Gratitude turns what we have into enough. This four-day Bible Plan from Life.Church will help you discover a more grateful perspective. Start reading part two of the six-part Stay Positive series.
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Day 1
Scripture: Luke 17:11-18
Be The One
Ten lepers were miraculously healed. This miracle not only cured a horrendous and painful disease, but it also freed these men to return to their families and rejoin their communities. Everything changed because of what Jesus did, but only one returned to thank Him.
It’s obvious to us Jesus literally gave these men their life back. So why wouldn’t all 10 return to lavishly thank Him? It’s easy to judge the nine, but maybe Jesus intended we focus on the one. You see, like the lepers, Jesus gave each of us brand-new life. Will you be the one who’s grateful? Will you grow your daily habit of gratitude on the realization of what Jesus has done for you?
Try this: Invite a couple of people to go through this Bible Plan with you this week. Then, meet up and discuss your new, grateful perspective.
Day 2
Scriptures: James 1:17, Romans 11:33-36
Every Good Thing Comes From God
Most of us agree with this idea that every good thing comes from God. But do our words and attitudes agree with it? One way to find out is to ask, “Is it obvious to others that I believe God is the provider of everything good in my life?”
Try this exercise whenever you need to strengthen your grateful perspective. Think of something or someone good you have. Now, work backwards until you find God as the source of that good thing.
Realizing God is the source of our good comes with many benefits. Not only do we become more grateful when we realize we’re not spinning up the good in our lives, but we become less anxious about loss, better at caretaking, more generous in giving, and less friendly to pride.
Pray: God, thank You for Your goodness. Not just for the good things, experiences, and people, but just for You. For who You are. Because, Lord, You are so good. Fill my heart and mind with gratitude for my relationship with You.
Day 3
Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 6:9, Philippians 4:11-13
I Won’t Let What I Want Rob Me Of What I Have
Contentment and gratitude aren’t identical, but they sure are family. Contentment lives somewhere near the beginning of the path toward a more grateful perspective.
For instance, it’s difficult to have gratitude for something you’ve received when you’re at the same time wanting more of that very thing. Think of a toddler who says thank you for sweets because they’ve discovered that’s how to get more. Are they glad to have the sweets? Yes. But, are they content with what they’ve already received? Probably not. A grateful perspective realizes God gave us the good we have, responds with praise, and then believes His good is enough. Yet, we often come to God with a toddler-like, “Thank you. More, please.”
How do we keep discontentment from robbing us of the realization of God’s all-sufficient provision? We practice saying, “Thank You, God. You’re enough.” When we do, we’ll find gratitude turns what we have into enough.
Try this: Look around you and start thanking God for the things you see. Start a mental list today of the things He’s done for you. Share them in a discussion or post them on social media this week.
Day 4
Scriptures: Psalms 63:4-5, Psalms 103:2-5, Job 1:20-21, Ephesians 3:20-21
I’ll Turn Every Blessing Into Praise
Jesus followers—and even people who are unsure of God—often respond to tragedy by first appealing to God for help and then questioning His intentions. Either way, difficulty has a way of making us aware of our dependence on God. In these moments when He is all we have, hopefully we can realize that He is all we need.
For Job of the Bible, this was no mental exercise. Job actually experienced the loss of everything he held most dear in life. How did he respond? His book is where we get the phrase, “blessed be the name of the Lord!”
In both trial and blessing, a grateful heart returns praise to God. When we fail to praise God for His blessings, we make fertile soil for poisonous seeds of pride in our hearts. Ideas like, “I deserve this, I earned this, and I did this,” begin to take root and overshadow God’s providential work in our lives. When we instead return God’s blessings as praise, we make fertile soil for God to do abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine.