“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.” (Romans 1:21 nlt)
A man was nailing down a loose shingle on his roof when he lost his footing and began to slip. Working three storiesabove ground, he was terrified at the thought of falling to his death. He shouted, “God, help me! I’m falling! Dosomething!” Just as he came to the edge of the roof, his belt loop caught on a nail and stopped him long enough for him to grab hold of the roof and pull himself to safety.
He shouted, “Never mind, God! The nail stopped my fall.”
How many times have we been guilty of the same kind of obliviousness in our own prayers? We cry out to God in a moment of distress. He answers our cry by working through the situation to relieve our distress. Then we say, “Never mind, God! Everything worked out by itself.”
A better solution is to examine our circumstances to see where God intervened so that we can give Him the praise and gratitude He deserves. The apostle Paul wrote, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 nlt). We can’t always see the work He does, but we can be certain that when things work together for the good, it’s because God orchestrated it. So,we need to put as much zeal into thanking God for what He’s done as we put into pleading with God when we’re in need.
I heard about a hospital chaplain who kept a record of some two thousand patients whom he had visited, all of whom were in grave condition and showed signs of repentance. Among those restored to health, he felt that only two showed a marked change in their spiritual lives after their recovery. In other words, when these people thought they were dying, they repented. But when they recovered, they forgot about God.
Paul warned what happens when people fall into this trap: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused” (Romans 1:21 nlt).
Is it possible to have a genuine relationship when one person constantly asks something of the other but neveroffers a word of thanks in return? The more thankful we are toward God, the deeper we can grow in our relationship with Him. So, in this holiday season, let’s cling to the words of Psalm 100:4–5: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever,and his faithfulness continues to each generation” (nlt).
Reflection question: How can you be proactive in giving thanks to God?
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Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.
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