Daily Devotional

This week we pause from the routines of life to give thanks for God’s bountiful blessings.  We have so much for which we can give thanks.  We have been blessed beyond anything we deserve…all because of God’s grace.  As we gather with family and friends, God desires that we cultivate an attitude of thankfulness.  Every day we should stop and reflect on God’s goodness.   In fact, it is God’s will for us to be thankful.  Sometimes as we look at what God is doing in our lives, it is difficult to be thankful for all that we have experienced.   How can we keep a thankful/positive mindset?  It is sometimes easy to lose sight of God’s goodness amid the issues we face in life.

The Scriptures tell us that God wants us to give thanks “for all things” and “in all things”.  “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Ephesians 5:20) In the context of this verse we are told to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.  God wants us to look at life from a Spirit controlled perspective.  This verse deals with the objects for which we are to express gratitude.  The Holy Spirit will lead us to give thanks for all things.  Everything we have in life is ultimately from God the Father.  We are to give thanks, not just for those things that are agreeable to us but for all things.  When we look at life controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will always express gratitude to the Father for His blessings.

It is sometimes more difficult to be thankful “in all things.”  The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  In those times when we do not understand exactly what God is doing, it is difficult to keep a thankful mindset.  In those times we need to keep in mind what Isaiah the Prophet wrote thousands of years ago, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

We will never fully understand the mind of God, nor why He does things the way that He does.  Even though we will not understand everything in life, we are to give God thanks.  Even when we do not understand what God is doing, and we have a lot of questions.  At those moments our faith is challenged.  It is difficult for us to completely trust God even though we intellectually know He is a faithful/good God.  In those times, we don’t always need complete understanding of a situation but what we do need is complete trust in our God.  Yet in those times, God is still faithful and will never let us down, even though we can’t see it now.  This Thanksgiving, let us celebrate God’s goodness and His faithfulness in our lives, while trusting Him for the things we don’t fully understand.

Prayer:  Lord, so often the pressures and stressors of life, keep me from seeing your working around me.  Help me to see Your goodness every day.  Cultivate in me an attitude of thankfulness.  Amen 

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.