Give God Thanks
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Can we ever say this enough? God is so eternally worthy of our thanksgiving. His love is enduring. His goodness is unending. He will never stop being worthy of our thanks.
It is amazing how much of a difference thanksgiving can make in our lives. Gratitude positions us rightly before the Lord. Could you imagine entering the throne room of God and being ungrateful? How strange would that be?
The truth is that the enemy knows that an attitude of ungratefulness shuts down our hearts before the Lord. If you want to read your bible, pray, serve and love your neighbor, worship, fellowship, or do any other Christian activity, you’ll have to check ungratefulness at the door. If we hold on to our dismal mindset, we miss out on the fullness of what God offers us in his kingdom.
You are not powerless in the area of gratitude. You have the choice today to choose thankfulness as a banner over your day. The word says in Psalm 100:4 ESV, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Without overcomplicating things, thanksgiving is the entry card into God’s presence.
I’m not saying God’s presence is not with us even in our times of ungratefulness. I’m saying that orienting ourselves around thanksgiving opens us up to the reality of God’s kingdom and presence all around us. When we “enter in” we do not go into a physical temple as the Old Testament writers would, but we engage and disengage with the kingdom of God as we grow in our walk.
Abiding is about surrendering the hindrances that keep us from the presence of God. We want to live into the destiny that God has called us to, which is a 24/7 connection with the living God.
We all get stuck. We all miss out on a moment to praise, hear God’s voice, or be obedient. Not one of us will live a perfect life. We all need the blood of Jesus to cover over our failed track record. But my offer to you today is to practice entering and re-entering communion with God through thanksgiving.
It can be the most unnatural feeling to give thanks when it is contrary to what you are seeing, but this is one of the most powerful practices for the believer. I challenge you to give thanks today. You don’t have to be ready to give thanks for the situation you are in right now. It is enough to begin giving thanks per this verse. Just thank God because he is good and eternally loving, and go from there.
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Abiding happens daily in his presence. Abiding Daily is a simple and practical reminder to stay connected to the vine. Each prompt is inspired by the scriptures and designed to point you toward prayer and encounter. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To get the Daily Invitation sent to you every day click this link or text “Daily” to +1 (779) 237-3914.
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Our first devotional book is available on our online store! Abiding Daily: Volume One is a devotional book including 120 prompts from the Daily Invitation. This book is designed to help believers connect with God through the word and discover more of what it means to abide in Christ. Click here to learn more.
