Our dependence on our own ability many times deprive us of the good things we can have in life. We believe that whatever we have has been achieved by our own experience, qualification, network etc without acknowledging God in these things.
Rightfully, our qualifications may have gotten us (let me play along here) the job, promotion or the position but have we thought about it that it’s really not your qualification but God that made it happened.
On a particular Sunday morning in my church, we started the first service and everything was going on well until the Generator packed up. The technical team tried everything they could but would not revive it. We had to quickly switch over to a smaller capacity generator to at least power some equipment and light. Then the windows were open as the air conditioners and fans had to go on break. We are so used to enjoying the a/cs that it wouldn’t be part of what we would remember to thank God for if we say thank God for everything. Why? We had the money, bought it and it’s been working, so, no big deal.
I realized that day that it’s not because we had the money to buy it that has been making it work, it is actually God who supplied the power to put it on, gives the wisdom to the repairer when it goes faulty, protect it from power surge, keep it away from thieves etc.
If we bring this back to our career, we would understand that nothing we have attained was gotten without God’s help. Think about this, if you say it’s your connection, who put that person in a position to help you? When the Pharaoh that knew Joseph is gone, would you still have the power as it was before?
If it’s by your qualification, how much are you paying for the air you breathe when studying to get the qualification? Or if the supply of the air was cut off, would there still be the owner of the qualification?
David said everything that he and his people have was given to them by God and it is from it they have come to give back to Him.
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!”
1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT
This is the deeper meaning of thanksgiving, saying to God that we own nothing and when we give thanks to Him, we are actually giving back out of what He has given us. We are also saying that we have trust in Him and we are not holding anything back.
I suggest we reflect on every part of our lives and begin to give God thanks for everything. We must lay down at His feet all our pride, achievement, position, connection/network etc and acknowledge Him as the giver of all.
The book of Psalms chapter 67 captures what normally happens when we acknowledge God as the giver of all things.
“May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.”
Psalms 67:5-7 NLT
There is a wise saying that “a child that knows how to show gratitude for what was done yesterday will get another one today”
This is also true of God.
As the year comes to an end, let’s make it a good time to count our blessings and name them one by one before God.
God bless you.
Akindele Afolabi
Christian Employee Series