The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (48 page)

The apostle Paul wanted to be all God wanted him to be, and he desired to do all God wanted him to do—but he wanted to do it with joy. We should learn to be joyful about our progress, not depressed about how far we still have to go or oppressed by a legalistic attitude about it. We can be thankful for everything God has done and everything He is still going to do. We can learn to look at the positive, not the negative.

One of the side effects of a legalistic approach to God is that people can never be satisfied unless they keep all of the Law. If they fail in one point, they are guilty of all (see James 2:10). Life is sometimes filled with failure, disappointment, and frustration. But one of the benefits of our New Covenant relationship with Christ is the fact that we can be led by the Holy Spirit instead of rules, and we can be joyful during the journey. Our joy is not to be found in our performance, but in Jesus Himself.

Father, I am thankful that You give me joy for the journey. Even as I am learning and growing in You, I can experience joy each new day. Thank You that I don’t have to live under the Law; I am living in Your grace and Your joy every step of the way.

We have the great privilege of developing a relationship with God and inviting Him to be a vital part of everything we do, every day. That starts with simple prayer—just talking to Him and sharing your life with Him as you go about the things you have to do. Be thankful that His presence is with you, and include Him in your thoughts, in your conversations, and in all your everyday activities.

When you let God out of the Sunday-morning box that many people keep Him in, letting Him invade your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and all day Sunday as well, you’ll be amazed at what a difference it will make. Don’t try to keep God in a religious compartment; He wants to have free access to every area of your life. He wants to be involved in every part of your life. He desires an intimate relationship with you.

I thank You, God, that You love me enough to want to be in relationship with me. I want to share every part of my life with You. Help me to remember that You are with me every minute of the day.

Have you ever felt that you could not be everything that everybody wanted you to be? Have you ever known deep down inside that you really needed to say “no” to a lot of people—but the fear of displeasing them had your mouth saying, “I’ll try,” while your heart was screaming, “I can’t do it!”?

Sometimes, insecure people say “yes,” when they really mean “no.” Those who succeed at being themselves don’t allow others to control them. They are led by a bold heart that knows God loves them, not by the fear of displeasing others or being rejected by them.

We should not get angry at people because they place demands on us, because in reality it is our responsibility to order our lives. Thankfully, we can be secure in Christ and bold enough to say “no” to people when we know it is the right thing to do.

When I am in a situation, Father, where I am tempted to overcommit to something or someone even though I don’t have a peace about it, help me to be secure enough to say “no.” I thank You that my security is found in You, not in pleasing others.

Little faith can become great faith as we use it. As we take steps to trust God, we experience His faithfulness and that, in turn, encourages us to have greater faith. As our faith develops and grows, our problems have less power over us and we worry less—that’s something to be grateful for.

We can choose to think about what God can do instead of what we cannot do. If we continually think about the difficulty of our situation, we may end up in despair, and that means we feel unable to find a way out. We feel trapped, and then it is easy to panic and begin to do irrational things that only make the problem worse. But the Bible tells us that God always provides the way out (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). Even though you might not see the way out right now, one does exist and God will reveal it as you trust Him.

Father, I thank You that my faith can grow stronger as I put my trust in You. You are greater than any problem I will ever face. When I focus on You, I know that worry and despair will fade away. Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your work in my life.

There are many things that influence our thoughts, and our own desire is one of them. I have discovered when I desire something in a strong way, it is easy for me to think God is telling me to get it. For this reason, we must always check to see if what we feel led to do lines up with the Word of God. God does often lead us by desire, but we want to be sure it is not merely fleshly desire.

Any idea, prompting, or thought that comes to us needs to be compared to the truth of Scripture. The Bible is written as a personal letter to each of us. God speaks to us, ministers to our needs, and directs us in the way we should go in His written Word. So if we think we have heard a word from God, we can check to see if it lines up with Scripture and be thankful that we have the infallible Word of God to live by.

Father, I am thankful for the truth of Your Word. When I feel a prompting in my spirit, I am grateful that I can make sure it lines up with Scripture. Today, I will listen for Your voice and live in accordance with what You tell me and what You have written in Your Word.