Grounded in gratitude

TGIF!! Happy Friday, Liam! 

I love this devotion below because it's about one of the things I think 

we all need more of in our lives: gratitude. 

May God bless you with a heart that truly is grounded in this gift. 

By: Cecilia Glenn

He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks He broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. Matthew 15: 37-38 (ESV)

I don’t know about you, but if I were responsible for feeding more than four thousand people and all I had to work with was enough to feed me, I would probably start to panic. I would think, this is impossible. I don’t know if “thank you” would be the first words that came to mind. Maybe Are you kidding? But not thank you.

Jesus demonstrates something so important in His actions. He sees the need. He sees what has been provided. And He gives thanks. He grounds Himself in gratitude. He does not linger at the portions in front of Him, but rather He looks to the Provider. He chooses to give thanks. In doing so, He reveals what He truly believes: that God knows His need and He’s got it.

I wonder how that would change things for us? What if we saw our portions—say, our grades, our skill level in sports, our talents–and no matter what they seem like to us, big or small, we thanked God wholeheartedly for them. What if we gave thanks believing that God knows our need and what we have to offer. And believing still that God. Has. Got. It.

How does the story end in Matthew? “And they all ate and were satisfied…” Friends, let’s be imitators of Jesus and ground ourselves in gratitude, believing that the Provider knows our need and He will provide!

Prayer: Dear Lord, I am so sorry for my ingratitude. Give me the strength to be an imitator of Jesus and give You thanks first, no matter what my circumstances. Help me to believe that You are Provider.