The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (26 page)

It is the will of God that we give thanks at all times and in everything (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Thanksgiving must have an expression in order to be complete. We can say that we are thankful, but do we show it? Are we expressing it? We say “thank you,” but there are other ways of showing appreciation, and one of them is to bless others.

Giving to help others is one of the ways we can keep a continual cycle of blessing operating in our lives. God gives to us and we show appreciation by giving to someone else, and then He blesses us some more so we can do it all over again. What we give to others as a result of obedience to God is never lost. It leaves our hand temporarily, but it never leaves our life. We give it, God uses it to bless someone else, and we are blessed in return.

Thank You, Father, that You bless me so that I may be a blessing to others. Help me look for ways to give to those around me today. I am grateful for Your goodness, and I want to express that gratitude through my generosity to others.

One of the most important keys to effective prayer is approaching God as His friend. When we go to God believing that He sees us as His friends, new wonders are opened to us. We experience new freedom and boldness, which are both things to be extremely grateful for.

If we do not know God as a friend, we will be reluctant to be bold in asking for what we need. But if we go to Him as our friend, without losing our awe of Him, our prayers will stay fresh, exciting, and intimate.

A friendship involves loving and being loved. It means knowing that God is on your side, wanting to help you, cheering you on, and always keeping your best interest in mind. God loves you and desires your friendship!

Father, I am thankful that You have promised to be my friend. Help me to come to You in prayer, knowing that You love me and You are for me. Thank You, God, that I am never alone. You are my friend, and You are with me.

Developing your friendship with God is similar to developing a friendship with someone on earth. It takes time. The truth is that you can be as close to God as you want to be; it all depends on the time you are willing to invest in the relationship. I encourage you to get to know Him by spending time in prayer and in the Word and by including Him in all that you do.

Your friendship with God will also deepen and grow as you walk with Him and as you experience His faithfulness. Form the habit of continual, simple, and loving conversation with God. He is always with you and always ready to listen. He is a friend who will never leave you or forsake you. One who is faithful, dependable, loving, and forgiving. That is a friend we can be thankful for!

Father, I thank You that my relationship with You is developing and growing stronger every day. Thank You that You are dependable and You will never let me down.

In this life, we will always have opportunities to be anxious, worried, and fretful. The devil will see to that, because he knows that anxiety weighs us down. When the devil tries to bring anxiety into our hearts, we can give that anxiety to the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving, making our requests known to Him. When we do that, we will experience the peace of burden-free living.

I encourage you to refuse to be weighed down with worry. Instead, turn to the Lord in prayer, rejoicing in the midst of every circumstance. The Lord is faithful, and He will give the peace and joy He has promised to all those who refuse to give in to worry and fear and instead turn to Him in simple faith and trust.

Father, when I begin to experience feelings of worry or anxiety, help me to cast my cares on You. Thank You that I don’t have to live under heavy burdens any longer. Thank You that I can bring my worries to You so that I can live a life of peace.

There is an anointing (God’s presence and power) on today. In John 8:58, Jesus referred to Himself as “
I AM.
” If you and I, as His disciples, try to live in the past or the future, we are going to find life hard for us because Jesus is always in the present.

Jesus has plainly told us we don’t need to worry about anything. All we need to do is seek Him and His ways, and He will add to us whatever we need, whether it is food or clothing or shelter or spiritual growth (Matthew 6:25–33). We don’t need to be concerned about tomorrow. Instead, we can concentrate on today and thank God for today’s blessings.

Calm down and lighten up! Laugh more and worry less. Don’t ruin today by worrying about yesterday or tomorrow—neither of which you can do anything about. Enjoy today while you still can!

I am grateful, Father, for this day that You have given me. With Your help, I’m going to live in the present, not in the past or in the future. I thank You for what you have in store for me today.