Active Gratitude
What does gratitude actually look like in action?
Verse of the Day
“Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?””
Today’s Devotional
As Jesus was traveling between towns, He came across a group of ten lepers. These men were outcasts from society because of the potential to spread their disease. The lepers cried out to Jesus to heal them. He told them to go show themselves to the priests. This assignment was a strange one, because lepers were not allowed to enter the town, much less the temple. But they obeyed the instructions they were given, even though it did not make sense. As they walked in obedience toward the temple, they were healed.
That would be a pretty big deal, right?
But only one of the ten men came back to Jesus to thank Him and give glory to God.
It’s pretty easy to shake our heads and criticize the other nine guys. Do you know what I see? I see that Jesus noticed who took the time to say “thank you” and who did not.
I want Jesus to get tired of hearing my gratitude. But there are so many things in my life that I forget to thank Him for. Just like the men healed of leprosy.
Let’s take this a step further. My daughter needed a different car for Colorado. Her car that was just fine for Texas did not have four wheel drive or several other features that would keep her safe driving on the snow and ice in Colorado. So we did what we needed to do in order to be able to get her a different car.
We went to visit her over the summer. Her car was really messy. There was trash and clothing and (so many) water bottles in her car. Now please hear me, I don’t really care about how she keeps her car. But…. wouldn’t it be tangible, actionable gratitude for her to take really good care of the car we bought for her?
That led me to ask myself if I take good care of the gifts God has given me. He gave me a healthy, functioning body. Do I care for it well? (The answer to that is no.) He gave me a wonderful husband. Do I care for him well and tend to our relationship with gratitude or obligation? If every single good thing in my life came from God (Psalm 16:2), then I should not only be speaking (and writing) my gratitude to God, I should be putting my thankfulness into action by caring for the things I have been given.
For today, let’s choose to act like the one leper that took the time to come to Jesus to thank Him. And when we catch ourselves behaving like one of the nine, let’s correct it quickly. I really don’t want Jesus to notice my lack of gratitude.
Today’s Gratitude Challenge 1: Electricity. When was the last time you thanked God for the ease and convenience that comes from having electricity in your home? If you’ve ever lost power, then you know how much we take for granted when it comes to electricity. Today, I challenge you to notice every single thing that you use, touch, need, or come into contact with that uses electricity. Thank God for each one.
Today’s Gratitude Challenge 2: Technology. There are many reasons to say that technology is causing problems in our society, but I disagree. Humans are causing problems with how they use technology, and humans will always cause problems. We have much to be grateful for with technology. Telephones allow us to stay in contact with others. The internet has a made access to information much easier. Streaming services give us endless choices for entertainment. When the world was in crisis, technology allowed us to stay connected and even virtually attend church. What technology are you grateful for?
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What have you never taken the time to thank God for? Take the time to think about that and thank Him now for those things.
How can you put your gratitude into action? What do you need to take better care of in your life as a show of gratitude to God?
How and why are you grateful for electricity? Does is make your life easier? Are you grateful for that?
What technology are you grateful for and why?