Psalm 103:1-21 My soul, praise Yahweh, and all that is within me, praise His holy name. 2 My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.
How blessed do you think you are?
We thank God for the big things but yet don’t thank Him for the small things that add up to those big things! In fact, most Blessings are taken for granted. There is an old saying that the grass is always greener on the other side. I prefer another version, the grass is always greener over the septic tank! It reminds me that what may look good and inviting on the outside may hide something rotten on the inside.
Especially nowadays. We see people post their perfect family pictures on Instagram, tell their perfect life stories on Facebook and we envy them. We covet what they appear to have, and in doing so we forget that they are posting merely a single snapshot of one moment of their life - a life just as chaotic and busy as yours is.
The psalmist here is stopping and being very intentional. He is saying to his soul, don’t chase after the falsehoods, remember what God has done. Don’t let a single part of my life seek anything apart from God and His glory.
What price would you put on your blessings that we often take for granted? How much money would you take for these blessings, knowing you’d never have them again? How much money would it take for you to never again have enough to eat, or a place to sleep, or for your health? For how much money would you give up your church, your friends or your family? Think about it.
How many people in this country are facing illness or death? How many in this country are facing starvation or - something I never thought I would have to type - facing trafficking? What about outside of America? If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, without fear of facing battle, imprisonment or torture, if you woke up knowing you would have a decent meal then you are better off than the majority of the world.
The fact is, if you live in the USA, no matter your current financial position, you are wealthier than 90% of the world at least.
What if you had to put a price tag on your other blessings?
I’ve read that the human body, with 2019 market prices on all our minerals and compounds, is worth about $4.50. (1) If you took this same body and sold it off for parts, how much would you be worth? How much are you willing to pay to repair it? How much are you are willing to pay, in the time of a tragedy to restore something you are currently blessed with? The average cost of a kidney transplant is fifty thousand dollars and a heart transplant is a quarter of a million dollars.
Think about that the next time you order those bacon burgers and a large shake from Krystals!
With the amount of time we take to be thankful for these things, one would think they are small blessings but they are not. They are truly large blessings being taken for granted everyday. I must make a choice to stop and be thankful for them. I must praise God with all that is within me because all that is good within me is a gift from Him.
This Thanksgiving, do not forget all His benefits!
To discover more, visit Oak Grove Baptist Church.
1. How Much Are The Elements in your Body Worth? https://www.thoughtco.com/worth-of-your-elements-3976054
