Song of the Day
“Thank You Lord” by Paul Baloche
Scripture to reflect upon
- Ps 100:4-5,
- Ps 95:2,
- Col 3:15-17,
- Ps 138:1-3,
- 2 Sam 22:50,
- Ps 106:1,
Devotional thought
I love that our song of the day repeatedly declares, “Thank You, Lord“! We have so much to be thankful for, and there are just far too many times we do not offer up our thanks to God. Let’s begin to develop hearts of gratitude!
So what does it mean to have a “heart” of gratitude? Our heart is the center of our emotions. It is the source from which we operate our daily lives. We speak and act according to our heart. So, when we have a heart of gratitude we will speak in terms that describe our gratitude, and act in ways that show it.
The action of gratitude is allegiance.
When we are thankful for the work someone puts into something, or the friendship we have with someone, we will usually show that through dedicating ourselves to reciprocal action, right? Like; when a friend comes over to help you move, you respond with, “Let me know if you ever need anything and I will make sure to help you too.” Or, “I am so grateful for my spouse and their love for me, I will never leave them and will try to show my love for them always”.
The words of gratitude are affirmation.
We express our gratitude through words like; thank you, I appreciate you, that means a lot to me, etc. I would like to encourage an extra step to this by communicating specifically what, or how, they blessed you. Like; “I appreciate the time and energy it took for you to come and help me move today, and I want you to know that I could not have done it without your help”. Or, “Sweetheart, I love the way you sacrifice your time to care for me and the children in this way. I appreciate your selflessness so much and want to thank you for that”.
We need to do this same thing with God! I encourage us all to become more sensitive to God’s activity in our lives, all that He does, and to respond to it with words of affirmation and acts of allegiance! We need to show our gratitude to God at all times, not just Thanksgiving! He is always at work on our behalf, so why shouldn’t we always be at work declaring our gratitude for Him?
Gratitude is one of those dispositions of the heart that is attractive and contagious. I love being around people who are grateful, and not afraid to communicate it! Not only that, but I also want to be that person for others! How about you? Begin to cultivate a heart of gratitude today, and watch the way people change how they interact with you. I promise you that it will improve your relationships with God and people!
Questions for Reflection
- Do you feel that you have a heart of gratitude?
- Do you have a hard time communicating to God how thankful you are for Him in your life?
- How about the people around you, especially your spouse if you have one?
- Do your actions and the words you speak prove your heart is grateful?
Prayer
Dear Lord, I am so grateful for the works you have done in my life. You truly have shown Yourself faithful to me and I want to say how thankful I am for You. I ask that You would forgive me when I do not act or speak in ways that prove my gratitude. When I become bitter, or discontented, and lose sight of gratitude. Help me, God, cultivate a heart of gratitude in all things. In Jesus’ name. Amen
