Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth
In yesterday's devotional we began looking at different conditions of the heart—conditions that are necessary in order to experience the richer blessings of God. Today we will continue looking at those conditions.
· A grateful heart. Deuteronomy 28:45-47 (Amplified) says,
All these curses shall come upon you and shall pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. They shall be upon you for a sign [of warning to other nations] and for a wonder, and upon your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of [mind and] heart [in gratitude] for the abundance of all [with which He had blessed you].
William Shakespeare said, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." Do you express gratitude to God for all the things He has blessed you with, or do you take His blessings for granted?
Many years ago, when I was serving in a small church, one of my duties was to take groceries to families in need. I was shocked at the ingratitude of some that received the gift of food delivered to their homes. While some were truly grateful, others acted as if it was somehow owed to them—even complaining because their favorite foods were not included!
Hopefully you have taken time recently to thank God for the blessings He has bestowed on your life. If not, take time today to express your gratitude to Him who is the source of every good thing you enjoy.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Serpent's Tooth
As many of you know, I receive daily devotionals from Pastor Bayless Conley. While they're almost always relevant, some days they seem like something all the world should hear. yesterday's was one of those.
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I find it interesting, that as I read this message how often I wonder "Do people REALLY thank the Lord for what he provides?"
ReplyDeleteAs my life isn't exsacly where I thought I'd be, God has a plan and PROVIDED for everything I need, and "want" even the little things. Every night I thanks him for the shelter, food, income and healthy bodies he is protecting. I know some people "expect" this stuff without graditude. It's sad...
Good point. The idea that so many people in this world feel as if they're owed something is mind boggling.
ReplyDeleteI think that's especially true of those of us in wealthy countries like America. We fail to realize that every little thing in our lives in ours because of God. It is not our own doing.
ReplyDeleteGreat devotional and a great reminder to REALLY count my blessings. If we were to sit down and make a list of all the blessings in our life ~ current and past (and that does not just mean the stuff we have!), it would take a REALLY long time. God is so faithful and has blessed us abundantly!!