Daily Devotion
Gratitude In Every Season
By: Marissa Wolf
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Giving thanks to the Lord is a Biblical command which He calls us to live out. Gratitude isn’t meant for special occasions only, but is meant to be given to the Lord on a regular, daily basis. We rather so often forget to give thanks during the hum-drum mundane parts of our life where there’s not much excitement or big milestones going on and our gratitude often goes forgotten. However, there is still so much to be thankful for that we take for granted. God calls us to give thanks in everything and that includes in every season. I’m not just talking about the four seasons such as Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, but also every season of life in which we go through. This includes seasons of love, joy, sorrow, grief, pain, anxiousness, excitement, etc. It’s almost always easier to give thanks when we are filled with joy, love, and excitement, rather than when we are filled with sorrow, grief, pain, or anxiousness. The devil likes to use these emotions against us as a stronghold to not pray, to not seek God first, to not give God thanks or the glory that He is due, but rather he is trying to convince us to remain in a constant state of ungratefulness and despair in hopes that we will become hopeless and never turn to Christ.
Giving thanks to the Lord is just one example of how we can be holy as God is holy. (See: 1 Peter 1:14-16). When we withhold gratitude unto the Lord we are withholding glorifying the Lord and we are practicing delayed obedience. Gratitude unto the Lord is never just an option, but rather it is necessary in our walks with the Lord. For if we willfully withhold our gratitude unto the Lord we are walking in sin. And when we walk in sin, we are called to humbly come to the Lord, repent, seek forgiveness, and move forward in holiness. (See: James 4:7-10 and Acts 3:19).
God calls us to do everything unto Him and that includes our giving of thanks. (See: Colossians 3:2-24). We are to give our thanks cheerfully unto the Lord. It is always a good thing to give the Lord our gratitude. (See: Psalm 92:1). For our God is always good even when our earthly circumstances are not. There is always something we can thank the Lord for even when we are in the lowest of lows. We shouldn’t let the devil discourage us from thanking the Lord. After all that’s just one of the many things the devil wants is for us to not turn to the Lord. The devil would rather have us thank just about anything or anyone else than the Lord.
There is always a time and place for gratitude! Gratitude unto the Lord helps us to be content in Christ. For godliness with contentment is great gain. (See: 1 Timothy 6:6). The devil tries to make us lose sight of that and ultimately lose sight of Christ. We mustn’t give into his devilish schemes. (See: 1 Corinthians 10:13). An ungrateful heart isn’t a holy heart. An ungrateful heart isn’t resting or abiding in Christ. When we trust in the Lord with our whole heart at all times we are resting and abiding in Christ and our hearts are being filled with joy and peace that we may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. (See: Proverbs 3:5-7, Psalm 62:8, and Romans 15:13).
Gratitude unto the Lord is a lifelong practice. We often think of gratitude as being thankful for our blessings—most of the time we think of our earthly, materialistic blessings such as our house, vehicle, bed, etc., but gratitude is so much more than that. It’s also thanking Jesus for who He is, His marvelous gifts which He offers us such as the gift of eternal life spent with Him, His gift of salvation, that His mercy endures forever, His grace and forgiveness, and even Heaven itself! (See: Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, and Psalm 107:1). We often forget to thank the Lord for paving the way so we can spend eternal life with Him. (See: John 14:6 and Acts 4:12). We can even thank Him for the breath He puts in our lungs each day!
Let our praises that we give unto Him be both in our hearts and out loud! don’t be shy with the Lord, He wants to hear what you’re grateful for! God loves the sound of your voice and He wants to hear you! Gratitude is a continual command from the Lord in which He calls us to do. (See: Hebrews 13:15). It is never a one and done kind of thing. So don’t ever think that you don’t have to thank Him anymore because you’ve thanked Him before. We have to keep choosing to serve the Lord and when we keep choosing to serve Him, that includes continually offering our thanks unto His name in everything. (See: Joshua 24:15).
When was the last time you gave thanks to the Lord? Do you only reserve your gratitude to the Lord on special occasions or do you willingly give it on a regular daily basis? When was the last time you’ve thanked the Lord for being Him? Do you truly, genuinely give thanks to the Lord in everything and in every season of life? Is your heart a grateful heart? Do you verbally give thanks unto the Lord?
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
Ephesians 5:20
