Constant Gratitude
Psalm 100 (NLT) 1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Living in thanksgiving is the key to honoring God, to worshiping God, and to serving God in all that we do. That is what living in thanksgiving looks like.
How do we start the journey from wherever we’re at to living in thanksgiving? How do we get from where we’re at to that point?
This is the how. The first step is we need to understand that living in thanksgiving is our expression of constant gratitude for all that God’s done and for his constant care and love for us. Let me just say it again. Living in thanksgiving is an expression of our constant gratitude for all that God IS in our lives and all that he has DONE in our lives. And so, it removes it from all circumstances of this fleeting temporal life because our thanksgiving is all about what God has done already and assured us of, and it is especially living in a constant expression of gratitude for what God has done to redeem us, to save us, to prepare a place for us.
We think this life is so long. God says, “It’s a vapor. I designed it as a vapor.” Genesis 1:27 says you were created in the image of God, meaning as an eternal being. God wouldn’t create you for this little eighty years of sojourning in this world. And we can be eternally thankful that he’s made a way to forgive us of our sin, to give us his righteousness, and to reserve a place in Heaven for us to spend with him for eternity. No matter what’s going on, we can be thankful for that. Constantly.
Psalm 100 – in verse 3, says, The Lord made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture
And verse 5 says, the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever (toward us), and his faithfulness continues to each generation
We can live in that. We’ve got to understand that living in thanksgiving is a constant gratitude for what God has done. Too many of us (because of the worldly influence on the Church) want to be thankful to God for stuff in this world. And God’s like, “Are you kidding me? That’s going to burn up at the end. And by the way, your soul might be required of you tonight. Are you sure you want to thank me for that? Because you may be in front of me tonight.”
We’ve got to change what we’re grateful for, right? We’re grateful for God.
Follow along with us. Get your Alone With God journal at wordbymail.com
Journal: Review Psalm 100, verses 1-5. When a person knows how good God is and all God has done for them, it shows in thanksgiving – no matter what they are facing. Are you living in constant thanksgiving? Do you have peace, rest, inner joy, confidence, and contentment? In the Apply section of your journal, write how these verses affect your life today. Then, in the Respond section, write what specific action you will take in response to the truth in these verses revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. Maybe it’s taking your thoughts captive or it's responding in your heart according to God’s Word. Maybe it’s a physical action. How are you going to respond to this scripture today? And then, wrap up your time today in prayer. In the Pray section, write out your prayer to God, aligning your heart with his Word. Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to make this scripture real in your life. Thank him for speaking to you through his Word.
Prayer: Father, thank you that you are a good God and that we are your people. Your unfailing love continues forever, and your faithfulness continues to each generation – those before us, those now, and it will continue after us. We worship you with gladness and sing with joy in our hearts. Thank you for all you have done for us to give us eternal life with you. You are worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. Please help us to be thankful in all circumstances. For your glory, and in the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
Dig deeper: Get this entire message at "Living in Thanksgiving" or search for the message titled “Living in Thanksgiving” in your Word By Mail phone app or at wordbymail.com.
Living in thanksgiving is the key to honoring God, to worshiping God, and to serving God in all that we do. That is what living in thanksgiving looks like.
How do we start the journey from wherever we’re at to living in thanksgiving? How do we get from where we’re at to that point?
This is the how. The first step is we need to understand that living in thanksgiving is our expression of constant gratitude for all that God’s done and for his constant care and love for us. Let me just say it again. Living in thanksgiving is an expression of our constant gratitude for all that God IS in our lives and all that he has DONE in our lives. And so, it removes it from all circumstances of this fleeting temporal life because our thanksgiving is all about what God has done already and assured us of, and it is especially living in a constant expression of gratitude for what God has done to redeem us, to save us, to prepare a place for us.
We think this life is so long. God says, “It’s a vapor. I designed it as a vapor.” Genesis 1:27 says you were created in the image of God, meaning as an eternal being. God wouldn’t create you for this little eighty years of sojourning in this world. And we can be eternally thankful that he’s made a way to forgive us of our sin, to give us his righteousness, and to reserve a place in Heaven for us to spend with him for eternity. No matter what’s going on, we can be thankful for that. Constantly.
Psalm 100 – in verse 3, says, The Lord made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture
And verse 5 says, the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever (toward us), and his faithfulness continues to each generation
We can live in that. We’ve got to understand that living in thanksgiving is a constant gratitude for what God has done. Too many of us (because of the worldly influence on the Church) want to be thankful to God for stuff in this world. And God’s like, “Are you kidding me? That’s going to burn up at the end. And by the way, your soul might be required of you tonight. Are you sure you want to thank me for that? Because you may be in front of me tonight.”
We’ve got to change what we’re grateful for, right? We’re grateful for God.
Follow along with us. Get your Alone With God journal at wordbymail.com
Journal: Review Psalm 100, verses 1-5. When a person knows how good God is and all God has done for them, it shows in thanksgiving – no matter what they are facing. Are you living in constant thanksgiving? Do you have peace, rest, inner joy, confidence, and contentment? In the Apply section of your journal, write how these verses affect your life today. Then, in the Respond section, write what specific action you will take in response to the truth in these verses revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. Maybe it’s taking your thoughts captive or it's responding in your heart according to God’s Word. Maybe it’s a physical action. How are you going to respond to this scripture today? And then, wrap up your time today in prayer. In the Pray section, write out your prayer to God, aligning your heart with his Word. Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to make this scripture real in your life. Thank him for speaking to you through his Word.
Prayer: Father, thank you that you are a good God and that we are your people. Your unfailing love continues forever, and your faithfulness continues to each generation – those before us, those now, and it will continue after us. We worship you with gladness and sing with joy in our hearts. Thank you for all you have done for us to give us eternal life with you. You are worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. Please help us to be thankful in all circumstances. For your glory, and in the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
Dig deeper: Get this entire message at "Living in Thanksgiving" or search for the message titled “Living in Thanksgiving” in your Word By Mail phone app or at wordbymail.com.
Posted in Journal Guides
Tagged with Alone With God Journal Guide, Devotions, Knowing God, thanksgiving, Thankfulness, Gratitude, Serve God
Tagged with Alone With God Journal Guide, Devotions, Knowing God, thanksgiving, Thankfulness, Gratitude, Serve God
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