Worthy Devotions – Daily Christian Devotion » Gratitude

Hebrews 6:10-12 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Anyone that’s been a believer for very long realizes how small the world is these days and how the Lord has connected millions of people with one another in miraculous ways. We meet hundreds of people from various backgrounds, and I’m often amazed how lives of those we meet are crossed over with others that we know.

It reminds me of a story about Peter ten Boom who was the cousin of Corrie ten Boom. For those who don’t know the story of the ten Boom legacy, their family was instrumental in saving the lives of Jews during the holocaust in World War II. At the age of sixteen, Peter defied the Germans by playing the Dutch national anthem in their church and the entire congregation stood up and sang. For this act of defiance, Peter was imprisoned.

After World War II, Peter traveled the world with the same message as his aunt, Corrie ten Boom. During his speaking tour in Israel, Peter had a heart attack and needed surgery.

The night before the operation, the cardiologist asked Peter, “Are you by chance related to the ten Booms of Holland?” Peter replied, “Yes, that’s my family!” The doctor responded, “I’m one of the babies that your family saved!”

The next day the man whose life had been saved forty years earlier, repaid the debt by saving Peter’s life.

We are called to sow seed not knowing where it might spring up. There’s a saying, “What goes around, comes around!” It’s amazing how God has a way of doing that. Let’s keep sowing, because we shall certainly reap if we faint not!

Revelation 7:11-12 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

I’ve been reading about thanksgiving, and have recently come across some challenging examples of this from other cultures, that I want to share.

In Africa, there are several tribes that have remarkable ways of expressing their gratitude. In East Africa, the Masai tribe expresses thanks by placing their foreheads on the ground and saying, “My head is in the dirt.” Another African Tribe communicates gratitude by sitting for a long time in front of the hut of the individual whom they want to thank, saying, “I sit on the ground before you.”

These Africans understand that a core attitude of thanksgiving is humility, and their way of expressing it clearly represents that attitude. Our passage in Revelation reflects the same thing: angels, elders, and living creatures all fall on their faces in humility and gratitude to God for who He is.

I see a deep connection between thanksgiving and humility which, perhaps, is often overlooked. Thankful people recognize their need, and the generosity and beneficence of the Giver, and every truly grateful person is humbled by the amazing gifts he’s received from God. So I see that true humility will always be accompanied by gratitude, and also, that those who are truly grateful will be growing in the beautiful characteristic of humility. May it be so for us.