Welcome!
Today: Giving thanks, joyfully
Passage: Colossians 1
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may
please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[d] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (Col 1, NIV)-emphasis added
We just finished celebrating “thanksgiving” here in the US
(I took a short break from these daily devotions-not anticipated before!)
Giving thanks has become an “automated response” for many
Joyfully giving thanks can happen, only when it comes from the heart
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US every year on this particular Thursday in November, to remember God’s grace and provisions. However, most people now say “happy holidays” instead of “happy thanksgiving”, to avoid anything that sounds religious!
People with an attitude of gratitude are a blessing.
People who always grumble and complain, are a disgrace. They make their lives as well as that of others miserable. Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years because of their thankless attitude. The longer we grumble and mumble, the longer our misery!
Even as we thank and praise/worship God, God is not pleased with a lip-service. God is looking for a heart-service
If we think we are doing God a favor by making it to church every Sunday, the opposite might be true. We may be able to “win” the hearts of people because they look at our actions, but God knows our attitude behind each thing we do
God is not pleased with anything we do without 100% happiness/involvement
Say, we wanted to give 100 dollars for a certain cause, but then we ended up giving 200, because of some pressure. We did it grumbling and complaining
God would bless us more for that 100 given happily, than for the 200!
That is the case with anything we do for God
Let us give thanks joyfully, and with holiness and love
God bless your day
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I admit that many or most of my prayers, praise and worship had been more “mechanical” than from the heart. Help me to offer praises and thanks from my heart, because you did everything so, for me. Thank you. Amen
“God is about a heart-service than a hand-service”