These two mental pictures are merely glimpses of Scott Hamilton’s life. There is no doubt that he has faced his own ups and downs; yet, when asked what he prays about, Scott discussed having a grateful heart. Gratitude! Despite being drained physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, in his heart, all he wanted to do is say: thank you. Even still, a heartfelt conversation with a nurse opened his eyes to the true meaning of being a Father.

Take the next step:

Learning to trust God during through tough moments?
Dealing with grief?
Need to speak with someone about grief? Talk to a mentor

 How would YOU describe your life?

Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. If stress dominates your life, you could be looking to move passed those situations. It’s hard to cope with stress when you can’t put the past behind you. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Are you ready to choose a different path?

Jesus came, and died, and rose again to wipe the slate clean. He was scourged, tormented, and finally nailed on the cross for humankind’s sins – this was all part of God’s plan to bring you and I back into relationship with him. God wants to be a part of your life … in fact, not just a part of your life, but wants you to live in full fellowship with Him. Is this the life for you?

God loves you and created you to know Him personally. He longs for you to have the kind of full life you were always meant to have. So why do people not experience this kind of life? People are lost and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love. Because of our sins, we justly deserve judgement. But God provided his Son, Jesus Christ, as the only provision for our sin. He died in our place, then he rose from the dead.

We must individually trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally, receive forgiveness for our sins, and experience His love: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

We trust God through faith. You can trust Christ right now by faith through prayer! (Prayer is just talking with God.) God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?

If you have a question first, click here.

At some point in his life, Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton felt satisfied with his career accomplishments. It wasn’t until he faced death twice that he began to wrestle with the true purpose for his life. There is no doubt that he has faced his own ups and downs; yet, when asked about what he prays about, Scott discussed having a grateful heart. Despite being drained physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, in his heart, all he wanted to do is say: thank you. Even still, a heartfelt conversation with a nurse opened his eyes to the true meaning of being a Father.

Scott’s outlook on his life surpasses human rationality. Despite the storms he has weathered, he still says that “the only true disability in life is a bad attitude.” He had so much to lose; and yet, even more to give.

Take the next step:

Are you searching for a source of peace? We can pray for you.

Choose today to give.  Hold your hands open and offer yourself to God first. Let His wisdom, strength and power flow through you. Offer to be His conduit.

Then give yourself to others. Give your time, give your attention, give your resources and give your care.

God’s word speaks the truth when it says, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger – the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” (Proverbs 11:24).

Be generous today and just see if your own world doesn’t expand in some way.

Think about stingy-ness. The mark of the stingy person is the attitude of fear that convinces him there never will be enough. Ask yourself if you are stingy in any area. Making a change will enhance your life.

Choose wisely. If you are a manager and have people working under you, be deliberate in having a generous attitude as you respond.

Surprise yourself today as you reach out to make a generous choice in some unexpected way.

Lord, fill my heart to overflowing with gratitude for Your love and faithfulness. Help me to pass Your love on in some way today. Amen.

Inspired by “The Rest of God” Chapter 5 by Mark Buchanan

Questions: Are you a generous person? Are you stingy in any way? What changes can you make to enhance your life?

“Thank the Lord for all the glorious things He does; proclaim them to the nations. Sing His praises and tell everyone about His miracles” (Psalm 105:1,2)

How long has it been since you have taken time to meditate upon and list all the glorious things the Lord has done for you and how long has it been since you have shared them with your family, your neighbors or even strangers? Of course, your list may differ from that of your neighbors or of fellow believers in your local church or from mine. But among those glorious things that He has done are: He has, by His Holy Spirit, drawn us all to Himself; He has created within our hearts a hunger for His love; and through faith in Christ we have become His children; our sins have been forgiven and we now have the joy of living every moment of every day in vital union and fellowship with Him – all this with the certainty that we shall spend eternity with Him.

Mere human words could never express the gratitude that wells up within one’s heart at the thought of God’s great gifts. The word “alleluia” is universal and is spoken in all languages as an expression of praise to God and no word is more appropriate.

My personal list of blessings also includes a godly, praying mother who lived her Christianity and dedicated me to Christ before I was born, and followed me – as she did all her other children – with her daily prayers; a wonderful father who, I had the privilege of introducing to Christ after I became a Christian and seeing him begin to experience that peace which comes from knowing Christ; a Godly wife who loves the Lord Jesus Christ and shares my commitment to serve Him as our Lord and Master whatever the cost, wherever He leads us.

I thank Him for sons who love Him, and who have committed their lives to serving Him wherever He leads; a daughter-in-law who shares the love and conviction of her husband; a marvelous staff of thousands of Godly men and women who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and hundreds of thousands of co-laborers who undergird me and this ministry.

The glorious things that He has done are without number. Yes, we must sing His praises and tell everyone about His miracles. We must proclaim the glorious things he has done to all the nations!

Bible Reading: Psalm 113

Today’s Action Point: Today I will meditate upon the glorious things God has done for me and I will sing His praises and tell everyone about His miracles. I will give my prayer and financial support to helping proclaim His greatness to all the nations of the earth.

I gave a homeless man five minutes of my time, a smile and a chance to earn a few dollars.

Honestly I had tried to avoid him at first. I saw him walking toward me as I pushed my grocery cart across the parking lot. He wore cutoff jeans, a t-shirt with holes in it and some beat-up sneakers. His curly hair hung in a ponytail down to the middle of his back.

“Can I wash your windows for some spare change, ma’am?”

I hesitated trying to remember if I had any cash on me. I finally said “okay.”

“What? Really?” A grin spread across his face revealing a few missing teeth. “Wow.” He shook his head. “You caught me off guard ma’am.”

I wondered how many people had said “no.”

When I drove off a few minutes later, my windows sparkled. He smiled and waved.

Back at my apartment, I unloaded my groceries and wondered, “Do I show God the same kind of gratitude for His good and perfect gifts that this man showed me? If I don’t give thanks in good circumstances, how will I ever manage to do so during the not-so-good times?”

Paul’s Super Power

The apostle Paul gave thanks locked in a prison cell or shipwrecked on an island just as readily as in the company of good friends. In his letter to the Philippians (4:4) he encouraged his readers to do the same. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!”

Paul seems almost super-human in his contentment, doesn’t he? No food? No problem! Imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks? Praise God! But what about the rest of us ordinary humans? For those who have watched a loved one die, or for those who have known the heartbreak of a lost romance, the command “rejoice always” seems near impossible to carry out. But I have good news. Paul does not leave us stranded on our own islands of discontent. Later in his letter to the Philippians (4:13), Paul shares his secret: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Paul assumes the Christian empowered by Christ can do the near-impossible.

Paul’s “How-To’s”

He also gives some “how-to’s” to help his readers on their way. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil 4:6).

How-To #1: Don’t Worry

We read in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (12:25–26). In this crazy world we take great measures to protect ourselves from harm. When we buy a car, we check Consumer Reports for the safety rating. When we buy a house, we ask about the neighborhood’s crime rate. When we buy a carton of eggs, we check to make sure none have already cracked.

And yet we know that at some point bad things will happen. So what do we do? We buy insurance: car insurance, health insurance, life insurance, home owner’s insurance, insurance for floods, fire, wind. There comes a time when we’ve done everything we can do. At this point we should sit back, kick up our feet, and give it to God, but instead we worry.

Worrying comes naturally to me. If this describes you too, don’t fret. When that familiar feeling comes, you and I can remind ourselves that we have direct access through Jesus Christ to the God of all creation, and then go to Him in prayer. We can use worry like a string tied around the finger. We can present our requests to God and remember to give thanks.

How To #2: Give Thanks

When I took a typing class, my fingers moved clumsily across the keyboard. I made a lot of mistakes, and I typed slowly. Today when I type, my fingers move of their own accord, apart from any conscious direction from me. The muscles in my hand seem to perform automatically. Our minds work the same way. Once we establish a habit we can use that built-in muscle memory to our advantage. Paul instructs his readers to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Philippians 4:8) for that very purpose. The more we think about praiseworthy gifts, the more we will give thanks and praise.

Let’s start by thanking God for the small things, the things we take for granted. When we wake up in the morning let’s thank God for our comfortable beds. As we go through our morning routines, let’s thank Him for indoor plumbing and a hot shower. We can thank God for a pantry full of food, and the electricity that keeps our refrigerators cold. When we imagine life without these conveniences, we realize how big these “small” things truly are. Look around your home. For what can you thank God?

Paul Shows Us How

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul instructs his readers to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (5:16–17). How many times have we prayed to know God’s will or searched the Scriptures for answers? Right in this verse Paul says it plainly: God wills that we give thanks continually. Establishing thankful habits will prepare us to give thanks even in the not-so-good times.

God does not promise His followers lives free of suffering. When Paul pleaded with God to remove a painful circumstance in His life, God answered “no.” But He also said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God did not remove Paul’s pain, but He did enable Paul to praise Him through it.

Maybe like Paul you have experienced a depth of pain unfathomable to most. But God’s truth remains true through any crisis. He commands us to give thanks in all circumstances because in hard times a thankful heart leads us out of our pain.

Noemia Cessito works with Children’s Relief International serving the poorest of the poor in Mozambique. Speaking about the AIDS victims in her ministry, she said, “Here in Africa girls become women early. Many become mothers at age 13 or 14. Real babies suddenly take the place of their dolls. When these women have an opportunity to play, they quickly become children again. They run like they never ran as children. They laugh until their bellies ache. In that brief moment of time, they give themselves over to joy and they forget about their AIDS.”

Acts of thanksgiving will not quick-fix our pain. But like those women who embraced the opportunity to rejoice even in the most dire circumstances, we too can find relief from our grief when we lift up a prayer of sincere thanks to God. When we see God and His good gifts through our pain, healing eventually comes, and through that process we learn worship. That worship turns our suffering into joy, our mourning into mirth.

After my encounter with the homeless man, as I put away my strawberries, my yogurt, my bread, my milk, and especially my ice cream, I thanked God for His provision, and the gift this man had given me. His abundant gratitude for my meager offering made me keenly aware of the meager gratitude I offer to God for His abundance. While I filled my refrigerator, thanks filled my heart, and I realized God’s command to give thanks is a gift in itself.

Related reading:
Learn to Listen to God – Take our online interactive study on how to discern what God is telling you
Reason to Rejoice – Why the resurrection is our greatest reason

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

When peace eludes us and anxiety seems to rule our hearts and minds we have a resource to use and a choice to make.

Listen to the great WISDOM God offers to us in Colossians 3: 15-17…

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Do you hear it?  God invites us to LET the peace of Christ RULE in our hearts; it’s what we are called to.  Put God’s WISDOM to work in your heart today.

W – Walk with God – thank Him and choose to look at your world with eyes filled with thanksgiving.

I- Investigate God’s word – keep it close and ask God to speak to you as you read it.

S – Share what He teaches you – encourage one another with the wisdom from His word.

D – Delight in Him – keep gratitude singing in your heart.

O – Open your heart – keep listening even as you do your daily tasks – he will speak to you

M – Make it a habit – give thanks and praise him everyday.

Do you see how thankfulness and gratitude are mentioned 3 times!  We so often need the reminder!

Put that attitude along side the priority of the Bible and maintaining encouraging friends and everything you do and say will be revolutionized!

Follow God’s wisdom. Choose today to LET peace RULE in your heart… and be amazed at the difference it will make.

Father God, how I need Your wisdom in my heart today. By the power of Your Holy Spirit I choose today to LET peace RULE in my heart. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Questions: Let’s take some time and list some of the things that we are thankful for. How can you put God’s wisdom to work in your heart?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Are you searching for a source of peace? We can pray for you.

Choose today to give.  Hold your hands open and offer yourself to God first. Let His wisdom, strength and power flow through you. Offer to be His conduit.

Then give yourself to others. Give your time, give your attention, give your resources and give your care.

God’s word speaks the truth when it says, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger – the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” (Proverbs 11:24).

Be generous today and just see if your own world doesn’t expand in some way.

Think about stingy-ness. The mark of the stingy person is the attitude of fear that convinces him there never will be enough. Ask yourself if you are stingy in any area. Making a change will enhance your life.

Choose wisely. If you are a manager and have people working under you, be deliberate in having a generous attitude as you respond.

Surprise yourself today as you reach out to make a generous choice in some unexpected way.

Lord, fill my heart to overflowing with gratitude for Your love and faithfulness. Help me to pass Your love on in some way today. Amen.

Inspired by “The Rest of God” Chapter 5 by Mark Buchanan

Questions: Are you a generous person? Are you stingy in any way? What changes can you make to enhance your life?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Please open your Bible and read Ephesians 2:4–10.

Many people believe that piling up good works makes them right with the Lord. Yet death is the only payment for sin that can satisfy divine justice. (Romans 6:23) Since we all transgress, this leaves us in a desperate situation facing an eternity apart from God.

Grace, the expression of divine love and kindness to the utterly undeserving, prompted the solution. God sent His Son Jesus to die in our place. According to Romans 10:9, all we need to do is believe. Jesus’ death satisfied God’s justice and brought us:

New Life. Our spirit is made alive in Christ the moment we acknowledge that we are sinners, turn from our rebelliousness, and believe that His death paid for our sin – debt in full.

Take action: Explore the meaning of the Advent season through our interactive online study series Advent Journeys.

You said it: This week Em shared on the Don’t be a “Lukewarm” Christian women’s devotional, saying “Pls lift up a prayer for me. I feel like I face attack when I am physically weary. Please pray for protection with me, that I would stand strong in the truth of the Lord, & not give the enemy a foothold in any area of my life.” Read the rest of the comments on Don’t be a “Lukewarm” Christian, and join the conversation on Devotional for Men and Devotional for Women, each updated daily!

Blog: Involving your Friends in Christmas
You might ask: How does the approaching Christmas season make you feel? Anxious? Stressed? Worried? Sad? If so, Power to Change offers several articles on the subject that you can share with non-Christian friends who might be feeling this way: Read more

Devotional: Secret of a Rubber Band
My heart cries out to be increasingly intimately acquainted with Jesus. As one author wrote, “to sift the days for symbols and scan the sunsets for meaning … (to) enter into the being of life, alert to transcendences in ordinary things.” Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “Healthy Habits for the Holidays” Join us in the chat room November 29th 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat, and check our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

But what if giving thanks was a way of life? What if we woke every morning and made a list — just five or ten things that we are thankful for? Would it change our outlook? Could it lead to a more peaceful life?  I can tell you that it would, because it has happened to me.

I was in a place where many of us find ourselves from time to time. Stretched and stressed by the daily life of raising four children, I hardly made time for a short Bible reading and quick prayer at dinner, much less a more in depth recounting of the blessings in my life. I became disillusioned, discontented and ungrateful for the life I was given.  While reading a blog about gratitude, I received my first nudge towards adopting a life of thankfulness.

Actively pursuing gratitude

I committed myself to counting my blessings and giving thanks for them as a daily practice. It would be quick and painless, just a few seconds of jotting down a few things that had brought me joy that day. The results astounded me. I found myself cultivating an attitude of contentment, a higher appreciation for the blessings in my life and a heart of joy.

What started as a recounting of typical “blessings” such as food, shelter, family, etc., quickly became deeper probing into my heart as I began seeing reasons to give thanks in every moment. After a few days, my lists had expanded to things I had never considered before, even things that may not be considered conventional blessings. I had a new outlook on life, hope, faith and joy all strengthened by adopting a thankful attitude. I had come to a place of mindful living, and quite often found myself mentally tallying up the blessings as I went about my day.

Transformed by thankfulness

When I have a time of discouragement, all it takes is a few moments with a pen and paper and I can once again see the blessings that God has bestowed upon my life, and give thanks for them. I truly believe that this practice has not only brought me closer to God, but has given my entire family a deeper appreciation for the lives God has blessed us with.

“So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 8:15

Take the next step:

6 Creative ways to develop gratitude
Thanksgiving lesson from a child
An Old Testament lesson on contentment