Overcoming Pride with Thanksgiving
Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. ~Ezekiel 16:48
A few days ago I texted a friend to see how she was doing. She replied that God was showing her the pride that was in her heart but that He was weeding it out, for which she was thankful. We in America have so much, yet I believe it is that abundance that has made us proud. We complain about what we don’t have while the reality is that we lack for nothing.
Another friend posted on Facebook today about his work among homeless people. When he returned home, he noticed some of his blessings that many take for granted. He said he didn’t feel guilty, but he was thankful. I think gratitude is a big key.
James 1:17 tells us:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
We don’t have anything that our Father hasn’t provided for us. Sure, we may have bought it with our hard-earned money, but without God’s mercy, we could lose our jobs. Everything we have could be destroyed in a moment. Our blessings truly do come down from the Father of lights, and we need to not take them for granted
As we enter this week of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to listen to the words that come out of your mouth. When you find yourself tempted to complain, switch gears and ask God to show you something for which you can be thankful. Let’s not be grumblers and complainers like the Israelites. Instead, let’s be a people of praise and thanksgiving, encouraging others and looking for ways to serve those who are poor and needy.
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