Word of Encouragement (11/17/2020)

One sign of humility is our constant reliance on God. Another sure sign of humility is gratitude.

A proud person cannot be grateful. He gets mad when things don’t go his way because he thinks he deserves better. But even when things go well, he is still not grateful because he takes it for granted; he is only getting what he deserves. Actually, he looks around and sees other people who are doing better and his soul turns bitter. “Why do they get to have more and enjoy life more than I? Don’t I deserve it as much as they do?” Interestingly, a proud person doesn’t see those who are less fortunate than he; he only sees those who have more, and that makes him upset. A proud person is not a grateful person. And he, who cannot be grateful, cannot be happy.

A humble person doesn’t take things for granted. When good things happen to him, he feels genuinely grateful. The smallest things in life trigger gratitude in your heart—a cup of cold water when he is thirsty, something to eat when he is hungry, the bright sunny days that warm up your body as well as the rainy days that water the earth (and the fresh smell of earth and water right after the rain!), etc. Even when he is having a hard day, he takes notice of these little delightful things of life and feels the burden of life lifting. When someone shows kindness, he responds, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me...” (Ruth 2:10)? Such genuine gratitude springs from our humility before God: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him” (Ps. 8:3-4)? A humble person is a grateful person and a grateful person is a happy person.

Brothers and sisters, as we begin a new day, let’s have an attitude check. Is your life characterized by dissatisfaction and complaint these days? Then, I fear that pride has taken root in your soul. You know that pride spoils everything. It will make you unhappy and angry in the midst of God’s abundant blessings. Heed the warning: “God opposes the proud...” (1 Pet. 5:5). Pray that the Lord would open up your eyes to see all that God has blessed you with. And open your eyes and start counting your blessings by looking around and paying attention to all the small and big things that you have taken for granted. Start giving thanks to God for them. And don’t forget to thank God for the most important blessings of all—“an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4)! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places...” (Eph. 1:3). May your soul overflow with joy and happiness as you realize how rich you are in Jesus Christ! “For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:21-23). Have a blessed day!