Cultivate a Heart of Thanksgiving

Daily Devotional

Psalms 136:1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Regardless of the current state of your life you can always find something to complain about. It is easy to be a complainer as it is our natural response as humans to see what is not going right at any point in time.  Nevertheless, you must practice thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the seed for increase, which was evident in the story of Jesus using the five loaves and 2 fishes to feed five thousand. Jesus gave thanks for the little and the little that he had became much.

Psalms 136 not only encourages us to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving, it also gives insight as to how this can be done. It starts by saying “give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercies endureth forever”. The reason it starts this way is because recognizing that God is good is at the foundation of cultivating a heart of thanksgiving. If you are able to see God’s goodness in good times or in bad, it will become difficult to be a complainer; thanksgiving will perpetually be on your tongue.

You know you have cultivated a heart of thanksgiving when you can see the goodness of God not only in the big things but also in the seemingly little things. It is interesting that the psalmist not only gave thanks for God’s deliverance of the people of Israel out of Egypt in Psalms 136:11, but also for the fact that He is God of gods and Lords of Lord in Psalms 136:2-3. What is so significant about the later why the Psalmist had to give thanks? As the sovereign authority, God rules with justice and righteousness. When you think of the injustice and wickedness that accompany the rule of some of our world leaders, it is a breath of fresh air knowing that the God we serve is the final authority and He is just and righteous.

Never forget to give thanks to the Lord. Cultivate a heart of thanksgiving by daily reminding yourself of his goodness towards you.

Life Application: Write down daily one reason why God is good and give Him thanks for it. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, there is so much to give you thanks for and I want to pause to express my gratitude for health, strength, daily provision, your protection and for a wonderful family and support system. Lord, cause me never to get to a point where I don’t give you thanks. I thank you for your grace and mercy. In Jesus name, amen.