The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (35 page)

One of the things we can praise God for daily with a heart full of gratitude is that He is determined to have an intimate relationship with each of us. The only way He can do that is if He extends grace, mercy, and forgiveness to us continually. And the only way we can have that relationship with Him is if we learn to continually receive His grace, forgiveness, and mercy.

In case you are wondering, you have not used up all of God’s mercy for you. There is still an abundant amount available to you, and there will be as long as you live. God’s mercy is new every day! And it is a gift that can only be enjoyed if it is received freely. So thank God for His mercy today, live boldly by His grace, and be all He created you to be.

Father, thank You for Your mercy, Your compassion, and Your loving-kindness that never fails. I celebrate Your goodness today, and I am so grateful that I can have a personal, intimate relationship with You.

Many people feel able and qualified to do a particular thing, and yet they live frustrated lives because the right doors don’t seem to open. Why is that? The truth is they may be “able, but not stable.” God has given them abilities, but perhaps they have not made the effort to mature in stability of character.

God must be able to trust us, and other people must be able to depend on us, in order for God to increase our level of responsibility. When we are stable and mature, our lives are marked by consistency and thankfulness. We continue to operate in the fruit of the Spirit even when we must endure situations or people that are not what we would like them to be.

Life is not problem-free, and it never will be. Let circumstances do what they will—but as far as you’re concerned, be determined to remain stable and thankful in the Lord.

Thank You, Father, for the way You help bring strength and maturity to my life. Help me to be both “able and stable,” so that I might accomplish all You have called me to do.

Asking God for what we need and desire in the natural realm is definitely not wrong, but we should not major on those things. God’s Word says that He knows what we need before we ask Him (see Matthew 6:8), so all we need to do is simply ask and let Him know that we are trusting Him to take care of everything that concerns us.

After we ask God for our daily physical needs, we can focus the majority of our prayer time on talking to Him about our spiritual needs, such as spiritual maturity, developing and displaying the fruit of the Spirit, obedience, and walking in love, to name a few. We also have the privilege of praying for other people and being part of their victories.

God is inviting you to a deeper walk with Him and that means you want His will even more than you want your own.

I thank You, Father, that You hear me every time I pray. Even though I have daily needs that I bring to You, help me to enter a deeper level of prayer. I pray that Your will would be done in my life and in the world around me.

You may have been a victim at one point in your life, but you don’t have to remain one. You can be emotionally healthy and whole in your soul. The Word of God promises that God will heal your wounds. He will help you… He’s waiting to help you.

We all have painful issues from the past that we need to deal with. Many of them were not our fault, and it isn’t fair that we should suffer because of other people’s behavior. Perhaps you were teased mercilessly as a child and still feel insecure or sensitive because of that old pain. Maybe someone you loved left you without explanation, or you may have been abused in some way. Whatever the source of your pain, be thankful that God loves you and wants to heal you. You don’t have to spend your life as a victim; you can have victory and even help bring victory to others.

Father, I thank You that You are a healer. You have not left me to suffer in the pain of the past—You are healing my wounds and giving me the strength to move forward. Today is a new day, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!

If we allow our thoughts about a person to be negative, our attitude and behavior toward that person will also be negative. In order to love people, we must make a decision to think good thoughts about them.

God’s Word teaches us to always believe the best of people. Our love should be sincere. If we are praying for an individual but thinking negative thoughts about what he is like and how he will probably never change, our prayers will be negated by our negative thinking.

It is important to have a loving attitude toward people, an attitude that is filled with mercy and kindness. A right attitude begins with right thinking. We can be grateful God has that attitude toward us, and we can be determined to have the same attitude toward others.

Father, I thank You that You love me enough to think good thoughts about me. Help me to have that same attitude when dealing with the people in my life. I want to be more like You today.