WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 6TH, 2021
TOPIC: DON’T TAKE GOD FOR GRANTED
BY T. O. BANSO
“Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:18 New King James Version).
To take someone for granted means not to appreciate him, especially because you are too familiar with the person. According to Collins English Dictionary, when you say someone takes you for granted, you are complaining that they benefit from your help, efforts, or presence without showing that they are grateful.
Taking someone for granted is a failure to show appreciation to someone who deserves it. It is showing ingratitude to your benefactor or helper, particularly because of too much familiarity. It is also a failure to value or appreciate someone you should.
It is not good to take a fellow human being for granted. But it is dangerous to take God for granted. This message focuses on the latter – taking God for granted. Many people are guilty of this. We fail to appreciate God as we should because we have become too familiar with Him, His blessing, and all the things He has done for us.
We are so used to what He does for us or the benefits we enjoy from Him that we assume that they are our rights. We feel that we deserve them. We are so used to them that we behave as if they are normal things we should have. Sometimes because this is how we treat fellow human beings, we extend the same treatment to God.
Many people take God for granted for the many things that He has given them because they don’t see Him as the source. It’s only when they lose some of them or they’re denied their enjoyment or access to them temporarily that they begin to see that they are all God’s blessings. Ingratitude! If you’re guilty of this, repent.
James 1:17 says every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. Some people take God for granted and don’t thank Him for good health, being alive, their spouse, children, and family, their work or business, and safe trips. They neither thank Him for the provision of the basic things of life.
Are you grateful to God for what He has done for you? Or do you call little or small His kindness? Romans 1:21 says although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Some people don’t see sleeping and waking up as something to thank God for. They assume that God doesn’t have anything to do with it. When they sleep, they expect that they must wake up. But have you not seen or heard of people who died in their sleep? In what way are you better than them? Ungrateful people don’t wake up in the morning and pray to God and thank Him. They assume they woke up by their power.
Many things happen when we are asleep that we are not aware of or have any control over. You won’t sleep the sleep of death in Jesus’ name. Don’t take God for granted. Don’t become too familiar with Him and get so used to His blessings and works that you don’t thank Him. Give thanks to God. He deserves it. Show Him appreciation.
Some people take God for granted concerning their going out and coming in daily. Because they are familiar with their routes or similar reasons, they don’t see the need to commit their ways to the Lord or thank Him for daily protection. Yet, the Bible says commit your ways unto the Lord, trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5). Praying to God shows your trust in Him. Everyday has enough evils. Thank God for seeing you through each day and waking you up every morning. The day consumes some people; the night consumes others. That’s why the Bible talks about the terror by night and the arrow that flies by day (Psalm 91:5).
Do you know that some people have no appetite and have to be put on medication? Thank God for the appetite He has given you. That doesn’t mean you should not control your appetite. Thank God for giving you food to it and the appetite to eat. Some have plenty of food to eat but have no appetite. Some have an appetite but no food. Learn to give thanks to God for His provision and the desire to eat food.
Don’t take God for granted and fail to appreciate what He has done for you and show gratitude. Don’t let envy make you ungrateful. What God has done for others is no reason you should not thank Him for what He has done for you. 2 Corinthians 10:12 says those who compare themselves among themselves are not wise.
The nation of Israel was a land of prosperity. Unfortunately, the people got too familiar with God’s blessing that they failed to remember that God was the source of their blessing. Hosea 2:8-9 says, “For she did not know that I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold — Which they prepared for Baal. ‘Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time And My new wine in its season, And will take back My wool and My linen, Given to cover her nakedness” (New King James Version).
Don’t get too used to the blessings of God that you take God for granted. Don’t worship the blessings while you neglect the One who blessed you. That’s idolatry. “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 8:18-20 New King James Version).
Only the foreigner among the ten lepers Jesus healed returned to give glory to God. The rest were, obviously, Jews. They were, probably, too familiar with Jesus as one of them. They took Him for granted. They all cried to Jesus to have mercy on them and He did. However, the nine never returned to thank Him (Luke 17:11-19). Jesus asked, “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Verse 18 New King James Version). Don’t take God for granted. Don’t be ungrateful.
Hannah was grateful to God. She didn’t take Him for granted. She returned to Shiloh to thank Him and redeem her vow after He had granted her request for a child. She gave the child, Samuel, back to God (1 Samuel 1:24-28). How many people have defaulted in redeeming the vows nobody forced them to make? When they were desperate, they made vows to God. After their prayers had been answered, they pretended they didn’t make vows or were looking for someone’s opinion to free them from their vows! Psalm 50:14-15 says, “Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (New King James Version).
Don’t take God for granted; appreciate Him. Bless the Lord and forget not His benefits (Psalm 103:2). Give Him the gratitude that He deserves. The writer of Psalm 116 says, “What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me? I will lift up a cup symbolizing his salvation; I will praise the LORD’s name for saving me. I will keep my promises to the LORD in the presence of all his people” (verses 12-14 New Living Translation). Be wise and do the same. “Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done” (Colossians 2:7b New Living Translation).
Don’t take God for granted.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, forgive me in any way that I have taken You for granted. Forgive me for not thanking You enough for all that You have done for me. Father, I thank You for my salvation, Your blessing upon me, and Your blessings in my life. I shall no more be ungrateful to You, Father. I shall no longer be too familiar with Your blessing and works in my life that I take You for granted.
(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
