GRATEFULNESS FROM THE HEART

January 9

GRATEFULNESS FROM THE HEART

Psalms 119:13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

The head of a household at the morning meal had asked the blessing as usual, thanking God for a bountiful provision. Immediately afterward he began to grumble about the hard times, the poor quality of food he was forced to eat, & the way it was cooked.
His little daughter interrupted him.
"Father," she began, "do you suppose God heard what you said a little  while ago?"
     "Certainly," he replied confidently.
     "And did He hear what you said about the bacon & the coffee?"
     "Of course"--not quite so confidently.
     "Then, Father, which did God believe?"

Oh, it is so easy to declare God’s righteous judgments in our lives by repeating our memorized “catechism”. When we are on guard of the public eye, how religious, oh how righteous we can sound, how pious can we appear. But the truth about ourselves really comes out when we are ‘alone’, in our familiar surroundings, when we are not so much aware of the presence of others. Then we are known, if only by our conscience, and certainly by our Lord and maker of our substance who already knew, whether we are really thankful for the righteousness of the judgments, for the will of God in our lives, for what He allows to be ‘dished out’ to us.

Oh Lord, help us not to be like the hypocrites who appear righteous on the outside, while inside are full of envy, doubts, complaining and murmuring (Matthew 23:27). Help us to declare the righteousness of your judgments with our mouth and with our heart; in the presence of others, but from a heart that is truly yielded and grateful for all Your bounty.

Psalms 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.