Grateful - wk11

What Am I Grateful For?
Ephesians 3:18-19

Week 11/Day 6

Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT)
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.


Hey everyone, it’s Tricia, and today we are looking at Day 6 in the Alone With God journal. Go to the page that says What Am I Grateful For This Week? If you don’t have an Alone With God journal and want to order one, you can do that at wordbymail.com.

The top section of this page says Answered Prayers, where we want to note the prayers God has answered this week. Review your week and see the beautiful ways God speaks to you in prayer and daily living. Writing them down is a way to hold these stories in remembrance, right? And even pass those down to future generations – these stories of God’s particular faithfulness to you.

But even when we are in the waiting room of life, and this is the season of waiting on God to move and answer, it’s getting frustrating waiting on his timing; we can remind ourselves his timing is always perfect. We can trust he will never fail us – not even now.

Now for those blank lines. We know that cultivating gratitude is a practical way to stand firm in faith when hard times come, or the enemy tries to steal our joy. But it can be so unnerving, can’t it, to stare at a blank page and wonder what to give thanks for.

So, here are some things I do. In these blank lines, I focus my gratitude on God, not my circumstances. I try to remember to be thankful for God’s character and steadfast love, even when I don’t feel his presence. And when I reflect on God’s faithfulness, it is easy – to see his provision for me.

Even through hardship, God shows me hope and comfort; I can reflect on that and praise him. Also, as God refines me in his fire, I can be incredibly grateful for the things I don’t have now… sometimes it’s something tangible I have let go of, or a habit, or a relationship. As God prunes and refines me, I can write my thanks for this act of love because it draws me closer to him. And then, even in the things I have to do during the week that I don’t want to do, AS God gives me the discipline and self-control to accomplish those, I can express my gratitude.

So, when we think of gratitude, it can help to remember that when we acknowledge our need for a Savior or think about our identity in Christ, or when we recognize we are stewards of God’s blessings as a child of God, then everything flows from a thankful heart.

Today, I encourage you to read Ephesians 3:18-19. And be blessed today as you take the time to remember God’s incredible, extravagant, marvelous, unstoppable, unconditional, faithful, steadfast love for you during this past week.

Recent

Tags

A-Month01-Week01 A-Month01-Week1 Abundant Life Acceptance Agape Alone With God Journal Guide Alone With God Anxiety Authority Avoidance Awe Baptism Becoming a Disciple Blessings Body of Christ Christ's strength Christmas Colossians Come boldly Come to Me Comfort Commit Community Compassion Confidence Courage Cross Daily Journal Dave Shepardson Decisions Delight Demonic Devos Devotions Devo Discipleship Emotions Encountering The Father Encouragement Ephesians 3:20-21 Eternity Faithfulness Faith Fear Fellowship with God Forgiveness Friend of God Generation God Cares God Knows God's Provision Gods Love Gods Will Good Friday Grace Gratitude Grow Guided Journal High Priest Holy Spirit Honesty Hope Humanity of Jesus Identified with sinners Image of Christ Imperfection Intercession Jesus Christ Jesus Journal Guide Judgment Knowing God Lamb of God Life Decision Love Made by God Memorials Mercy Miracles Month01-Week01 Month01-Week02 Month01-Week03 Month01Week1 My Daily Church Nation Obedience Offering Overwhelmed Passion Week Patience Patient Endurance Peace Perfection Philippians 4:6-9 Power Prayer Pride Purpose Rejoice Relationship Resolution Rest Resurrection Salvation Savior Seasons of Life Serve God Spiritual Warfare Test-test Testimony Thankfulness The Great Commission The Name of Jesus This Week Thought Life Throne of God Transformation Trials Triumphal Entry Trust Truth Upper Room Discourse Values Victory in God Wait on God What Am I Grateful For? Who Jesus IS Wilderness Wisdom Worship anger brokenness circumstances discipline faithful in prayer hard times healing joy money praise promises self surrender temptation thanksgiving unanswered prayer unfailing love