Theme:   A Surprising Key to Getting Unstuck - Gratitude versus Entitlement

This eDevotional was written by a volunteer from Timberlake Church. 

READ: Numbers 11:1-1

THINK:  Driving the last couple of miles down the 520 recently, I became frustrated by all the traffic heading off the highway toward the Plateau.  What a mess!  Then I remembered how bad the traffic really was before the road-widening project was completed a year or so ago.  Just as Pastor Ben described in his sermon on Sunday, the gratitude I had felt when the section of the freeway opened had turned into an ungrateful sense of entitlement. 

It’s a common problem.  We’re so grateful for a good job or a new house when we first have it, but over time we begin to assume that that same blessing is the minimum we’re due.  What was once a welcome gift that brought us great happiness becomes a basic ‘right’, and we long for something even better.

Wandering in the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites went through the same cycle.  They were hungry, and God provided a miracle – more than enough manna for everyone to eat each day.  But after a while, they got tired of the same old miracle.  Sure, manna was fine, but what about some meat?  The gratitude they must have felt when they first received the manna had devolved into a whining sense of entitlement.

God provides for each of us in so many ways.  Like the Israelites, we face a daily choice about how we will respond to His goodness.  We can choose to sulk and demand more, making both God and ourselves unhappy.  Or, we can choose gratitude.  It starts with a change in perspective.  I may be having some problems with my boss, but I’ve got a job.  The roof may leak, but my family has a home. 

Having shifted to an attitude of gratitude, we need to do one more thing.  We need to express our gratitude.  The outward display of gratitude strengthens the inward habit of gratefulness.  As we express thanks and acknowledge the good things God has given us, we develop a habit of gratefulness.  And that’s a habit we’ll never want to break.

DO:  Express your gratitude today.  Tell someone ‘thanks’, or give a gift just because you want to share some of what God has so generously given to you.

PRAY:  God, I’m sorry I’ve taken your gifts for granted.  Your goodness to me is far greater than I could ever deserve.  Help me to see all the blessings you’ve given, to choose an attitude of gratefulness, and to express my gratitude at every opportunity.  In Jesus’ name, amen.