One of my favorite times in the Bible that the Lord God shows His incredible provision to His people is after they flee Egypt's oppression. Over and over again, the people grumble about their circumstances. God provides and tells them what to do and they complain and don't do it.
He had given them meat and water and bread and yet they grumbled and complained. But even before that, He had just rescued them from 400 years of slavery, and yet they complained. He had just made the Red Sea part allowing them to cross and also killed the Egyptian army that was pursuing them to re-enslave them.
God had provided for them time and time again and yet, complaint arose from within them.
What kind of people look at all of God's blessing and provision and presence and yet, complain to His face?
Normal people.
If you're a Christian, you're a slave of God. You've been set free from the bondage of Sin and become a child of God. You've been spared the awful wrath of God, an eternal Hell, and been given God himself as your prize through Christ our Lord. I've been given those things along with you and yet, I find myself complaining at certain points in my life.
I find myself complaining about incredibly ridiculous things in light of the blessing and unmerited favor of God in my life. I find myself being ungrateful to the King of Kings. I find myself living according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit at some points in my life.
There is an overwhelming characteristic of a life that has been born again: a life of gratitude.
The one who understands how deep the Father's love is for them, understands how much we have to be thankful for.
I've said it before: it's hard to not like a genuine, overly-thankful person. And conversely, it's hard to be around people who are ungrateful for anything and who complain about everything.
What kind of witness to we offer our King? Does the Grace of God overflow into our hearts to make us into thankful, humble people? Or does it give us the license to expect more from the world than it offered our Lord Jesus?
May we be people of thanks.
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