Day 23: Gratitude Is Always Enough
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Andrew Carnegie, the wealthy industrialist whose fortune rivaled that of any other contemporary at the time of his death in 1919, left a million dollars to one of his relatives, who in return became angry and bitter toward his generous benefactor because Mr. Carnegie had also left $365 million to charitable causes.
On its face, we can hardly believe this. How can a person have a million reasons to be grateful yet find it hundreds of millions short of being adequate? But don't we all possess some sense of entitlement toward God? How often does our expectation or demand for "more," tower over the plenty we already possess?
That's because we forget that God doesn't owe us anything. We are debtors. We are the ones who owe. We think we deserve more (or different or better) than we have, and therefore we forget or minimize the blessings God has already given and continues to give. Not content with food, clothing, and a roof over our heads, we whine if we don't have a certain kind of house, a certain kind of car, a certain kind of job, a certain kind of marriage, and certain kinds of friends living in a certain kind of neighborhood and income bracket.
The fact is, we're often not so different that Carnegie's ungrateful beneficiary. It's time we let gratitude be our ticket to freedom. It's true--being grateful can lead us to a place of simple satisfaction.
GRATITUDE IN ACTION
What kinds of "wants" are you defining as "needs"? Ask God to show you any ways you may have become blinded to His grace. Highlight them. Confess them. And trade them in on the bounty God promises to the grateful.
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