Sunday’s Food for Thought: When Blessings are Taken for Granted
Whether we realise it or not, we receive God’s grace and countless blessings every single day.
Our health. Our food. The air we breathe. Security at home and where we live. Our family. Friends.
And THAT is just to name a few.
The problem is, when we receive such blessings (often, ‘too easily’ as we receive them almost ‘automatically’), there’s a strong tendency for us to take them for granted.
After a while, we feel as if things are just ‘meant to be’. That we are ‘supposed’ to receive these blessings. That we ‘deserve’ God’s grace.
We EXPECT to continually be given these blessings by God.
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The Bible tells us about what happened to the city of Jericho and Ai (in Joshua 6 and 7)
The city of Jericho was ‘given by God’ to the Israelites. The Israelites did what God asked them to do, walked around the city for seven days, and the wall of Jericho collapsed.
The Israelites won the war, but they then took God’s grace and presence for granted.
The Israelites were ‘used to’ receiving God’s grace and mercy, and they felt defeating the small city of Ai would be a piece of cake (especially since the city of Jericho was defeated ‘so easily’ just earlier on).
They relied on their own strength, AND worse, a man named Achan went against God and took the possessions that weren’t his.
The Israelites in the end were badly defeated by people of Ai.
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A man can lose his fame and wealth overnight.
A person who eats well and exercises regularly can lose his health in a split second.
A great kingdom can lose its power and dignity in a matter of days.
Yes, a person’s ‘downfall’ may not always mean he / she has done ‘wrong things’ that are against God.
But, let the story of Jericho and Ai reminds us today to always be thankful to God for His blessings and presence in our lives.
If we are healthy today, then let’s remember that it is purely God’s grace.
If we’re blessed with wealth and material comfort, let’s remember that THAT is also because of God’s grace.
Let’s learn to always be thankful for everything that we have.
Let’s learn to be responsible and accountable for all the blessings that we receive every single day.
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[A personal reflection based on Rev. DR. Stephen Tong’s discussion on the story of Jericho and Ai]
