Devotions from Just Between US magazine on gratitude

Life itself is an incredible gift and we often forget that. In our society there is a hunger for more and more and we have a hard time appreciating all we do have.
Gratitude is to be a way of life we are to cherish what we’ve been given in every single context of it.”
In I Thess 5:18 we are commanded to give thanks in all circumstances for it is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus .
Thanking God in the good times is easy, but how do we do it when life goes terribly wrong? It takes an act of the will- a choice. Often in the dark hours hope is ignited by the very act of gratitude itself. A grateful spirit does wonders for our hearts and outlooks on problems and life in general. Practicing thankfulness helps us move from what isn’t to what is. IT moves our attention to what God is doing wherever we find ourselves.

When we look for God’s hand in the situation, our faith and trust in God gets strengthened and renewed and our heart fills up with thankfulness.

Every day we face the possibility that a blessing on our life may be taken away.  But may we be grateful that we are held by God even then the blessings slip through our fingers. NO matter what happens we are held by God!
The more we demand, complain, worry, the less we can accept and see God’s hand working in our lives.
But by trusting and turning our hearts towards thankfulness, we find what we need to live in the present circumstances whatever they may be.