Paul - “May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:11-13)
On a scale of 1 to 10, how thankful are you on a daily basis? In yesterday’s Devotion, we briefly contemplated how we need to develop “the attitude of gratitude” to live joy-filled lives. So, are you a thankful individual? People say, “Well, you don't know what I’ve been through.” They’re right because we don’t know everything they’ve been through. But even when people have been through a lot, they can still have an “attitude of gratitude.” Paul wrote in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. . . . And always be thankful.” When Paul wrote these words, he was in prison. Yet even in prison, Paul had the “peace of the Lord” in his heart and life. And one of the reasons was that he lived with an attitude of gratitude – he was constantly being thankful for who the Lord was to Him, what the Lord had done for him, and what the Lord had promised him. Like Paul, we should spend time daily thanking the Lord for who He is to us, what He’s done for us, and what He promised us. And when we do, we will have more joy and peace in our lives.
So, who or what do you have to be thankful for? Do you have family members or friends you are thankful for? Do you have a measure of health or provision or a job you are thankful for? Do you have a Church family you are thankful for? We should daily be thankful for the good and godly people the Lord has placed around us. And we should be thankful for positive circumstances in our lives.
We should also be thankful because “we share in the inheritance reserved for God’s people” and because “we’ve been rescued from the kingdom of darkness.” The “inheritance reserved for God’s people” includes rewards in this life and the next life. Every day, we ought to thank the Lord for where He rescued us from. And we also are to thank the Lord for all He’s promised to us in this life and in the life to come. We all have a lot to be thankful for. And when we are thankful, we will have more joy in our lives.
Prayer - Lord, help me to realize today and in the future how blessed I’ve been, and help me to live a grateful rather than ungrateful life for the rest of my life.
Reflections - Who or what should I be thankful for? And what steps can I take to better express my gratitude regularly?
