression of your dependence upon God
Third, when your gratitude is to a source other than God, it is simply a matter of time before you cease being grateful. For example, a person who works for a firm, and at the end of the year, he unexpectedly receives a large Christmas dividend. Overwhelmed at first, the more the person thinks about it the more convinced he is that he deserved it. After all, did he not help the firm make money? When you feel grateful to others, you tend to seek reasons why they are generous. Understanding your unworthiness and that “every gift comes from above,” helps you to be grateful, for you cannot have a relationship with God and think that you earned it. When you are the recipient of the generosity of others, be grateful first to God, and then to others. Only then can you hope to maintain a consistent attitude of gratitude and avoid the sin of presumption.
1 Deuteronomy 8:17-18
These are "Thoughts From The Diary Of a Desperate Man" by Walter Henrichsen. They will be posted each day with permission, but will be removed as the new day is posted. If you would like to purchase a copy, please click on this link: https://www.leadershipfoundation.org
Walt is now with the Lord, but had a rich ministry with Christian business men which flowed out of his work with the Navigators. His desire is that we might learn to "think Biblically". "As people of the Book, our objective is to see things as God sees them, as they truly are. How does one accomplish this task? The only way I know is through Scripture. I suggest that the concepts found in these devotions ought to influence how we evaluate our sojourn in Christ. I pray that they will be some small help to you, resulting the the glory of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."