gratitude | Thoughts About God

I’m Thankful For

Thoughts_About_God — Mon, 26 May 2025 07:06:39 +0000

“Oh LORD God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, Lord.” Psalm 89:8

I am extremely grateful for our God’s magnificent creation. I never cease to be amazed at the thousands of varieties of birds, flowers, trees, leaves, rocks and plants. I love gazing at different mountain ranges such as the Rocky Mountains in Western Canada in all their grandeur or the mountains of California and Arizona with their varying shadows. I love quiet streams; gushing waterfalls; rivers; lakes; and oceans. I am continually amazed at the way God controls the oceans and how he allows the tides to come inland just so far and then it has to retreat again.

We read in Isaiah 42: 12
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales.”

When I consider that all the water in the world can fit in God’s hand, I know he is a BIG God.

My job keeps me in front of a computer for most of the day and my husband, Marvin, has made a wonderful garden for me just outside my office window. I get to enjoy rhododendrons, hydrangea, azaleas, and many other flowers while I am working. He has also placed the bird feeder within my view.

One morning, last winter, after a heavy snowfall, I filled up the bird feeder and the birds were so happy. They proceeded to put on a real show for me – flitting from one branch to another and then back to the feeder.

Many different birds visit us and although I love them all humming birds have always made me stop what I am doing to watch them. They are amazing:

They fly forward, backward, shift sideways, stop in midair.
They can beat their wings 60 to 200 times per second.
They lap nectar with their tongues (some say that their tongue is like a straw).
They can fly up to 60 miles an hour.
They live 5 -6 years in the wild.
They are the smallest bird in the world.
They consume, on average, half their weight in sugar each day.
Some of them migrate 600 miles to a warmer climate.

When I see these little birds with their magnificent iridescent colors, I am reminded of how wonderful and majestic and amazing our God is. And because He has created so many wonders for us to enjoy here on earth, I know they are but a taste of what He has in store for us in heaven. For this I am so thankful.

Father, I am so thankful for the wonders of your creation. Thank you that you didn’t create the world in black and white or without sounds and smells. I love you God, because you are so great and so kind. Amen.

by Katherine Kehler
used by permission

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More than Gratitude

Thoughts_About_God — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 09:01:09 +0000

Becky had often heard the little saying, “have an attitude of gratitude“, and for the most part she did. She could count her blessings and generally found a thankful spirit.

But this – there was no thankfulness in this! Her “attitude of gratitude” could find nothing for which to be thankful for. If she were not careful her heart could slip into despair and yes, even bitterness.

She didn’t feel like reading her Bible but she picked it up and flipped through it. Her eyes fell on a familiar verse she had highlighted with:

“In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”.
1 Thessalonians 6:18

It seemed to hit her with new clarity. It said “in everything” not “for everything“. She pondered the thought. If she could not be thankful for this particular circumstance, what did it mean to be thankful in it?

When we ask sincere questions as we grow in our faith, with hearts hungry to understand God’s ways, the Holy Spirit shows us the answer.

Thoughts tumbled in her mind that she could be thankful for God’s faithfulness to her. As she recalled times past when life seemed out of control, she recalled God’s steadying hand on her and how His strength had carried her in difficult times.
(Matthew 11:28)

She could be thankful that God promised to work things out for good, yes; she had seen His hand bring good out of the most troubling things. (Romans 8:28)

With fresh realization her heart grew a bit lighter as she saw what God meant – be thankful in her circumstance because she knew the God who was bigger than any problem and He would be faithful to help her, His child.

Prayer & reflection:

Father God, I truly am thankful for my blessings. But it is quite another thing to be thankful in the hard times and with the unanswered questions of life. Thank you for understanding it is not easy for me. Thank you for showing me that when I can’t be thankful for the hard stuff, You remind me to just be thankful in the hard stuff – for it is in the hard stuff where Your character of faithfulness will be proven over and over to me. Thank you for the confidence that You will see me through. Help me to lean hard on Your strength, and wisdom and care. Thank you that You will build a track record in my life through Your faithfulness. You enable me to be thankful in hard times because You are my God and You can be trusted with my life – even in the hard stuff! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Gratitude

Devotionals — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:01:04 +0000

Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff!

To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart! To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. The apostle Paul said,

“Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NLT).

The surest path out of a slump is marked by the road sign, Thank you. But what of the disastrous days? Grateful then? Jesus was. “On the night when he was betrayed,” Scriptures says,

“the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NLT).

How often do you see the words betrayed and thanks in the same sentence—much less in the same heart? Give thanks…and see what happens.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission.

From: God is With You Every Day
To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about/

All I Can Say is ‘THANK YOU’

Thoughts_About_God — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 08:01:48 +0000

When I was putting my grandson to bed, I asked him if he would like to pray. In a distressed voice he said, “All I know how to say is thank you!” We prayed together, and I kissed him good night. Walking away, I could not get his words out of my head. Such a simple thought but so profound. We have so much for which to thank God every day.

The Bible encourages us to be thankful in our prayers:

“Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, NIV)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

A thankful attitude emerges when we’re grounded in faith. If I really believe that God is in control, I can indeed thank God always, even in the middle of circumstances that are not to my liking. I must trust that He loves me and I must rely on His promise to make “all things work together for good.” (Romans 8:28)

When I choose to thank God for every circumstance in my life, good or bad, it causes me to anticipate the future positively—to look forward to how God will work through the situation rather than vex over the problem at hand. Praying with thankfulness also leads to peace! Some poor souls have spent their whole lives and fortunes, but have not found the peace for which they have longed. God offers His peace freely if we are willing to trust Him.

‘Only knowing how to say “THANK YOU!” is not a bad place to be!

Lord, help me to be thankful in all circumstances that You walk me through in this life. Help me to continually have gratitude upon my lips. Thank You for all You have done and all that You are doing. Amen.

Question: Are you practicing thankfulness today?

by Mike Woodard
Used by Permission

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Living a Life of Gratitude

Devotionals — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 08:01:11 +0000

I have so much to be grateful for

– the people God has brought into my life, the family that I was born into and the many blessings He has poured out on me. And I’m truly thankful for all God’s work in my life.

But over the last few years, I’ve become increasingly aware that there is a vast difference between being thankful for the things God has given me and living a life of gratitude. Let me explain. . .

When we give a gift to someone, the most rewarding and pleasing thing for us as the gift givers is to see them enjoying and using the gift we have given them. And on the other hand the hardest thing is to hear, “Thank you so much for this gift! I love it.” And then to see our present thrown in the trash unused and unappreciated. Why? Because we sacrificed part of ourselves in the giving of the gift and it was tossed away like a piece of garbage.

When we harbour bitterness in our heart, allow anger to control us, refuse to forgive, when we turn away from God, when our thoughts are focused on our self, we are not living in gratitude of the costly sacrifice Christ paid for us. It’s as if we’ve thrown His gift into the trash and now live as if it is an insignificant factor in our life. We diminish the price God paid for our sins.

Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice to give us His most treasured gift. 1 John 4:9-10 (NLV) says,

“God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love — not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

So how do I live a life of true gratitude when I’m not perfect?

For me it has begun with allowing God to show me the depths of my depravity. Seeing my sin the way God sees it and stepping into the sorrow and heartache this sin has wrought in my life and in the lives of others. By doing this it has brought about a hatred for the sin and a passion to live in obedience to God and His Word.

God has also showed me that I cannot do this in my own strength; I have to live in dependence upon Him – seeking His way, His desires and His kingdom. As I’ve come to see myself for who I really am, it has allowed me to see God for who He truly is and has brought a deeper meaning to His incredible sacrifice that He paid for me.

So let me ask you the same questions I ask myself on a continual basis:

Are you living a life of gratitude to your Savior, who died to set you free?
Are you diminishing the price He paid for you by the choices you are making?

By Kristi Huseby
used by permission

Remember to Give Thanks

Thoughts_About_God — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 08:03:41 +0000

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7

Thoughts on today’s verse

God wants to hear our prayers, but to keep them from becoming too self-focused, God wants us always to remember to give thanks. It is so easy for us to turn prayer into a request line. We are the ones who are left bereft when thanksgiving and praise are robbed from our prayers.

Prayer:

Gracious God, I have so many reasons to praise you. In the face of trial and hardship I have your promises to reawaken my hope. In the moment of victory I have you to thank for my abilities. In the boredom of the routine, I have great joys in your surprises. Thank you, God, for being so great and yet so loving. In Jesus name. Amen.

by Phil Ware
used by permission.
https://www.heartlight.org

I Choose to Give Thanks

Thoughts_About_God — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 08:01:18 +0000

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” Psalm 50:23

I felt unappreciated, unloved, and unworthy to call myself a Christian.

Jesus exuded a joyful confidence no matter what happened in his life. He lived each day in joyful obedience to the Father. The kind of life, he promised to his followers:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10).

But where was the joy in my life? Defeat and depression clung to me. It probably would never change. After all, I was by nature a melancholic. The experts said so.

One day as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor, oblivious to the small radio beaming its songs and messages, my tears mingled with the soapy water. I felt like such a failure. Suddenly a woman’s voice on the radio arrested me. “Are you living on Grumble Street?”she asked. “You’re complaining about all the things that are wrong in your life. Stop it. Move over to Praise Street and begin to thank God for all the things that are right in your life. Offer Him the sacrifice of praise.”

I sat up. If God had spoken my name out loud, it couldn’t have been more suited to my need. Then there is something I can do? I thought. I can choose thanksgiving even when I don’t feel like it. That’s why it’s called a sacrifice? I grabbed a pen and paper and began to write down some blessings:

Thank you, God, that I can scrub a kitchen floor: I have a home.
Thank you, God, for family; they’ll soon be home for supper.
Thank you, God, for the friendly neighbor who just waved at me.
Thank you, God, for how the wind plays in the branches of the tree.
Thank you, God, for how the afternoon sunshine lights up the bush

Saying “thank you, God” out loud, felt a bit strange at first, still it was the beginning of forming a new habit, the habit to focus on the blessing of the present moment. For was each blessing not a tangible “I-love-you” message from God himself?

I discovered that emotions are followers. They follow our thinking. As I continued to focus on the blessing of the present moment, my emotions caught on to the new “me”. Not a grumbling me but a joyful me.

My children also began to notice. “Mom, you find pleasure in the weirdest things,” my daughter laughed, “like a spider web.” Yes, indeed! For when I sing his praises, God is very near.

Dear Father, I want to offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving every day and prepare the way for your blessing to flood my heart and soul and overflow into my family.

by Helen Lescheid
Used by permission

The Cure for Ingratitude

Devotionals — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 08:01:36 +0000

1st Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to “give thanks in everything!” In everything? In trouble, in the hospital, in a fix, in a mess, in distress? Interruptions? Jesus did. When five thousand people interrupted his planned retreat, he took them out to lunch. Matthew 14:19 says, “He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking to heaven, he thanked God for the food.”

Jesus was robustly thankful.

He was thankful when Mary interrupted the party with perfume. When he hugged children and blessed babies and watched blind people look at their first sunsets, Jesus was thankful.

The cure for ingratitude? Look up. Look what God has done! Thank you, Jesus, for modeling gratitude. Thank you, King Jesus, for working all things together for your good. Thank you…. for letting love happen.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: Before Amen

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about/

Give Thanks

Devotionals — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 09:03:46 +0000

Some things just weren’t made to coexist. Long-tailed cats and rocking chairs? Bulls in a china shop? Not a good idea. Blessings and bitterness? That mixture doesn’t go over well with God. Combine heavenly kindness with earthly ingratitude and expect a sour concoction. Perhaps you’ve sampled it. Gratitude doesn’t come naturally. Self-pity does. Bellyaches do. Grumbles and mumbles–no one has to remind us to offer them. Yet they don’t mix well with the kindness we’ve been given.

Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff.

To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse His accomplishments is to discover His heart. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. So practice gratitude! As Ephesians 5:20 puts it,

“Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

By Max Lucado
From: You’ll Get Through This
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website
https://maxlucado.com/about/

A Thought about Gratitude

Devotionals — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 09:01:03 +0000

“Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’” Luke 17:17- 18

“Gratitude recognizes that a gift has been given, a favor has been done by someone. There is a gift and a giver. But there is more. Gratitude also calls for a response to that gift. We thank the giver with an expression of appreciation — a handshake, a hug, a note. A gesture of gratitude completes the exchange, closes the circle, lets the love flow back to the giver.” — Don Postema, Space for God.

I needed to read that quote. It was an “ah-ha” moment for me — it made so much sense. Many gifts I have given in the past have left me with a sense of emptiness because I never heard back if the gift was appreciated or not. The circle was not closed — I didn’t feel love flow back from the recipient of my gift.

But there have also been so many times when I have not taken the time to thank the giver of a gift for me. Those who gave me a gift would have likewise felt empty because I didn’t take the time to let them know the gift was appreciated.

How often do we take all the blessings and gifts from the Lord for granted — we almost feel entitled to them. Far too many times.

You may relate to this thought. I encourage you to say this prayer with me.

Lord, thank You, for You are the giver of so many beautiful gifts. I thank You for them all. Enable me to remember to thank You and thank others when they give a gift of kindness. Cause me to express my gratitude. Let the circle of love close — let love flow back to the giver. Amen.

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

When You Can’t Pray – Give Thanks

Devotionals — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 08:01:10 +0000

I once heard of a little boy who refused to say his evening prayers one night; not out of defiance, but simply because he couldn’t think of anything he wanted.

He didn’t see much point in praying when there wasn’t anything to ask for.
When his mother heard his dilemma, she suggested he give thanks for all the things he had instead.

So the little boy got on his knees and thanked the Lord for everything he could think of – from his favorite toy to the fact he wasn’t blind like the boy down the street.
His evening prayers were longer that night, because he was thankful for more than he wanted.

We often have the opposite dilemma.

We find it hard to pray; not because we don’t have anything to ask for, but because we’re too disheartened to pray.

Our prayers seem to hit a stone ceiling; our prayers go unanswered for years; or we simply don’t receive the peace we used to enjoy in times of prayer.

But maybe we can’t pray, because we’ve forgotten to be thankful.

Like this little boy, what if we took some time and turned our prayers into words of only thanks?

When you pray today, don’t ask for one single thing.
JUST give thanks.

While you drive to work, list one thing after another you’re grateful for.
And thank the Lord ONLY.

When you have a few quiet moments, think of things you know are gifts.
And ONLY thank the Lord.

When you can’t pray . . . give thanks.
Your prayers might be longer than usual, because you find yourself thankful for more than you want.

“With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6-7

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

Gratitude

Devotionals — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 07:01:05 +0000

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

– Melody Beattie

Used by Permission

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The post Gratitude appeared first on Thoughts About God.

gratitude | Thoughts About God

I’m Thankful For

More than Gratitude

Further Reading

Gratitude

Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff!

Further Reading

All I Can Say is ‘THANK YOU’

Living a Life of Gratitude

I have so much to be grateful for

So how do I live a life of true gratitude when I’m not perfect?

FURTHER READING

Remember to Give Thanks

Further Reading

I Choose to Give Thanks

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” Psalm 50:23

Further Reading

The Cure for Ingratitude

Jesus was robustly thankful.

Further Reading

Give Thanks

Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff.

Further Reading

A Thought about Gratitude

“Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’” Luke 17:17- 18

Further Reading

When You Can’t Pray – Give Thanks

Further Reading

Gratitude