Recently, I have realized more
than ever before, the need to be grateful especially to God for all His
goodness to us. Indeed just who He is to us is enough reason to be forever
grateful. Gratitude to God is not just for God, it also helps us to be who we
ought to be that we may accomplish all He has ordained for us because one has
to “stand to accomplish”. It is possible to “accomplish” a lot in life and yet
accomplish nothing that God made one for; and in God’s eyes, such persons have
accomplished nothing. Of course that isn’t God’s plan for any of His children
but I have found that ingrates will not accomplish their God established
purpose except such persons repent of ingratitude. The root cause of a lot of
challenges we have, may very well be ingratitude; a selfish or self-centered
person is very ungrateful because “you never do enough for them” and that is
also their attitude toward God so that eventually such persons are given over
to a reprobate mind though they attend every church service and may even be
ministers with great knowledge of scriptures and even spiritual gifts.
Unappreciative persons often make themselves tools for use by the enemy.
Romans 1: 18 & 21 “But God shows His anger from heaven against all
sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness … Yes, they
knew God, but they won’t worship him as God or even give him thanks.”
So many unbelievers want to enjoy
what we have as believers. They look at believers and see the joy and peace we
enjoy whether rich or poor. They see the calmness around believers even when they
may be going through challenges and these unbelievers want those things; yet,
we who received grace to receive salvation are so ungrateful for what we have
that we long for what the unbeliever would prefer to give up for what we have.
Since we don’t appreciate what we have, we are unable to see the beauty of it.
We came to Christ and then lost appreciation for and interest in what He
provides; some of us even dare to be disappointed in Him because we claim He is
too slow to deliver on His promises and all because we are a generation of
people who want instant gratification. We hate to wait for anything so we don’t
see or even appreciate the things He does whilst He is working to fulfill His
promises at the appointed time. We lose patience mostly because we lose sight
of our inheritance in Christ and see nothing happening that we ought to
appreciate and all because we want what the others have. Gratitude will help us
hold on whilst God is working.
Genesis 25: 32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation! Said Esau. ‘What good is
my birthright to me now’?
Ingratitude is really destructive
and I would like to suggest that it may have been the root cause of Esau’s
problem. It would appear like the young man had no appreciation for his role as
first born so he gave it up easily. He did not see the immediate benefits of it
and was too blinded to see even the future benefits of the role. I suspect that
he may even have envied the way his mother treated his younger brother with
fondness which is not unusual with mothers and their last born, so that his
position lost its appeal to him and he probably hated being the older one at
that point in his life. Unfortunately, by the time he realized that there were
benefits for which he should be grateful, he already lost the right to those
benefits for his initial lack of respect and gratitude for that role. He wanted
what his brother had and when he got it, he found he wanted it and his too but
we often have to choose one because God does not allow us all. We can’t be
believers and yet be unbelievers. We often lose our right to the benefits of our
inheritance because we “sell our place for pottage” just like Adam and Eve did
in the beginning. If only we appreciate what we have enough to hold on to it
and delay gratification which shall surely come.
Hebrews 10: 35 – 36 “So do not throw away this confident trust in the
Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you
need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all
that he has promised.”
Isaiah 1: 17 “Learn to do good. Seek justice.”
I have heard people argue that it
comes to some others more easily to be thankful or appreciative because they
were taught by their parents to appreciate everything they get. Though that may
be true, it is never too late to learn good and good can be learned at any
point in our lives because the bible instructs us to learn good. We have to
learn to be appreciative so that we can accomplish our God ordained destiny.
The cost of ingratitude to us is too high. It could even cost us heaven because
an ungrateful person will end up Lord of their own lives and that notwithstanding
that they are church going Pentecostals. As my Pastor often says, learning to
be appreciative is “enlightened self-preservation”. You are not too young or old
to learn to be thankful.
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