I always feel a little uncomfortable in our wealthy western countries when we thank God that we are not like other nations. Instead of just being thankful for what we have, we seem to want to compare ourselves with others and look down on everyone else. That seems to be expressed often in political and materialistic ways. We have democracy and they do not. We have wealth and they do not. It almost seems like the prayer of the self-righteous Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14. Such prayers are one-sided and bigoted. Our wealthy western nations are filled with all kinds of evils not experienced in many poorer nations. We are not living in paradise. We delude ourselves by only painting a partial picture and ignoring anyone who would suggest that we are also lacking. Thanksgiving is good. Self-righteousness is not.
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