True gratitude never says, I have done enough.
The best way to keep our mercies, is to be ready at all times to give them up at God’s call.
A child of God, taking a cup of cold water with a thankful heart, may render a better service to God than one who gives thousands of gold and silver.
Ingratitude towards God for benefits received makes us distrustful of Him as to the future.
Praise
Praising God should be to us our chiefest, happiest employ. It is the “service of song” of the sanctuary. God preserve us from ingratitude, that abominable thing, that viper which creeps forth when the sun is up; for when signal mercies demand especial thankfulness, how often have we resembled Hezekiah, who rendered not again according to the benefit. (2 Chron. 32:25)
To hang my harp upon the willows is to say, “Christ is not ruling well.”
So long as our hearts are cleaving to earthly things, we shall not be able to sing the pilgrim’s song; but if we are thorough pilgrims, and apprehend our great High Priest ever living for us at the right hand of God, we shall be perpetually giving thanks.
Can I fail to praise God always for all things, if I have no interests but the interests of Christ, and no purposes but those of Christ? Let me, by faith, but see Christ at the right hand of God ordering all things by His wisdom as the head of the body the church (Eph. 1:22.23), I shall then see Him prospering in all that He doeth, and with Him I shall ever rejoice.
To avoid an unthankful spirit, we must make thankfulness a business.