“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8 (KJV)
Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart
Today is Thanksgiving, a day we remember to give thanks to
our Creator for all of the blessings He has given to us.
If we are honest, each one of us, no matter what path we are
on in our journey has only to look around us to see so many good things God has
done for us. No matter what challenges we may be facing, there is always
something to be thankful for.
Can we see? Thank God for our vision. Can we use our hands
to pick something up or write or type with?
Thank God for the use of our hands even if we have pain.
Can we swallow food?
Thank God that we can swallow our food~ some people can’t
even do this.
Can we hear the birds singing, children laughing? Thank God
for our sense of hearing.
Can we smell the turkey cooking in the oven, the fresh rolls
baking? Thank God for our sense of smell.
Can we walk? Thank God for this wonderful ability, even if
we must use a walker to get around with-- at least we have mobility!
Do we have a job? Even if it is not what we had originally
planned to do in life, at least it pays the bills, thank God for this job, and
look for all the good things you can find that you like about it instead of
what you don’t like about it. Then you will be happy.
Do we have a house, a roof over our heads? It may not be a
mansion or even the house of our dreams, but it keeps us warm in the winter and
shelters us from the storms.
It is a place where our family gathers and after all, what
are fancy appearances but things to boast about and puff ourselves up with and
make us proud?
Let us be grateful for our house no matter how humble, for
our house is a very great blessing and a gift from our Heavenly Father. There
are so many homeless.
Whatever gift we have been given, whether it be good health,
or even a trial, yes—a trial can be a gift from heaven because it can lead us
closer to God, we must look around and thank the Lord for all His blessings He’s
given to us on our journey in this life, for there is always something to be
thankful for, even in the midst of pain and suffering.
A defining characteristic of last days people is ingratitude.
St. Paul wrote these words to Timothy:
2 People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves.
They will abuse others with insults.
They will not obey their parents.
They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God.
3 They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone.
They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control.
They will be cruel and hate what is good.
4 People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.
5 They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that “devotion” change the way they live.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ERV)
The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The faithful love of the Lord
never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his
mercies begin afresh each morning.” ~Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)
One wonders how Jeremiah could write these words after
meditating on his story in the book of Lamentations. He was in indeed as he
wrote, “I am a man who has seen much trouble.”
~Lamentations 3:1(ERV)
He could write them because His
focus was on His Creator and on all the good that God is and does.
Jesus Christ said that the lamp of the
body is the eye, and that if our eye is evil then our whole body will be filled
with darkness. In other words, if we keep looking for faults, we are going to
constantly see them.
But if we rather look for the good,
we will be walking in the light with God and we will be able to find peace,
joy, and satisfaction no matter what our circumstances are.
“For God is light and in Him there is
no darkness at all.
“~ 1 John 1:5
God is looking for the good in us and He
wants us to make an effort to look for the good in ourselves, in each other,
and in our circumstances every day and to be thankful.
Keeping a thankful journal can help us
do this. If we are having difficulty
being satisfied with our situation or someone, write down everything we can find
that we like about that thing or that person. Consciously focus
on the positives.
It is the enemy’s job to go looking for
faults in people, to go around accusing and criticizing and find things wrong.
The bible calls him “The accuser of the brethren.”
He wants us to always be dissatisfied. “...who
accuses them before our God day and night.” ~ Revelation 12:10
St. Paul says instead to “Fix
your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely,
and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful Thanksgiving day.
Please forgive me for not being grateful for all of the wonderful gifts that You have bestowed upon me, for not recognizing the blessings in the midst of the storms along my path.
Forgive me for so often focusing on the negatives instead of looking for what is true and noble and good and right in people and circumstances that I have found challenging.
Lord, I pray for a grateful heart that looks for the good in every situation, even in the midst of pain; in every person You bring across my path;
I pray for a thankful heart that sees Thy blessings every day and perceives Thy measureless love abounding in all things.
Thank You for Thy greatest gift of all, Thy Son Jesus Christ our Savior, I love You, Lord, In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Unto The Least of These "Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: BJU Press https://www.bjupress.com
Scripture Verses: NLT Bible Translation, ERV Bible Translation, KJV Bible Translation
.jpg)
