Sometimes gratitude can turn into a passive activity. We know we have plenty of things to be thankful for, but we may not take time to praise God for those things very often. What if you knew that practicing gratitude is just as important to your spiritual life as prayer or reading your Bible? Gratitude is an act of worship. Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." When we align ourselves to God through thankfulness, we open our hearts even more to His power.
Gratitude can seem easy when life is going the way we want. It's not hard to be thankful when you're living comfortably or when your prayers are being answered. But what about the days when the world just seems like it's handing you nothing but sour lemons? Don't worry, the answer isn't "turn those lemons into lemonade." While that's not bad advice, being grateful doesn't mean we can't acknowledge how painful life can be. Our Father in Heaven understands "lamenting and grieving." But, our circumstances shouldn't be the foundation of our gratitude anyway.
Gratitude as a believer, is an acknowledgment of how powerful God is. It's recognizing that no matter what the enemy throws at us, no matter how dark or painful our situation feels, God will redeem everything for His good. Approaching God with a grateful heart means being thankful not just for what we have, but for who He is. All that we are, all that we have, and all we can do sprouts from God's initial love for us, and His power in us. Build your gratitude on the foundation of who God is and what He can do in your life. When we are aligned with His will and His Word, He can turn anything into something good.
WORD
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 116:5-9
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
WORSHIP
PRAYER
Jesus,
Thank you for your abundant love and compassion you show me daily. I am grateful and overjoyed to be alive another day. May my circumstances not inhibit me from connecting with you today. I invite you to be with me, in my heart, at all times. I need you every moment of every day. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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