Gratitude vs Complaining

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to complain than to give thanks? But at the end of the day, it is our choice to make; it is our choice to choose whether to focus on appreciation and what is good or on what is wrong. One article stated that “there is always something to be grateful for. On the other hand, there are always things to complain about if that’s your choice.”

Numbers 11:1 (NKJV): Now, when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.

If there’s one thing that the children of Israel were good at, it was complaining, and funny enough, no amount of God’s wonders shook their complaints. Because after God performed the wonders, you would hear them complaining, and they would come back to ask for forgiveness, and God, being merciful, forgave them. But one thing to note is that “complaining” displeases the LORD. Because what complaining does is that even the little work gets thrown away, as you are not even conscious of the little things that are being done for you; the only thing you are focusing on is what you didn’t get or wanted.

We are in a month of Thanksgiving and have one month left to end the year, meaning it is easier to complain now than it was in May or July. So for the rest of this month, we will be dealing with Thanksgiving and being intentional about it.

Takeaway: What is one thing for which you are grateful at this moment?

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

Gratitude Friday!

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

Have you ever wondered why, in all these things that are happening in your life and in the world at large, you are still standing? I still ask myself that in everything Israel went through, there was never a time they were totally defeated to the point that they perished, and they suffered. But in all, God was and is faithful. So what is it that we are battling personally, as a family, as a community, and as a country?

Romans 8:37 (ESV): No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

One thing that we need to be assured of is that there is victory in trials and tribulations. Why? Because the victory doesn’t come from us, but through Him who loved us, we obtain that victory. What a privilege it is to fight from victory and not fight for victory. And if you don’t understand that, you will struggle and become frustrated as a believer. One thing that we should never stop emphasizing is that “all these things” (trials and tribulations) will happen without our permission, so let our focus not be on these things but on Him who loved us.

This victory is so overwhelming, and to think that it came because He loves us still blows my mind to this day. For God so loved the world…

Takeaway: What are you grateful for this week?

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

Before competence, humility precedes.

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

We are living in a world where competency is glorified, and there’s nothing wrong with that; being incompetent is not good in every aspect of your life, but we must remember that we are not the source of our sufficiency. What does that mean? Well, we work so hard to the point that we end up thinking of everything as coming from ourselves, and that’s pride. Paul asks the Corinthians, “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
So no matter how competent you are, you are not the source. Who is the source, then?

2 Corinthians 3:5 (NIV): Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Whether we like it or not, God empowers us, and not just any empowerment, but divine empowerment. And that’s why we have the Holy Spirit. This is not a substitute for hard work; oh no, not at all. God never endorses laziness. This is to show us that we are not as sufficient as we think we are, and as long as you think you are sufficient, then there’s nothing God can do.

Here is a takeaway: Are you hindering God from empowering you because you already think you are enough?

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

Are you allowing your light to shine?

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

God’s work is done; He has made us to be the light of this world. What’s left is for us to do our part, and God cannot do that for us, nor can our brothers or sisters do that. Everyone who is the light must allow the light to shine. It is one thing for people to block your light or try to hide your light from shining, and it’s another thing to block or hide that light by yourself. So what is stopping us from allowing that light to shine? Do we think maybe our families, communities, or colleagues don’t need that light? Well, newsflash: where there is darkness, there is a need for light.

Matthew 5:16 (ESV): In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Yeah, we are doing good works, but people are not giving God the glory. Why? Because our light is not shining before others. The world is already full of people who boast in their work and who think they are all-powerful. Until our light shines before others, our good works are no different from those who are not the light. You don’t need to be the light for your good works to be seen, but you need to allow your light to shine if you want your good works to be seen and your Father to receive glory.

There is a need for light. People are in desperate need of seeing the light shining, and when that light is so near, it makes a significant difference. Until we make it a matter of urgency or a part of our daily lives, we won’t feel the need to allow our light to shine.

Takeaway: Ponder the title of this bread and write things down, and see what steps you can take to consistently do things that glorify God, unless you want the glory to be given to you.

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

You can be the salt and still be ineffective.

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

It is easy to get lost in titles. The danger of titles is that they can lead you to believe you are in a higher place while contributing nothing. My pastor once said, “Christianity is not a title but a way of life.” Sometimes, just because you are a Christian, you think you have arrived; sometimes we even behave as if we are already in heaven. Even at your workplace, be careful not to be consumed by what your position is, because first of all, you are neither the first one to have that position nor the last one to hold it. What do we have today?

Matthew 5:16 (ESV): “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

One thing we cannot shy away from is that we are the salt of the earth; then what should follow is we have to ask ourselves, “What does that mean?” It means the earth is in need of you. And being needed is not a ticket to “Pride Avenue” (starting to become prideful). Be humble; you can lose your saltiness.

So the next thing to follow is to ask ourselves, “What causes us to lose our saltiness?” According to scientists, external factors, such as moisture, impurities, or improper storage, cause the salt to become ineffective. So yes, external factors can affect who you are, as much as “who you are” is an internal matter.

Takeaway: Find out how moisture, impurities, or improper storage can affect your saltiness.

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

Can you stand to be corrected by God?

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

I find it interesting that we, children of God, can’t stand to be corrected or disciplined; we like to jump to conclusions and say, “Why are we being judged?” One thing I don’t mind is being judged , as hard as it is and sometimes cruel, but the same measure the person uses on you, that same measure will be used on him or her (Matthew 7:2). So can we move away from hiding behind judgment? It is becoming hard for children of God to be corrected or rebuked. It is interesting that we say, “Only God can judge me,” but we refuse to listen to the very same words that God spoke. So the question is, which God are we referring to?

Proverbs 3:11-12 (ESV): My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

What does it mean for us to despise the LORD’s discipline? It means we look down on that discipline, and what it means for us to look down on what God does to us to correct us is that we look down on Him. So how can we call Him Lord when we despise what He does or says to us? Let us ponder those questions.

In everything that God does, the ultimate intention is love. Why? Because He is love; even in His anger, love always pulls through. Jeremiah says, “Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.”

Takeaway: Love being disciplined; it will take you far.

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

What do I still lack?

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

Is it possible to have Jesus Christ as your King and still lack? The reason I am asking this is that it is one of the responsibilities of a king to take care of his people. According to Peter, God, by His divine power, has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). So, according to what God has done, we should not be lacking.

Matthew 19:20 (NIV): “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

It is easy to hold on to what you have kept and overlook what you are lacking, so today I want us to reflect and go before our King and say, “Teacher, what do I still lack?” You may find that there are things you are struggling to release, and they may not be bad things. For the ruler, it was wealth, and wealth is good to have, but it needed to be released, and he couldn’t.
One question I believe the ruler should have asked is, “What is it that man has that even my wealth cannot be compared to?” Trust me, no poor man can tell a rich man to follow him to live in poverty; it doesn’t make sense.

Takeaway: If God said I should leave something, there must be something better in store. Let us think on that and sit down to take inventory of when God said so, and you will see. Or you can even go to the Bible for examples. So before you tell God how much you need that thing that He wants to take, sit down and think of what He wants to do.

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

Gratitude Friday

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

Welcome to the new month of August, the eighth month just in case you forgot, and thank God you have made it to August. 213 days have passed, and 152 days remain. What are you grateful for?

Psalm 28:7 (ESV): The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

I want us to take time to reflect on when our strength couldn’t keep up, because it is not until our strength fails that we realize the LORD is our strength. I want to point out something: notice that the psalmist says the LORD is, not “Lord, give me strength.” There is nothing wrong with asking God for strength, but it changes how you face situations when you know that the Lord is your strength. You can rest; that is why He says, “In Him, my heart trusts.”

The problem with being given strength is that you might end up relying on that strength and forgetting that you were given it. But when He is your strength, it is easy for you to give thanks to Him.

Takeaway: Who is your source in every aspect of your life? It is easy to claim that God is our source, only to find that we are obtaining things from sources that are not from God.

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

Gratitude Friday

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

How many times have we found ourselves in situations where we wished we could snap our fingers and change the situation? Some of us can even lose count of them. And how many times have we asked God to turn things around, especially in situations we created ourselves? We live in a time when we don’t want to face the consequences, and that is not how God operates. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7) So we have to experience every season presented to us, but in going through that season, we can rest assured that God is with us all the way.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (BSB): “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Imagine if the Israelites were going through the wilderness and God was not with them. Do you think they would have survived those 40 years? Amidst their rebellion and lack of faith in God, He remained faithful. He was with them. I know that sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it seems like God is not there, but rest assured, “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with and understand our weaknesses and temptations…”

So let’s take time in our difficult situations to say, “God, we thank You for being with us.” We don’t know what would have happened if we were alone in these situations. Fear could have overcome us, but You have not allowed it. And let us always know that, just because You are not changing our dry season to a wet season, it doesn’t mean You don’t sympathize with or hear us. Your Word says, “Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24)

Takeaway: What season of life are you experiencing?

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!

Gratitude Friday

Good day, good people! This is the day that the Lord has made; never forget that. Regardless of what you face in the morning, afternoon, or evening, this day is a gift to you and me, so let’s cherish it.

Life is a war, or should I say it is full of battles, and whether you like it or not, you will have to engage. And just because we are not carrying guns to fight this one, some people have decided to camp on a battleground, especially when the battle doesn’t look life-threatening. We have to fight, whether we lose or win the battle. But thanks be to God, who is a God of war.

Exodus 14:14 (ESV): The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

Yes, Moses was speaking with Israel, but surely God has fought for you in the past six months. There are things that could have taken us for a spin and thrown us into a place of no return, but God was there. Unless you are waiting to see him in action, then you won’t thank him. But for us who know that the God of Israel doesn’t sleep nor slumber. We can’t wait to see him in action, but we will always say, Thank you, God, for fighting for me.

I told you He is a God of war, so He knows more about life’s battles than we do. Therefore, keep silent (put your faith in Him) and let your gratitude make noise.

Takeaway: How difficult is it for you to rest in God’s sovereignty and provision?

Prayer: Abba, Father, we thank you in Jesus’ name. Ameni!