The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (10 page)

The more we encourage people, the better they respond. In fact, compliments actually help people perform better, while nagging makes them perform worse.

Choose a person who you would like to have a better relationship with and begin to sincerely and aggressively encourage and compliment them. I believe you will be amazed at how much better they respond to you. Your first concern might be,
If I ignore their faults, won’t they just take advantage of me?
Of course, that can happen, but it usually doesn’t.

What frequently happens is that the person being encouraged is so grateful for the encouragement, they have a change of heart and they work harder to do their part to make the relationship good. They are now doing it because they choose to and not because you are trying to force them.

Thank You, Father, that You encourage and build me up through the promises in Your Word. I pray that You will help me do the same for others. Thank You for showing me ways to encourage the people in my life today.

It is not in God’s plan for His children never to enjoy the fruit of their labor. It is good to work hard, but it is equally good to take time to enjoy life. Thankfully, God is El Shaddai, the God of more than enough. He is Jehovah Jirah, the Lord our Provider. He said that He was able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that we could ever dare to ask, think, or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20).

Certainly God wants and even commands us to serve and give to others generously—but God never intended that we feel guilty if we take time to enjoy the fruit of our labor. Hard work deserves reward, and we must not ever think that it doesn’t. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (see Hebrews 11:6), so set aside some time to relax and enjoy the things He has rewarded you with.

Father, I thank You that I can enjoy the fruit of my labor. Help me find the balance between working hard and enjoying what I have worked for. Help me to enjoy what You have given me the strength to work for.

Grace can be of benefit to you in your everyday life. For example: When you get into a situation that begins to cause you to become frustrated, just stop and say, “O Lord, give me grace.” Then believe in faith that God has heard your prayer, and be grateful that He is working out that situation simultaneously as you go about your daily routine.

Faith is the channel through which you and I receive the grace of God to meet our needs. The Bible says that grace is the power of God coming to us through our faith to meet our need. The next time you begin to feel frustrated, stop and choose to rely on the grace of God.

Father, I thank You for the power of Your grace in my life. Help me to rely on You today and not on my own strength. I thank You that You are with me and I can put my trust in You.

We are all different. Like the sun, the moon, and the stars, God has created us to be different from one another, and He has done it on purpose. Each of us meets a need, and we are all part of God’s overall plan.

Thankfully, we can be secure people, knowing God loves us and has a plan for our lives. We don’t have to be threatened by the abilities of others. We can be free to love and accept ourselves and one another without feeling pressure to compare or compete.

When we struggle to be like others, not only do we lose ourselves, but we also grieve the Holy Spirit. God wants us to fit into His plan; He doesn’t want us feeling pressured to fit into everyone else’s plans. Different is okay; it is all right to be different.

Father, You have created me to be distinct and unique, and I thank You for that. With Your help I’m going to avoid the temptation to compare myself to others. I’m going to be secure in who You’ve created me to be today.

Many serious things are going on in this world, and we need to be aware of them and prepared for them. But at the same time, because of the Spirit of God in our lives, we can learn to relax and take things as they come without getting nervous and upset about them.

Thankfully, with God’s help, we can learn how to enjoy the good life He has provided for us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Twice in Philippians 4:4–7, the apostle Paul tells us to rejoice. He urges us not to fret or have any anxiety about anything but to pray and give thanks to God in everything—not
after
every difficulty is over.

In spite of all the troubling things going on around us in the world, our daily confession can be, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Father, no matter what goes on around me today, I thank You that I can rejoice and be glad. Thank You that my joy is not found in my circumstances—my joy is found in You.