Choosing to Be Thankful

February 22, 2023

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) 

You don’t have to be grateful FOR all situations, but you can be

grateful IN all situations. There is always something to be thankful

for. 

During certain seasons of life, we may not feel thankful. And, that's okay. But, you can choose to be thankful, even though your feelings don't match.  

Your feelings matter... but they are often not the full truth.

I encourage you to recognize your feelings, then take it a step further

and choose to be grateful for something. Anything. 

Choose gratitude. Intentionally.

Choose to Remember God's Goodness 

Ps. 106:7-8, 13 (Message)

“After our parents left Egypt, they took your wonders for granted,

forgot your great and wonderful love. They were barely beyond the Red

Sea when they defied the High God –the very place he saved them! – the

place he revealed his amazing power! …but it wasn't long before they

forgot the whole thing, wouldn't wait to be told what to do."   

This says, “many times.” It's unbelievable

how short their memory was. In Egypt, God does ten plagues and the

children of Israel forget it because a couple days later they're at the

Red Sea and saying "We're all going to die!" They've forgotten what

God's just done. God does a miracle and opens the Red Sea. They walk

through to the other side and immediately forget that miracle.  "We're

going to die of thirst!" God provides water miraculously. They forget

that and complain, "We're going to die -- no food!" They were always

forgetting.   

But we should not be too quick to judge them because we do the exact

same thing. When a delay occurs in our lives we start acting like God's

never done anything for us. 

What have you been forgetting about God, how He's helped you so many times? 

INSTEAD OF FORGETTING YOU REMEMBER GOD'S PROMISES.

There are over 7000 of them in the Bible. Whenever I have a problem, I

try to find a promise. When I face a problem, I look for a promise. The

promises are always greater than the problems you're facing.  

Ps. 103:2 (NLT)"Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me."   

2 Pet. 3:3-8.  "The Lord is not being slow to carry out His promises but He is being patient with you."  

So many things in life are out of your control... but choosing to be thankful isn't.

Gratitude can transform how you see a situation. It can transform how

you see your spouse, and actually make you happier in your marriage.

Gratitude can even change how you feel. 

What are you thankful for this week?