Why do we Miss Out on Thanking God?

In Luke 17:11-19 we read about the ten lepers who came to Jesus and were cleansed. But only one of them returns to thank Him.  Thanksgiving is a choice, and God wants his children to live a lifestyle of thanksgiving. However like the nine lepers, here are 5 reasons why we miss out on thanking God:

1. Because we forget his benefits

That’s why the Psalmist says: Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits (Psalms 103:2). In the Old Testament the Israelite leaders would often build a monument of stones to remember their God-encounters. And every time they would come across it, their hearts would be filled with praise knowing that this was the place where God gave them a promise or a supernatural victory over their situations. Under the new covenant we have the holy communion that reminds us of who we are in Christ every time we partake of it.

It is good to maintain a thank you book and write down every small and big blessing from God. And every time we go over it, our hearts will be filled with thanksgiving, instead of grumbling and complaining.

Let’s stop worrying and start thanking because thankfulness is the key to your miracle. Also, a thankful heart honours God. According to Psalms 50:23 – The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.

3. Because we get satisfied with the miracle

The nine lepers who got healed got satisfied with their miracle. You see there’s a problem with that. The miracle will never satisfy you. You got to pursue the miracle maker, Jesus. It in in His presence that you will find fullness of joy. Only He can give you salvation, which is the greatest miracle of all. Once you make Jesus the foundation of your life, you will always overflow in gratitude no matter what situation you are in. However, if you are living off your miracle, it will be so easy to get into grumbling and complaining.

4. Because we start comparing ourselves with others

Cain compared his sacrifice with Abel’s. Esau compared himself with Jacob, Jospeh’s brothers compared themselves with Joseph and the result was strife, envy, jealousy and even murder! Each one of us has been fearfully and wonderfully made and it’s time we don’t look at each other’s physique, family, career, gifting, calling or church and feel bad about what God has blessed us with! It’s like telling God, “Hey, you didn’t do a good job on me.” I like how Bill Johnson puts it: “When you discover who God made you to be, you will never want to be anyone else.”

5. Because we take God for granted

We take His grace and mercy for granted; we take His Word for granted. He is God Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12), thus far He has helped us. We tend to approach God with a sense of familiarity or routine. And that can cause our hearts to be hardened, which is very dangerous. We forget that more than our daily prayer lists, He desires to walk with us every second of our life and reveal deep things of His heart. A thankful heart is a humble heart which acknowledges even the tiniest of blessing that God gives. A thankful heart sets up a throne of praise for God and His intimate fellowship.

for guest writers. text will come here