Being Thankful

“There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them; I will honor them, not despise them.” – Jeremiah 30:9.

I want to start this devotional with a question: Am I a thankful person? Is thankfulness part of the discipline of my life?

How much time do I spend each day reflecting on good, positive, praiseworthy things in my life? How often do I go out of my way to recognize people who are a blessing in my life? How often do I thank a friend, neighbor, relative, small group leader or even a complete stranger who has been a blessing to me in some way?

We have so much to be grateful for in this life. Each and every day. But the reality is that sometimes constant life demands, struggles, and worries give more room to gloom and doom than to joy and thanksgiving, Or we simply forget in the busyness of the day to pause and give thanks, for all that God has done, and continues to do in our lives. Are there things that you should be thankful for, or people you should be thankful for now, at this point in time?

Thanksgiving is a season of being grateful. Thanksgiving reminds us of all the things to be grateful for. One reason that we fail to thank God now for what we have is that we want more – we want the next step. We fool ourselves into thinking that when we get more or when we get to the next step that then we will stop to thank Him. But that suggests we should not be grateful for what God is doing in our lives as part of His plan for each of us. And that means being thankful even when life is falling apart around us.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 

Look at what the Word of God says in Psalm 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”

All of us have a lot to be thankful for this time of year. But not only should we give thanks during the holidays, we should give thanks to God every day of the year.

Discussion Questions:

1. Is it easier to be grateful or complain? Why?
2. Is there someone who has influenced you that remains thankful and gives God glory even as life’s circumstances have dealt them a difficult hand to deal with? How did that impact you?
3. What can we do this week to be more thankful?