ARE YOU A GIVER OR A TAKER?

SCRIPTURE:
Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying Your great 
goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, 
they did not serve You or turn from their evil ways.  
(Nehemiah 9:35)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever seen someone who wants to get, but not to give?
Not only that, but they don’t show appreciation for the gifts they receive.
The same thing can be said of many Christians.
Abundance does not guarantee a show of gratefulness or thanksgiving.
In fact, prosperity may even turn some hearts away from the Lord.

We complain when things do not go our way.
We want an abundance of everything 
instead of being satisfied with what is sufficient to sustain us.
We would rather be somewhere else 
than where we are right now (our job, our status, our residence, etc.).
We would rather have what the Lord gives to others 
than be satisfied with what He has given us.
We would rather have God serve us than for us to serve Him.
We fail to express our gratitude for what He has given us.

When a group of Jewish exiles returned from Babylon with Nehemiah 
to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they gathered together 
to confess their sins and those of their fathers. 
In their prayers, they confessed to the Lord 
that although He had blessed them with goodness and fertile land, 
they did nothing to show their appreciation.

They did not look for ways to serve the Lord, 
nor did they turn from their evil ways.
We can assume that they also did not praise, thank,
and worship God for all the ways He had blessed them.

Confession should be a part of every believer’s prayer life.
After we confess, we need to spend time thanking God for His blessings.
After we have laid our petitions at His feet, 
we need to commit to being more obedient to His commands.

ACTION:
How grateful are you for how the Lord has blessed you?
When is the last time you have expressed your gratitude to Him?
How often to you confess your sins to the Lord?
When is the last time you have committed to being more obedient to Him?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for all of your many blessings. You 
give me food, clothing, and shelter, along with the air that I breathe 
and the beat of my heart. You also give me spiritual gifts so that I can 
use them to serve You. Forgive me for any of Your gifts that I am 
not using to glorify You. Forgive me for not being more grateful 
for your blessings. Help me to be more obedient to You and Your
commands. Meet me each morning and help me to avoid the things 
that You do not like. I want to be more committed to You instead 
of focusing on the things of this world.”