GRATEFULNESS vs. MURMURING

GRATEFULNESS vs. MURMURING

I have been reading through the ONE YEAR BIBLE and for the past several
weeks the readings have been in Numbers. I have been amazed at how often
in that book, Moses talks about the murmuring and grumbling of the
children of Israel.

I found myself saying, "How could they be so stupid?" and then the Holy
Spirit places His hand on my shoulder and says, "And how can you? Don't
you do the same thing?" Ouch!!!

Bill Gothard in his book THE POWER OF TRUE SUCCESS -- HOW TO BUILD
CHARACTER IN YOUR LIFE suggests several principles about gratefulness:

1. Gratefulness is receiving all things from the sovereign hand of God
and finding the benefits in each one. (James 1:17)

2. Gratefulness depends on the ability to see or anticipate the benefits
of God's bigger program.

3. Nothing holds back a heart from gratitude so much as holding on to
expectations. Are your expectations His? Are they unrealistic? (See
Psalm 62:5) "A proud man is seldom a grateful man; he never gets as much
as he deserves." -- Henry Ward Beecher

4. Thank God for what you DO have instead of murmuring about what you
DON'T have. Helen Keller said, "So much has been give to me, I have no
time to ponder over that which has been denied."

5. Grateful people appreciate WHAT they have; murmurers don't want what
they are given. (See Exodus 16:8)

6. Gratefulness is defined by God as a sacrifice because it means
surrendering our NATURAL tendency to murmur. (See Psalm 116:17).

"Think not on what you lack as much as on what you have." -- Greek
Proverb

Are you grateful this morning our are you a murmurer? Good thought to
ponder today.