In Gratitude

Matt.5: ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”

Someone sent this email to his pastor: “Dear pastor, I am so tired of going through the motions. I am fed up with business as usual. Nothing really excites me or energizes me anymore. 

I have been in a slum for so long now I do not know if I can get out of it but I do not like it one bit.I am filled with a jumble of emotions. I am frustrated, bored, unfulfilled and I tend to focus on what is wrong. I can be cynical about everything. The bad news is I take out my frustration on the people I love the most – my family, my wife, and children. Pastor I need a major change in my life.”

Unfortunately, this is the story of a lot of people. People are looking at things from the outside to energize and excite them. And if you look closely at the life of the person that wrote the email, there is a lot to thank God for. Number one is that he has a computer, he should be thankful for that. Number two – he has Internet connection; a lot of people cannot even afford that. Number three – he has power, otherwise the laptop would be useless to him. Number four – he has fingers to type with. Number five – he has a family, he has a wife and no one has run away with his wife. Number six – this man has children; some people wait for years after marriage before having children. There is just one word underlining the heart of this writer’s email and it is ingratitude.

If you are ungrateful, your life will be dull. Write this down and put it on your wall. A dull life is proof of an ungrateful life. If you are a grateful person, there is no way your life will not be filled with vitality. Always looking for something on the outside to excite you on the inside is a wrong model! You are the one that should excite your environment. Once you enter a place, excitement has come – action! Do not just wait for something to excite you; you are the excitement. Jesus says you are the salt and you are the light of the world. When the salt is waiting for something to make it salty, something is wrong with that salt. 1 Thess.5:¹⁸ “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” [with emphasis].

Prayer: Lord Jesus, because You are my source, my life will overflow with gratitude, in Jesus Name. Amen!