Lake Eufaula Christian Church
Gratitude is our gift to give for whatever blessings we’re thankful to have. Ingratitude is exactly the opposite: un-thankfulness. When people’s hearts are full of ingratitude, they don’t want to worship. They tend to have a negative mindset toward church and think they don’t need it. Instead of worshiping God, from whom every good and perfect gift comes, our worldly culture today worships self-preservation, self-sufficiency, and self-absorption.
Such self-worship is a rejection of God as creator and giver of all blessings. The great apostle Paul wrote that by seeing the earth, the sky, and everything God made, people clearly see God’s “invisible qualities— his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:20) Renowned American theologian Francis Schaeffer said, “The beginning of man’s rebellion against God was, and is, the lack of a thankful heart.” W.E. Hanley’s famous poem “Invictus” demonstrates the folly of such self-sufficiency and God-denial as it portrays a person, bragging “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul” as he stands at the gates of hell.
Unfortunately, that unthankful attitude summarizes the sentiments of our day. It is an attitude that sees oneself as the ultimate source of strength, happiness, and prosperity—an attitude that runs against scriptural teaching and is inconsistent with a spiritfilled life.
We Christians who have been born again, saved by Jesus’s blood, and given the gift of eternal life are no longer captains of our souls. As followers of Jesus, we submit our lives to Him and realize in Him, we have so much to be grateful for. We should frequently be praying, “Thank you, Lord, for renewing us, reclaiming us, and redeeming us.”
Psalm 100 is considered to be the Psalm of thanksgiving, ordering “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalm 100: 1-2) Please notice we’re not called only to say a prayer of thanksgiving. We’re called to live with an attitude of gratitude. We’re called to shout, to worship!, to rejoice! As Christians, we’re called to be thankful with a joyful spirit, rejoicing as our worship fosters gratitude for the source of all.
Remember, as Christians we have a constant source of renewal. When we’ve had a tough day, the Holy Spirit will try to point us back to Christ Jesus, the savior of our souls. He wants us to come to Him to be renewed, to rejoice in worship, and to feel His love. We need His strength and His peace to comfort our hearts.
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Psalm 100:3-4) We at LECC practice joyful gratitude at 10 a.m. small Bible study, 11 a.m. worship, and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night classes for all ages. We welcome visitors with the same unfettered glee, so why not come join us?
God Bless You!
Jeremy Little, Minister.
