Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. –Psalm 136:1
“Obedience is the cost of success” read the sign board in front of a local church, a poignant reminder that joyful obedience is the key that opens the storehouse of God’s blessing. Now, if obedience were limited to my outer actions, I could pretend that I am living a life God can bless. However, God doesn’t just look at the outer things—God sees my heart. He knows that cultivating a thankful heart is a continual challenge for me and that I often fall short of thankfulness. Yes, I can recite all the Bible verses that tell me to give thanks. Certainly my head knows that in order to reap God’s richest blessings—and repel the wiles of the enemy—I need to live a life characterized by thanks and praise. I can talk about being thankful; I can write about being thankful; I can sing about being thankful. But there are days when it feels so much better to grumble, complain and indulge in self-pity than to give God the thanks and praise He deserves. “Woe is me!” all too often takes the place of wonder and gratitude for God’s perpetual goodness.
Keeping a Thankfulness Journal is the best weapon I have discovered in this battle I wage against negative thinking and the “poor me” attitude that goes with it. Only when I meditate on God’s love, which will never end, can I give God thanks and praise, not because I feel like doing it but because it is the right-with-God thing to do.
PRAYER
God of all goodness and love, You are deserving of all glory, honor and praise, no matter what else is going on in my life. Your love endures forever and Your mercies never end.
Journal: If you are not already keeping a Thankfulness Journal, begin that practice today.
Elizabeth Crews