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“Any blessing we don’t turn back to praise turns into pride.”

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Altar Ego: Becoming Who God SaysYou Are (p. 150). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Here is the problem.  Craig says, “We think we earned it, deserved it, or are worthy of it. That’s pride. And pride breaks God’s heart. Among other things, pride is a God-repellent. He opposes the proud. The good news is that God gives grace to the humble. Just as pride disgusts God, praise delights him.”

Earlier Craig said, “How do you overcome the seeds of ungratefulness that culture has planted in your soul? How do you learn to be grateful in a world that excels at its opposite?

“I’d like to borrow a line from a Matt Redman song called ‘Blessed Be Your Name.’ In it, he sings to God, ‘Every blessing you pour out, I’ll turn back to praise.’ To cultivate an attitude of gratitude, we should turn everything good in our lives into an opportunity to worship. When we do, we’re acknowledging the giver of the gifts. The Bible says in James, ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above’ (1:17). Since anything good we have comes from God, why not give God the credit?

“Remember the entitled person feels he deserves everything good that he receives, ignoring God’s goodness in the blessings. But when he doesn’t get what he wants in life, God tends to get the blame. On the other hand, when we turn blessings to praise, we cultivate gratitude. We’re training our hearts to become constantly aware of God’s goodness.”

Later Craig says, “One verse that helped build in me a spirit of gratitude is Ecclesiastes 6:9, which says, ‘Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite.’ Think about it. Wanting what you have is better than trying to have what you want. It’s better to embrace what God has given us than to whine about what he hasn’t. When you take every good thing and acknowledge it, giving praise to God, it radically changes your perspective.

“Turn your blessings into praise. Instead of complaining about your older car, you
can thank God every day that you have transportation. If your house is always a wreck, you can thank God that you have a family, kids, and toys. If you feel like you’re always busy running from one place to another, you can thank God that you’re healthy, needed, and have the ability to live an active, productive life. If your house is small, you can thank God that you have a refrigerator, a bed, and running water. If you don’t like your job, wake up every day and remember all of the people who would kill for your job. Then thank God he has provided you with employment. Perspective is everything.”


And it is, isn’t it?
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