GRATITUDE
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD (Psalm 116:17 New King James Version).
Often we take for granted the very things we have surrounded ourselves with. We take for granted we are going to wake up the next day and our cars will start; we’ll sleep through the night in a safe home and our children are safe. We expect to always have hot water, soap, fresh food, health, whatever – we tend to take it for granted we have it and we forget all we have is temporary until it’s gone. We forget every good and perfect gift is from God and when we forget this, we can become ungrateful when we lose what we have. It is through our ungrateful attitudes we find it hard to give God thanks and praise when our lives become difficult, and we lose what we held so dearly.
God is very gracious and merciful, which makes it so easy to cultivate thankful hearts. Look around; begin to give Him thanks for what you do have! If you are working, thank Him for your job. If you are reading this, thank Him for the computer. If your entire family woke up this morning, thank Him for life! Thank Him for your trying times as well; if you are sick, thank Him for life at this moment; if you have lost your job, thank Him for His provision; if you have prodigal family members or loved ones, thank Him for leaving the 99 to look for the 1 no matter how long it takes. Thank Him for every little thing in your life, no matter how small or mundane or ordinary you think it is, it is extraordinary and special to God, which is why He has gifted it to you. He has a purpose and a plan for each of us, and His purposes and plans come with tests, trials and difficulties – if they didn’t we wouldn’t grow. Thank Him for His plan for you.
Let’s Pray; Dear Heavenly Father, You are so incredible, so perfect and so beautiful! You are so loving and caring and faithful! You have blessed us with immeasurable gifts and blessings, today we want to give You thanks for all things and in all thing! We want to thank You for this day, for this breath, for the water we drink, for the food we eat. We thank You for the giving us the sun and the moon so that we may see, we thank You for Your word and Your wisdom, Your guidance along the path You’ve carved out for us. Father, may we continue to cultivate hearts of gratitude, never forgetting the blessings You have given us. May our grateful hearts be light among the lost, opening doors for us to share Your love and faithfulness with those who don’t know You. We love You Father, and we give You all glory and honor and praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today’s Attitude of Worship: Take some time today with God and just thank Him. Thank Him for all that you have, for all that He’s going to do, for answered prayer, for anything that the Holy Spirit brings to mind. Confess any ungrateful attitudes that you may have.
Additional Scriptures: Psalm 50:14; Psalm 69:30; Psalm 100:4; Hebrews 13:15; James 1:17; Philippians 4:6
“All our discontents about what we want appear to me to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have” (Daniel Dafoe)
Shalom,
Prudence
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