Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20 (NLT)
Gratitude is not innate, it is learned. Gratitude is the conscious choice to be thankful for the haves and haves nots and growing in the awareness of God’s blessings in every aspect of our lives–what He has given as well as what He has prevented.
Gratitude is an exercise of the heart and mind. It’s living with our eyes wide open to God’s many blessings. Every dawn is a gift from God, every breath, every heartbeat. But we’ve become so inured to God’s blessings that we take them for granted and shrug them off as our due. God doesn’t owe us anything, yet He has given us everything; salvation through Jesus Christ, redemption, forgiveness, mercy, grace. As if that were not enough, He pours out blessing upon blessing every day. If you can walk, thank Him. If you can talk, thank Him. If you can see, thank Him.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges believers to give thanks for everything. Wait a minute! Everything? If we truly believe that God has absolute control over our lives–from the biggest matter to the littlest detail, from the greatest joy to the hardest obstacle–we can respond with thanksgiving. Not that we thank Him for pain, but we thank Him that our pain does not go unnoticed by Him, that He has a purpose for the trial, and that He always redeems our pain.
Today, I would urge you to start a gratitude journal if you don’t already have one. Write down at least one blessing each day then thank your heavenly Father for His goodness. Write down your struggles, then thank Him for coming alongside and making your struggle His struggle. Thank Him in advance, knowing He will redeem your trial and use it for good.
Thought: “Gratitude is the awareness that life in all its manifestations is a gift for which we want to give thanks. The closer we come to God in prayer, the more we become aware of the abundance of God’s gifts to us. We may even discover the presence of these gifts in the midst of our pains and sorrows… What seemed a hindrance proves to be a gift. Thus gratitude becomes a quality of our hearts that allows us to live joyfully and peacefully even though our struggles continue.” – Henri Nouwen
For further reading:
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Philippians 4:6
- Colossians 1:11-12
- Psalm 100:4