Attitude of Gratitude Dude

I was recently impressed by the principle laid out in 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God."

Over a year ago I made a pact with God that I would eliminate certain pleasures from my life in order to show Him how serious I was about living this Christian life. I deleted hockey news, television shows (including Doctor Who) and movies from my life's activities.  It was a good year, in which I worked harder, got more done, and relied on God for the needs that were once met by these other things.

But now I see that if I am grateful for the pleasures these things give me, and give credit to God for them, they no longer are idols (ie. I get my pleasure and sense of worth from them rather than God) but blessings from God. Two days ago I watched "'no country for old men" and as I watched it I prayed, "Thank you Lord for the pleasure I get from watching this movie, analyzing it's themes, and discovering what our culture is thinking."  It was great.

The big idea for me was this: when we thank God for the good things that we enjoy or prioritize in our lives, He is glorified. When we don't, we commit idolatry.  Same activity, different attitudes, completely different outcomes.