Serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of [mind and] heart [in gratitude] for the abundance of all [with which He had blessed you] (Deuteronomy 28:47 AMP).
Your thought life is critical to the health of your soul. And there’s nothing more critical to the health of your thought life than your attitude! You’ve heard it said that attitude determines altitude. Today, I want to propose that it’s an attitude of gratitude that determines the degree to which you will be able to live true to your authentic self.
How grateful are you for who God created you to be? Gratitude for your unique combination of strengths, abilities, and special gifts will enable you to stay true to your calling.
Look for opportunities to be grateful and to show gratitude!
“Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude” (Col. 4:2).
Just as you can never “out-bless” God, you can never thank Him enough either.
The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! —Henry Ward Beecher
ACTION STEPS
| What five strengths, abilities, or talents about yourself are you grateful for? |
| List five opportunities or outcomes that you have not yet experienced that you can preemptively be grateful for (now you are building faith!). |
| Who are the people in your life you are especially grateful for? What can you do to make this known to them—and when? |
| How much time do you invest praising and thanking God, focusing on all the good gifts and blessings He has bestowed—versus the time you spend focusing on all that is wrong and not what you imagine it should be? |
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him (1 Timothy 1:12 NLT).