Daily Reading: "10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
"Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you." 1st Chronicles 29:10-17

I love rediscovering scripture I had forgotten about. This is one such passage. What a great expression of praise, thanks and recognition of our place next to our heavenly Father. Everything we have comes from Him, and yet when we give back, we should give with gladness. We are just visitors here, and yet God allows us to make a home for ourselves. Some have royal palaces compared to others. Do we recognize, whatever our position that God has placed us there?

Reading this passage after a long time away from it so reminded me how precious are the many gifts we have been given. There are so many things we take for granted that are given us each day. We need to have hearts full of gladness every moment, because even the air we breathe itself is a gift. The more comfortable our lifestyle, the easier it is to forget what God has done for us. The easier it is to start thinking we somehow deserve the many blessings He's given us, as if we earned them somehow.

Pride can be a real burden for us as human beings. We don't like to acknowledge we need anything or anyone, sometimes. Yet when we do acknowledge it, we tend to forget God. "I need my wife," "I couldn't make it without my kids," "I am so fortunate to have this nice home to live in." What happened to God?

David's prayer of praise is a reminder that we are here because He put us here. And all we have with us are gifts from God Himself. Let's take the time today to thank Him for all He does for us daily and acknowledge how much we truly need Him.

Prayer: Oh Lord, help me to never forget that I need you. Help me to constantly remember all you've done for me and be thankful. Thank you for your love and care for me. Amen.