Strength in Gratitude
Are you strong enough to choose to be grateful?
Verse of the Day
‘Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’
Today’s Devotional
We have spent the last three weeks focusing on strength. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, my thoughts about strength have changed over the course of this study. In the spirit of being thorough, let’s go over some of the things that the Word teaches us about strength.
- God is the source of ALL strength.
- There is power in running to God.
- We should celebrate God’s strength.
- There is strength in continually seeking God.
- There is power in abandoning ourselves in praise.
- There is strength in honesty.
- God is the source of our power and protection.
- Weakness comes before strength for us.
- There is strength found in quietness.
- God is always ready to help us. There is strength in asking for His help.
- God can be a source of strength for us during relationship struggles.
- God’s strength is often the answer to our prayers.
- There is strength in being content.
- There is strength in confession and repentance.
- There is strength in needing to rest.
- There is strength in kindness.
- There is power in saying, “I don’t know.”
- There is strength in asking for help.
- There is strength in being teachable and correctible.
As I read over that list, I realize that being a person of Godly strength is going to be a counter-cultural life. And I am going to need God’s help to continually make the kinds of choices that align with being a person of Godly strength.
If we are trying to live for the glory of God and the good of others, is there anything more powerful than knowing and doing God’s will? I think not. So then, read today’s verse again. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. God’s will for us is to be grateful in every single circumstance in which we find ourselves. All of them. Even the horrible ones. Even the giant messes of our own making. There is always something to be grateful for. Those with Godly strength will be willing to seek out gratitude. Because being grateful assumes that there is an external source for a positive outcome. God is that external source. There is strength and power in recognizing where the good things come from.
And when we struggle to find gratitude, which we all do sometimes, we ask for help. Because that embodies Godly strength. There are times when I cannot see the things to be grateful for. So I am honest with a trusted friend and I ask for help. “Can you please help me find something to be grateful for in this situation? Because I can’t see anything to be grateful for right now.”
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1) May we be people of Godly strength. May we recognize where every ounce of our power comes from. May we be quick to be grateful to the God who gives us His strength.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How does gratitude give you strength?
Which attribute of Godly strength from this last three weeks is the hardest for you? Why?
What do you have to be grateful for today?
Where and how do you need strength from God today?