(Psalms 107:1-43) "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fained in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High; Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. Fools because of their trangression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation; And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the LORD."
For the next few weeks, I am going to embark upon a subject which has been on my mind the last few years. Anyone that keeps track of current events knows that America is headed for some dark days both spiritually and economically speaking. Our economy is in a state of recession. America is on the verge of bankruptcy. Our national debt stands around $14 trillion and growing every day. China has been purchasing much of America's debt for the last several years. As I speak, states such as California, New York, and Illinois are on the verge of bankruptcy themselves. Much of America's manufacturing base has been outsourced to other countries such as Mexico and India, for example. That doesn't bode well when it comes to generating new revenue to the federal government. Many economists, many of our politicians, and many in the news media have been saying that if the federal government doesn't rein in spending, we are facing some dire consequences in the future. The way things stand, the standard of living that the American people have been enjoying since the end of World War II could be severely altered.
The United States has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity since the end of World War II. Following World War II we had the beginning of the Baby Boom generation and the growth of suburban housing. Many families purchased automobiles and all kinds of household goods. The advent of our modern lifestyle can be traced back to that time. Since World War II, there have been many advances in science and technology. This generation of people knows how to operate a computer and text on a blackberry iPhone. We live in the information age where Americans have access to news 24/7 through cable television, talk radio, and the internet. We possess all the conveniences of this life at our fingertips. Yet in the midst of all the prosperity that Americans have enjoyed for the last 60+ years, America has produced children in the last few generations that are obese, lazy, and complacent. America has produced ungrateful Americans in the last few generations from the Baby Boomers to the youngest generation. I'm know I'm generalizing when I speak of generations, but I'm not suggesting that all Baby Boomers to the youngest generation are ungrateful. There are exceptions to the rule. I'm referring to those groups as a whole. On the other hand, there are some people from the World War II generation that are ungrateful themselves. There are exceptions to everything. However, the generations ranging from the Baby Boom generation to the present were given more material goods than probably any generation that preceded them. The World War II generation and the generations before them didn't grow up with the conveniences many Americans enjoy today. Some of their families didn't own an automobile. The older generations had to walk to school on a daily basis. They didn't have buses transporting them to school like we do today. They also had to work for what they had in comparison to today's generation. They also didn't enjoy the many opportunities that younger generations enjoy today. American society prior to the Baby Boom generation was very different. The Baby Boom generation on down has experienced a higher standard of living than previous generations in American history. Most people that are my age, for example, have been blessed to receive Christmas presents every year. Whereas some of the older generations didn't receive Christmas presents in the same frequency as we do today. I heard an older person say years ago that the younger generation today experiences Christmas all the time. As a result, we've been pampered and spoiled and we've taken for granted the Lord's goodness upon our lives.
I'm going to devote the next few blogposts speaking about the subject of appreciation. These first two blogposts will be the introduction to the subject of appreciation. Following the introduction, I'm going to be writing topics about some of the different areas which revolve around appreciation, such as appreciating our heritage both spiritual and our American heritage. I'll be writing topics such as appreciation of the church, our talents, opportunities, people God's placed in our lives, our belongings, gifts given to us, etc. I'll probably think of more topics to write about before I finish this series on appreciation. I'll say this up front. I'm not trying to present myself as an example of someone who's appreciative. Tragically, I've fallen short in that area throughout my life. That's probably why this subject has been on my heart. As stated earlier, America is headed for some turbulent times ahead. We've known prosperity as a whole for the last few decades. I'm fearful that there are many people who will deeply regret taking for granted the prosperity that this nation has experienced. They will wish they were more appreciative when times were better for them. I will say that prosperity doesn't bring happiness in a person's life. However, we need to be appreciative of the blessings that God's bestowed upon us. It's tragic we can be so blessed in some many ways and possess such an ungrateful attitude. I've seen ungrateful attitudes displayed quite often in public. It's not good. I can recall a time years ago when I racked up some unnecessary debt. I was in a hardward store one time and I can recall looking through the toy section. I saw some of the toys on the shelf that I used to have when I was a young boy. I was reminiscing about childhood a little bit and I believe I was thinking to myself that I wish I was more appreciative when I was growing up at home. It wasn't an enjoyable feeling. It's sad when you're facing problems that are self-inflicted and realize how you took for granted God's goodness in your life. That's something I desire to not repeat again. God's good to us. We have so much to be thankful for. We don't realize how wicked it is to be unthankful. When we're unthankful for God's provision in our life, we're saying that God's provision isn't sufficient. Another word for unthankfulness is rebellion. When we don't appreciate God's goodness in our lives, we're living in an act of rebellion.
I recognize that last sentence has strong words, but it's the truth. I do know that we all struggle with issues throughout our life. We all struggle with heartaches and disappointments. I know how we are when things don't go the way we desire for them to. I know that because I know how I am. The thought that's been on my heart for a long time is we need to learn to be appreciative while we have it well. Don't allow the bottom to completely fall out underneath you and during that process you have major regrets for being unappreciative. Possessing an ungrateful spirit is rebellion. God's been good to this country. The least we can do is show some gratitude. Next Sunday I'm going to define the term "appreciation" and conclude my thoughts on the introduction to this topic.
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