Key verse: Psalms 100:2
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Read: Deuteronomy 28:47-51
God is good all the time. As every Believer must know, God never tempts with evil as He is not a tempter at all. Many people assume when they go through challenges they should bear the anger of what they are passing through on the Lord. How so wrong. Whatever one may be passing through, it may have been worse if God did not step forward for the person. For instance, it is possible that someone just lost a huge sum of money and for that sake decides to begrudge God. What if the person lost everything he has in life like Job did? Think about it. Or is it a sickness that has caused him to be bedridden for a while? It could have been straight paralyses or death.
Nevertheless, one of the reasons negative things happen to people is because they have refused God in their affairs and one way to do that is to live a life of ingratitude. Anytime we fail to show ingratitude to God, we are calling Him a fool. Fool for all His good deeds towards us most of which were unsolicited anyway. Fool for loving us even while we were yet sinners. Fool for not letting the enemy sift us like wheat all along. No wonder He demands that in all things we give thanks for that is His will concerning us. Cain was a vivid example of someone who did not serve God with gladness. Although the land became accursed for the sake of man due to the misdeed of his parents, Cain was unhappy that as he tilled the ground it brought forth to him only thorns and thistles. Rather than serve the Lord with gladness per adventure He would for his sake change the situation, Cain grudgingly offered to God worthless thorns and thistles and he became rejected for it rather than get blessed.
Are you in the habit of withholding your tithe or offering because you blame your circumstance on God? Or you approach the altar of God begrudging Him for whatever at all? Please repent urgently and henceforth serve Him with gladness. He can give you a turnaround if you do so like He did for Hezekiah who, despite being confronted with the threats of mighty kings decided to serve the Lord with praises. There is no insurmountable condition with God. Serve Him with joy proving that He is and you will experience the miracle of God. You can start by changing that countenance today and singing praises to Him even on your own.
Pray: Father, I love you and rejoice at your being my Father. I will praise you with joy in my heart from everlasting to everlasting by the help of your Spirit in Jesus name.