More than Appreciation

I'm preparing a Bible study for Tuesday night, and I was deeply challenged by the introduction.  I find that God must challenge me first so I can properly convey the truth of His Word to others.  Hopefully it is an exhortation you too will find profitable!

Can man ever appreciate God enough? Our appreciation is limited by our awareness. An infant which is practically blind and without understanding has hardly the capacity to appreciate all the parents have done for his survival and growth. What pains a pregnant mother takes in eating food and dietary supplements which promote heath, and abstains from drink and activities which could do harm. What of the purchase of clothes, buying a crib, a safety seat for the car, cleaning wipes, diapers, ointments, and the arranging of a nursery? The child realizes none of this. The baby cries when he is hungry, feels the stab of a gas pain, or when he is held in the arms of a stranger. But appreciation? This the child in his immaturity can hardly conceive of himself, much less appreciate anything.

The danger is this child will later in life take for granted all the love and blessings given by his parents. He will assume there is goodness in him which makes him unworthy of anything less than what he wants, and in fact deserves much more than his parents have provided. This is the place where Christians can find themselves, goaded by selfish desires to wallow in discontent while disillusioned by entitlement. What great things God has done for us, and how easily we forget the blessings we have received by God’s grace! God does not simply free us from the pit, but adopts us as sons. He does not punish us according to our iniquities, but rewards us according to his grace and mercies. He does not doom us to eternal servitude in chains under a grievous yoke of oppression, but God delights to make us kings and priests unto God for His glory. No longer outcasts, we are co-heirs with Christ! Gone is our guilt, and replaced with joy, comfort, and rest forevermore! Instead of lamenting what we do not have, let us rejoice in who we have in Christ! Let us spend more time thanking God for who He is than begging Him to give us what we want. After all, we have been created by God for God, and He is our Redeemer and Savior whom we owe all things. Isn’t more than appreciation in order?