Psalm 100 Brothers and sisters in Christ, Christians are commanded by God to give thanks in ALL things as written in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. The Bible admonishes us to count our blessings and be grateful for what we have. But many of us Christians are so self-centered that we forget to acknowledge and thank God for ALL His works. 2 Timothy 3:2 says “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy”. Some distractions from being thankful to God are called “The three Es”-Envy, Entitlement and Expectation. Envy-People who suffer from envy walk through life painfully obsessed by the advantages enjoyed by others. Their strong desire to experience the same advantages causes significant resentments, which often lead to anger and unhappiness. James 3:16 says “For where envying and strife [is], there [is] confusion and every evil work”. In comparing what we don’t have to what others do, we reduce our ability to appreciate the blessings in our own lives. Entitlement-People who unfoundedly believe they deserve certain privileges, benefits or advantages tend to experience life through a series of demands and struggle to balance taking from others with giving. Entitlement often leads to disappointment and dissatisfaction. Expectation-Some expectations are normal. Proverb 23:18 says “Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off”. However, ingratitude is the result of unreasonable or inappropriate expectations. When expectations go unmet, resentment and anger surface and interfere with our ability to celebrate and not take for granted the good things God gave us in life. Envy, entitlement and expectation are dangerous attitudes and usually lead to unhealthy levels of anger, resentment, disappointment, unhappiness and depression. Brethren, the good news is that these three root causes of ingratitude can be conquered. With an intentional daily effort to look for, recognize and celebrate the silver lining in all situations, ingratitude can be replaced by thankfulness and a spirit of genuine appreciation to God for all life has to offer. PRAISE THE LORD!