The Necessity of Gratitude
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
Ephesians 5:18–21
There are two major enemies of gratitude that keep many people from being thankful. The first is a sense of entitlement—the feeling that we deserve all of the good things we get. The second is a sense of greed—that we deserve even more than we get. Either of these attitudes stand in the way of living as thankful people. There is an old joke about a husband who wanted to get his wife something special for Christmas but didn’t have much money. He bought her a fur coat made of skunks. When she opened the package she said, “I can’t see how such a nice coat can come from such a foul smelling little beast.” Her husband responded, “I don’t ask for thanks, but I do demand some respect!”
Too many times we look at God’s good and gracious gifts, things which we do not deserve to receive at all, with contempt rather than thanksgiving. What we deserve is eternity in Hell. That would be getting what we have coming. The folly of Christians who, solely because of grace, have received salvation and innumerable blessings, complaining because they do not have everything they think they want is vast indeed. The Spirit-filled Christian does not gripe and murmur. Instead he rejoices and gives thanks in every situation. Many necessary things in life that come to us as part of God’s plan and purpose are not pleasant, but there are no times in which we cannot be grateful.
Ephesians 5:18–21
There are two major enemies of gratitude that keep many people from being thankful. The first is a sense of entitlement—the feeling that we deserve all of the good things we get. The second is a sense of greed—that we deserve even more than we get. Either of these attitudes stand in the way of living as thankful people. There is an old joke about a husband who wanted to get his wife something special for Christmas but didn’t have much money. He bought her a fur coat made of skunks. When she opened the package she said, “I can’t see how such a nice coat can come from such a foul smelling little beast.” Her husband responded, “I don’t ask for thanks, but I do demand some respect!”
Too many times we look at God’s good and gracious gifts, things which we do not deserve to receive at all, with contempt rather than thanksgiving. What we deserve is eternity in Hell. That would be getting what we have coming. The folly of Christians who, solely because of grace, have received salvation and innumerable blessings, complaining because they do not have everything they think they want is vast indeed. The Spirit-filled Christian does not gripe and murmur. Instead he rejoices and gives thanks in every situation. Many necessary things in life that come to us as part of God’s plan and purpose are not pleasant, but there are no times in which we cannot be grateful.
Today’s Growth Principle:
God’s grace gives us far more than we deserve, and in every circumstance we can find cause for gratitude.
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