Forever Grateful

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.”  Colossians 3:15

Whatever happened to good ol’ gratitude?  It’s only common courtesy to thank someone, either in person or through other means of communication, for a gift or for some kindness that was shown to us.  Many folks now have what is called an “entitlement” mentality, that is, an attitude that they think they deserve or are “entitled” to whatever it is that they’ve been given.  From where did this “gimme, gimme, gimme” belief come?  Prosperity has caused folks to lose sight of what is really important.  It is taken for granted that all the “stuff” will keep on coming, and there will be no lack.  But, if and when lack comes, the folks with no real gratitude will be the first to squeal like stuck pigs because the trough has dried up.

Unfortunately, I think some of this entitlement attitude has been promoted by what are known as “prosperity” preachers, you know, the “name it and claim it” bunch.  They preach a message of how one can be prosperous, happy, and practically trouble free because they claim that Jesus died to give folks all they could ever desire while living on earth.  My guess is that these promoters of prosperity are the only ones getting wealthy because they are “fleecing the flock”.  It is true that the Lord will provide our needs when we depend on Him, and sometimes He allows us extra so that we have the means to help others, but we are to follow Christ because we love Him, desire to serve Him, and are exceedingly thankful for His salvation.  Being forgiven, knowing that Jesus is with us 24/7, and having a home reserved in heaven is worth far more that all the gold in Fort Knox, all the money on Wall Street, and all the tea in China.

We could all stand to put a little more gratitude in our attitude.  Nothing is promised to us except our eternal destination, whichever direction that takes depending on our response to God’s call.  If we have food, shelter, and clothing, we have what we need to sustain life.  Let’s be forever grateful for God’s love, salvation, provisions, and protection and tell Him so.