The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (33 page)

We all have many things to be thankful for in this life. The problem is that we get into the bad habit of taking them for granted, and sadly we often only see what we don’t have.

Because we are so used to having plenty of clean water and healthy food, good clothes and nice homes, convenient transportation and excellent education, freedom and safety, and security, we forget that millions of people around the world do not enjoy these wonderful blessings.

I believe that maintaining an attitude of gratitude is something we need to do on purpose. Take time daily to think about your blessings and voice your gratitude to God for His continual goodness in your life. Make gratitude a habit!

Father, I pray that You will help me develop a habit of thankfulness. I don’t want to take any blessing in my life for granted. Help me fully realize how You have blessed me, and I will be extremely grateful for You and Your provision in my life.

God is not angry and wrathful, just waiting to punish us for each of our mistakes. Aren’t you grateful for that? If we spend our time believing that God is angry with us, we are focusing on what we have done wrong instead of what God has done right in sending His Son to pay for our sins. It is true that we all sin, and God doesn’t like sin because of the damaging effects it has on His children. But we must always remember that God is good, kind, merciful, slow to anger, forgiving, faithful, and just.

If you receive God’s love right in the midst of your imperfection, it will empower you to change your ways with His help. God does love you. He has never stopped loving you and He never will.

I thank You today, Father, that You have always loved me and You always will. Let the truth of Your love guide me in every decision I make today. I thank You that I can enjoy my life, because I know that You are for me and Your love will never leave me.

God has created all kinds of people with many different temperaments and personalities, and He enjoys them all. Variety seems to be something that God really delights in.

If you haven’t given this any thought, take a little time and look around you. God created variety, and He says that what He has created is good; therefore, I urge you to accept those who are different from you and learn to enjoy them as God does.

We encounter a lot of people. Some of them by choice, but a lot of them just end up in our lives as we go through our day. If you want to enjoy each day of your life, be thankful for and choose to enjoy the people you interact with each and every day. If there is someone in your life you are struggling with, try to focus on the good things about them, and start thanking God for them instead of disliking them.

Father, help me to love and accept the people in my life the way that You do. Thank You that You have made us all different and yet You love us all the same. Today, I choose to appreciate and enjoy the people You bring across my path.

The promise that God is not mad at us is the most freeing truth we will ever find. God knows that we will sin, but He provided the forgiveness of our sins in Jesus. The beautiful truth is that when we no longer focus on our sin, we find that we do it less and less. As we focus on God’s goodness, we become more and more like Jesus.

God, through Christ, has totally taken care of the problem of sin—that’s something to be thankful for! God urges us not to sin, but He knew we would due to the weakness of our flesh, so He took care of the problem by sending His Son as the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus paid for everything that we have done and ever will do wrong, and He opened up a new way for us to live and serve God. Not in fear or guilt, but in freedom, love, and intimacy. Receive God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness today and be thankful for it!

Father, I am so grateful that You are not mad at me. I am thankful that You still love me even when I sin. And thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus, making it possible for me to be in relationship with You today.

If you want to walk in peace, 1 Peter 3:10–11 gives some helpful instruction. This passage shows four specific principles for those who want to enjoy life and live in peace.

If you’ll live by these principles and choose to be thankful for the peace God provides, then your relationships, attitude, and health will be transformed by the truth of God’s Word.

Father, when I am in a situation that threatens to steal my peace, help me to remember that I can choose peace. I am thankful that You have given me Your peace and that it keeps me from being upset and frustrated.