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“People ask why bad things happen to them, but they rarely ask why good things happen to them.”

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are (p. 145). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I never thought about that.  But it is true, isn’t it?

Craig goes on, “These attitudes reflect the false belief that we don’t deserve bad but we do deserve good.”  Think about how we whine and gripe when things are going bad and even how we talk to God during bad times.

But then Craig brings us back to the truth.  He says, “Remember, all we really deserve is hell. If you’re a Christian, Christ has saved you from the pit of your sin. You’ve been filled with the Spirit of God. You’re adopted into God’s eternal family. Your life is not your own. You were bought with a price — the blood of Jesus shed for you on the cross.”  And we need to constantly be reminded of that fact, don’t we?

Craig is dealing with gratitude in this section and earlier he said, “When you dig up the roots of entitlement, gratitude will grow in the good soil of a fertile heart. Gratitude will change how you see your past, acknowledging God’s sovereignty in all things. Gratitude positions you to experience God moment by moment in the present, depending on him daily. Gratitude places you in a posture of worship, ready to give praise to God for every good thing he will do in your future.

“What has God done in your life? What has he given you? What blessings do you take for granted? Your life? Your health? Your friendships? Your job? Your home or apartment? When you pause to really think, I promise you can see God in all things, even in the things you wish had never happened.”

And that brings us to this thought, “People ask why bad things happen to them, but they rarely ask why good things happen to them.”

O God, please forgive us for our misplaced expectations and our lack of gratitude for all you have done for us and are doing for us.  You have given to each of us more than we ever should or could deserve.  May we experience you in a greater way in each moment of this day.  Yes, yes!

So, what are some of the good things you are grateful for in your life even when bad things are happening to you?

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