Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
– Psalm 100; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Devotion
It is really easy to give God thanks when things are going well in our lives, but God calls us to also give thanks when things are tough in our lives. How do we do that? Why is God worthy of thanksgiving? It’s because He is good, His love is eternal and He’s always faithful. When we recognize God for who He is and what He has done in our lives, we should naturally follow with expressions of praise and thanks. Too often we confuse happiness and joy. Joy is different from happiness because joy is a deep, constant emotion that exists because of our relationship with Jesus. This joy can’t be swayed by circumstances or our environment. Happiness is an emotion we feel based on what’s going on around us. While it can feel great, it can be pretty quick to disappear when things get tough. Today let’s give God thanks out of overflow of our joy because of what Jesus has done on the cross for our sins!
The Big Question
What changes do you need to make in your life in order to daily practice giving thanks to God in all circumstances?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.