Where's the thanks in their message?

It is commonplace to hear people make claims of being "persons of faith" – persons who believe in a "higher being or power." Maybe they are, maybe they aren't – only "One" knows their hearts. But it is not unfair to question same, based on what we see per how they live their lives and communicate with others.

In Ephesians 5:20, Paul wrote: "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ..." The question that logically begs answering is: When have we ever heard certain so-called church leaders – specifically Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and Minister Louis Farrakhan – publicly give thanks about anything, much less the very people who report to be people of faith?"

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Americans are blessed beyond measure and imagination. Yet every day, people who claim to be believers complain, whine and foment discord and dissatisfaction. How does one reconcile their actions to their words?

In 1Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes: "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Literally translated, Paul is saying "give thanks in all circumstances." The Holy Spirit did not inspire Paul to write this as being optional. But here again, when have we ever heard these so-called religious leaders voice or share this directive? The answer is we haven't. Furthermore, the answer is we won't, but I get ahead of myself.

I can vividly remember my grandmother singing "Count your blessings – count them one by one ..." She implored and indoctrinated me to daily count my blessings – this from a woman who in the mid-'60s owned a home with no indoor plumbing or electricity. I cannot recall one time that I walked away from her, feeling as though she was deprived or that life was unfair or that America had cheated her or our family.

Yet today, with unemployment at an all-time low, free schools, affirmative action, home-ownership up and a cell phone on every hip, we hear the so-called religious leaders complain and accuse. With every conceivable opportunity available for the taking, they preach immiseration and racial polarization. Where is God in that message?

I recall a woman telling me how much she hated America – what a racist and terrible a place it was. She told me this, standing in the office of a 20,000 square-foot building her family business owned – with her new Range Rover parked in front. And lest I forget, she claimed to be a person of faith. A young man, who owned two very lucrative businesses and the buildings that housed them, complained to me "You know the white man ain't never gonna' let a brother have nothin.'"

My response was "Do you have any idea how many white people, as you put it, would love to be making your money?" He offered no answer.

Granted there are many who do not enjoy the means these just referenced do, but that is not to say they have nothing to be thankful for. Still they complain and attack others for what they do not have. In truth, what they are upset about is not that they have it so bad, but rather that they perceive others to have it so much better than they do.

There's nothing wrong with wanting more. As a child, I knew there were things I wanted for a family that was still decades in the future. I knew as a teenager working summers in a brickyard, that was not what I wanted as a career. My thoughts and career choices always had to do with ownership – being my own boss.

Life has dealt me setbacks and adversity, a goodly amount of such brought on by bad decisions I am responsible for. But thankfully, I was blessed to overcome them.

My point is this: If one claims to be a person of faith, then act like it. If one claims to be a believer, then act like it. And more importantly, if one claims to be a minister or reverend, then act like it.

If I compare Jackson, Sharpton, Farrakhan and others, to what Scripture says they should be, they come up lacking. Not because "no one is perfect," but because they are false teachers. They teach and preach that which is antithetical to the Word of God.

Life for all Americans is better today than for their ancestors, especially when referencing blacks. Yet blacks are told by those living the good life how bad they have it because of some nebulous white man.

How many Congressional Black Caucus equivalents do we see in Europe? How many Sharpton and Jackson types have run for president in Europe?

Easter has just passed. The message of life, renewal and thanksgiving they should be preaching is: "If you claim to be a believer then live like it." For God isn't a higher power, He is the "Power" through Whom we can live life more abundantly.