Thankfulness

I was at a study today where the conversation was on being thankful. I had recently been reading from Daniel where, on two separate occurrences, they were asked to bow down to a foreign God and they refused to do so. The punishment? For Daniel it was being thrown into the lion’s den where, humanly speaking, he would become cat food. For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, failure to bow down to the statue of the king would put them in a hot spot... a furnace. I treasure the words that one of them spoke stating that they knew that God was able to rescue them from the furnace, but even if He chose not to rescue them in this world, they knew they could not deny their Lord. I had to ask myself whether these four men had hearts filled with gratitude? I’d have to say yes, for none of them sought their own survival. If I am lifting myself up, my efforts would be to protect myself. If you don’t already know, God shut the mouths of the lions and Daniel was unharmed. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace and the king literally saw a divine figure who rescued these three men. There was definitely a lot of gratitude after they were rescued. The reality is that God calls us to be thankful in all things, not just in the things that we like. We can thank God in all situations because we know that God is always in control. If we are obedient and faithful, what happens to us will serve a greater purpose. Maybe, if I was in a car accident, which doesn’t seem to be the kind of thing to be thankful for, God has a great plan even there. We are looking for how God can use that situation to help us, but maybe our answer is not about us, but how God will use us to minister to someone else... fireman, law enforcement, medics, and even those we meet at the hospital. It is a very shallow thanksgiving if it is just tied to all God has done for us here. A true attitude of gratitude is thankful for who God is in spite of our circumstances. Does your life represent an attitude of gratitude? Do you turn most quickly to gossip and complaining, or will your heart be filled with joy and service? We paint a picture of how we think God should be helping us, when in reality, our faith needs reflect that Jesus is our Master and we serve Him. Father, forgive us for the many times we think in terms of what You can do for us. Fill us with a grateful servants heart. Amen