nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
It is true that we see God through our attitude towards Him. Your perception of God is determined by your attitude towards Him. Gratitude appreciates God and acknowledges Him as God but ingratitude refuses to accord unto God His worth or value. When you give thanks to God, the light of God’s goodness and graciousness shines into your mind. You begin to see things as they are, and you begin to see God as He is. The Word tells us to give thanks to God, for He is good and for His mercy endures forever. Thanksgiving is the way we respond to God’s goodness. When we give thanks to God consistently for His goodness, we see Him as good always; therefore, our expectation of His goodness provokes the manifestation of God’s goodness to us. David says in Psalms 34:3, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.” David is saying that exalting God’s Name, which is thanksgiving, is what it means to magnify the Lord. So, when the Lord is praised, He is magnified in our eyes; and so, our faith in Him skyrockets, owing to how big and glorious He is to us. Hallelujah!!!
Our opening verse tells us that when the people knew God as God, they did not glorify Him as God. God revealed Himself to them as God, but they didn’t respond to Him accordingly. They didn’t glorify Him as God, neither were they thankful. Did you see what thanksgiving is? It is glorifying God as God; it is acknowledging God as God. So, what then happened to those who didn’t glorify God as God? The Word tells us that they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Did you see how ingratitude to God can make the heart foolish and darkened? They became vain in their imaginations. What does this mean? They began to imagine vain things, impossible things; things that will never come to pass. So, they gave their labour to things that will never produce fruits. For example, the failed project of the Tower of Babel was a product of man’s vain imaginations (Genesis 11:1-9); the persecuting of the early Church by the Sanhedrin to destroy them and silence their voice was a vain imagination (Acts 4:23-30). If you become ungrateful to God, you will always be thinking about impossible tasks, things that will never come to pass. You will be discontented with yourself and begin to desire other people’s gifts. That’s a cheap way to plague your soul. Be thankful for who you are and what the Lord has given to you. You are unique in every regard. Give God praise for that.
MY SOLID FRONT:
Today, I acknowledge God as my Rock, Source and Sustainer; I acknowledge His free favours on my life, and I acknowledge, with thanksgiving, all His blessings that I have enjoyed thus far. I appreciate God for who He has made me and for the gifts that He has given to me. I am who I am by the grace of God, and I am grateful to Him. Amen!
FURTHER MEDITATION: Romans 1:19-28; 1 Thessalonians 5:18-19.