Being grateful doesn’t come naturally to us. Most of us are discontented people. We always want more and we wish things to be different. The Apostle Paul gives us some good news in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (CEV). He portrays God saying “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” Folks — that is something to be thankful for.
Each new day we can begin afresh. In Lamentations 3:23 (NLT) we read, “His mercies begin afresh each morning.” It’s like God is giving us a second chance to go forward with a new perspective.
So, why not begin the day by saying … “Thank you God for watching over us during the night and helping us get some good sleep. I feel refreshed and my heart is pumping blood to every cell in my body. I am looking forward to experiencing Your grace and mercy throughout the day.”
When you begin the day with a prayer like that and communion with your Heavenly Father you have set a course for a great day. You will feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. In Psalm 50:23 God says, “The sacrifice that honors Me is a thankful heart.”
In Psalm 100:4-5 (ESV) we read, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him, bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations.”
Folks, in those two verses, we have a spiritual buffet that can never be exhausted. The LORD keeps replenishing the buffet with all the best nourishment.
I don’t know if you have sensed it in these verses, but it is almost like God wants us to show Him our gratitude in a radical way.
The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 3:17-19 (TLB), wrote, “May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep and how high His love is, and to experience this love for yourselves.” It is one thing to say, “God loves me.” But to experience the fullness of His love is another. When that happens, it will be nearly impossible to remain silent or to keep from thanking Him for His unfailing love and goodness.
Gratitude begins with God’s love; the deeper we enter His love, the more grateful or thankful we will be.
Let me close with one other verse. Paul, in Colossians 2:7 (NLT), wrote, “Let your roots grow down into Him (Jesus) and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
I pray that this will be true for each of us.
Pastor Leonard
