Growing in Gratitude

Do you feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to complete everything that you want to do? Do you compare yourself with others? Do you question what God is calling you to do? Do you find yourself thinking of other things instead of being present in the moment? I’m sure that we’ve all experienced feelings of insecurity, doubt, discontentment, or have even wondered if we are enough. Recently, the Lord has been reminding me to be present in the moment, that He is the One who sustains us and the One who satisfies our deepest longings.  

Our culture today is pulling us in all directions. The world tells us that to have value, we must be busy. It tells us that if we’re not busy, then we’re not successful or do not have purpose. The world tells us that we need to obtain or consume more things to make us truly happy.  

How do we combat these lies? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to renew our minds!!  

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Colossians 3:1-2

The Lord does not desire for us to be held captive by the lies that the world tells us. He gives us access through the Holy Spirit to incline our hearts to His. We are able to love what He loves when we choose to die to self and live for Him through His power. This can be difficult because we want to pursue what we enjoy. Ultimately, true fulfillment in this life is found when we submit our wills to the will of God!  

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! 

Psalm 34:8

When we have believed in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have truly tasted and seen that the Lord is good. The one who trusts Him will experience the blessing of a deep relationship with Him. When we experience hardships and difficulties, we have the privilege to come to our Father through the power of prayer and give our worries to Him. He calls us to seek first His kingdom, which means that we should submit our lives under the authority of God. He can take care of everything way better than we can!! When we are doubting that God can handle our problems, we can open God’s Word and recognize how He has remained faithful. Therefore, we can trust Him to continue being faithful to us today.  

If we truly believe that God is good, and we have tasted of His goodness, then our words and actions should reflect this. As His children, we are called to live set-apart lives. We can look different from the world by living in gratitude and contentment because we know that everything we have is from God. Our job, family, friends, possessions, and our circle of influence are all from Him. He has divinely orchestrated these things to be part of our lives and we can seek to steward them in a way that glorifies Him. This begins with a posture of gratitude and recognition that the God of the universe has divinely placed us in different situations and with specific people to use us for the advancement of His kingdom. This may cause some anxiety, nervousness, or questioning as to why God would put us in these situations. Despite our hesitancies, we can have confidence that He is in control and that He is the One who will equip us! We may be tempted to compare our situations to others, but we can combat this mindset with gratitude. My challenge for you this week is to write down five things that you are grateful for each morning. These can even be simple things such as running water for your shower, a toaster for your morning bagel, and clean coffee mugs in your cabinet. These are all gifts of God’s grace to us!! Throughout the day, when we begin to feel ungrateful, we can remember the ways that God has demonstrated His kindness to us. It will change the way we view our lives and our situations each day! Rather than finding our joy in our success, productivity, circumstances, finances, possessions, or relationships, we can experience true, everlasting joy because we are able to have a relationship with the Creator God, who has given us the privilege to be used by Him for His purposes!

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

Our Heavenly Father is good, and He is worthy of us devoting our entire lives to Him. Today, we can start living for Him in a way that is different from the world! 

Prayer Tip: Ask God to show you how to live in complete devotion to Him, knowing that He is in control and that our joy is found in Him.  

Prayer Points: 

• God, thank you for always providing for me by… 

• Lord, thank you for your faithfulness in… 

• God, please help me to be fully satisfied in You.  

• Lord, please forgive me for seeking to find contentment in my relationships, possessions, or status, instead of You.  

God, I praise you for who You are and all that You have done. You are great and greatly to be praised. Thank you for being faithful, even when I am not faithful to you. Please forgive me for times when I have compared myself to others and sought happiness in things that will not satisfy. Please empower me to seek first your kingdom and to pursue contentment that can only be found in You. Thank you for all of the big and small ways that you demonstrate your grace to me. May my joy be found in knowing that I have the privilege to be loved and known by You! Lord, You are worthy of all my praise, and I want to submit my “today” to You. I love you, God. Thank you for loving me first. In your precious and holy name, Amen.  

Amalia Parker 

Flourish Women’s Ministry  

Mid-Way Baptist Church