The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (62 page)

If you want to live a less complicated life, you may have to simplify it by not doing so much. Most people who are stressed and frustrated have become burned out because they try to squeeze too much into their schedules.

So learn to say “no” to a few things. Practice saying it: “No!” It’s a simple word that becomes easier to say with each use. And learn to say “yes” only to what is really important in life—the things you truly believe to be God’s will for you.

Spend time with your family and your friends. Enjoy God. Don’t get too busy to enjoy all God has given you. Take time to laugh and be thankful for life.

Father, I am so thankful for the things that are truly important in my life. Today, I choose to focus on those things and let go of some of the other things that are distracting me. Thank You that with Your help I can really enjoy my life.

Peace is such an important ingredient to a happy life, but it is not enough to simply desire peace. We must actually pursue peace in our relationship with God and our relationships with others. Paul understood how elusive peace can be unless we diligently seek it, because in several of his letters, he urges believers to live in harmony.

To live in harmony, we should be thankful for each other, make allowances for each other, and overlook each other’s mistakes and faults. We should be humble, loving, compassionate, and courteous. Always be willing to forgive quickly and frequently, and don’t be easily offended.

Unity, harmony, and agreement are all peaceful, and we will experience them all if we seek them with our whole heart and are willing to be peacemakers as we go through life.

Father, when I am in a situation where I am tempted to bicker or argue, help me to be a peacemaker instead. I thank You for the fruit of self-control in my life. And thank You that I can live in harmony with those around me.

One of the first things we ask when we are invited to a party is, “How should I dress?” Most of us like it best when we feel that we can come as we are. We like it when we can relax and be ourselves. I love this Scripture because of the message of acceptance it brings.

God accepts us as we are and He works with us throughout our lives to help us become all that He wants us to be. Grace meets us where we are but, thankfully, it never leaves us where it found us.

God will work in you by His Holy Spirit and you will be changed! But you don’t have to wait to come to Him. Thankfully, you can come right now just as you are. You don’t have to stand off in the distance and only hear the music of the party; you are invited to attend.

I thank You, Father, that You love me just as I am. I know that You are working in my life to bring positive change, but I thank You that You still love me and accept me in the process. Thank You for Your grace that allows me to come to You just as I am.

Our view of God, ourselves, and His plan for us is too small. God wants us to come out of smallness and see the greatness of His calling and our inheritance in Him. When we inherit something, it means that we get what someone else worked for. Jesus gained a prize for us. He worked for what we inherit, and all we can do is be grateful and receive it by faith. Nothing else is required.

One step of faith—simply believing and receiving God’s goodness—will put you in the middle of the greatest inheritance ever passed from one person to another. That step of faith takes the struggle and frustration out of life. As 1 John 4:17 says, even “as He is, so are we in this world.” That is good news to be thankful for!

Father, I am so thankful that I am Your child. Thank You for every gift and every provision that You have promised. And thank You that I have an inheritance of eternal life with You because of the work of Jesus on my behalf.

I have often pondered why some people do great things with their lives while others do little or nothing at all. I know that the outcome of our lives is dependent not only upon God, but also upon something in us. Each of us must decide whether or not we will reach down deep inside and find the courage to press past fear, mistakes, mistreatment at the hands of others, seeming injustices, and all the challenges life presents. This is not something anyone else can do for us; we must do it ourselves.

I encourage you to take responsibility for your life and its outcome. Be grateful for God’s blessings of the past and believe for even more in the future. What will you do with what God has given you? God gives everyone equal opportunity—you can choose life or death (see Deuteronomy 30:19). It is your choice, and I believe you will make the right one!

Father, I am thankful for the opportunity to do great things for You. I pray that You will help me make the most of each new day. Thank You that I can dream big. And because You are with me, nothing is impossible.