Can reading about gratitude make us feel more grateful in our own lives? Yes! You can use these powerful devotions on gratitude to find more hope and positivity in your every day life.
1. Let Gratitude Shine in Your Life
A devotion on gratitude by Norman Vincent Peale
Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. —Psalm 107:1
If you want to feel better physically, if you want a better outlook on life, remember that verse.
Every morning when you get up, instead of fretting and complaining, instead of turning to the media to see how bad everything is, just go and look out of the window. Take a deep breath and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” It makes you feel better just to think of doing that, doesn’t it? How much better it will make you feel if you follow that habit of gratitude every day!
The art of thanksgiving is one of the most important skills a human being can develop. Sadly, I believe most of us are somewhat lacking in this area. But very closely related to thanksgiving is the art of appreciation. And if we develop the ability to appreciate, we also develop our capacity to be thankful.
Begin with acknowledging the small wonders of life, those little things like hot coffee or the smell of a rose, fresh sheets or bread warm from the oven. It is God’s will that we “give thanks in everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). All of us have simple, beautiful things that Almighty God has given us, which we can appreciate. Open your eyes and see that God “does wonderful things without number” (Job 5:9). Gratitude every day!
There’s another reason to be thankful for our blessings: Gratitude activates the flow of even more blessings in our life. And by the same token, ingratitude, fear, or doubt has the opposite effect. If you hold a thought—positive or negative—you create a soil that is hospitable to the germination of the fact for which the thought is the symbol. And the seed you plant, whether good or bad, “produces a crop yielding a hundred…times what was sown” (Matthew 13:23).
So don’t entertain negative thoughts. Fight them, with God’s help. Keep them out of your mind.
One important way to do that is not to articulate, not to express such thoughts in words. Cut off the articulation and you reduce half their strength. It will then be easier to cut them off mentally. You have to practice this. And in this practicing, visualization is helpful. Each day, pray with the Psalmist, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
We used to sing an old hymn with this refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
How long has it been since you have counted up your blessings? When you invite a person to recount his troubles, you are likely to find he can do so all too readily. But if you can get somebody to enumerate his blessings to you, and you look at his face as he does it, you see somebody who really has light in his heart. Let the light of gratitude shine in your life!
2. A Shift in Perspective Devotion
Do all things without complaining and disputing. —Philippians 2:14
Sharon Hinck arrived at church for a planning meeting with two toddlers in tow. In the narthex, one broke free and ran off, while the other clung to her legs, whining. Pastor Miller came out to greet them with a warm smile. “How are you today?” he asked. Sharon huffed a strand of bangs out of her eyes and winced against a growing headache. “The kids are running me ragged,” she said. Pastor Miller’s eyes twinkled. See how his words gave Sharon a new perspective on turning gripes to gratitude.
3. A Daily Devotion on the Power of Gratitude
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.—Psalm 92:1
Gloria’s friends often feel sorry for her—she provides seemingly tireless care for her ailing husband and doesn’t have time for outings or special events. But when her friends ask her about it, Gloria tells them, “I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I have too much for which to be thankful!” Learn about what Gloria sees as the true power of gratitude.
4. Living a Life of Gratitude
I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime. —Ecclesiastes 3:12
Are we truly aware of just how much there is for us to be thankful and joyful about? God is everywhere. He created the Earth and His handiwork can be seen everywhere: in the air we breathe, the grass we run through at play, the mountains we scale and marvel over and the million other awe-inspiring miracles across the globe. Let this devotion on gratitude bring you some much-needed positivity. Read more about living a life of gratitude with an easy faith step.
5. Gratitude for What Makes Us Unique
He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. —Acts 17:26
Erika Bentsen could still remember the look the girl at the bank had when she asked Erika’s occupation and she proudly said, “I run cows.” The girl’s nose wrinkled, and she held Erika’s application away from her immaculate suit with manicured, mile-long fingernails. “Why?” she blurted. “It’s so dirty!”
The memory of that day leapt to mind as Erika helped sort calves in the corral after a thorough rain. The mud was almost knee-deep, but they got the job done and kept their socks fairly clean in the process. Everything else got splattered. Erika wondered about that banker girl. Which of them had chosen the better career? Let this unique devotion on gratitude bring you new perspective. See how giving thanks helped Erika remember that we are all God’s children.
READ MORE ABOUT FEELING MORE GRATITUDE:
