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The power of gratitude. As I have been putting my thoughts together for this devotional, I’ve been amazed and inspired to realize how absolutely critical it is for us who claim Christ as our Savior to have hearts of gratitude. It’s even more important than I realized.
Someone has said thankfulness is the quickest path to joy. Joy is what we want and what we need because the joy of the Lord is our strength. Don’t you know the enemy of your soul wants to steal your joy because that weakens and sidelines you. It can happen so fast—before you realize it. How does it happen? You forget to be grateful, and you start a pity party, or you complain to someone, or you gripe in your own soul.
Gratitude and a complaining spirit don’t get along well. They cross each other out. When your heart is full of gratitude, that complaining spirit, that pity party just can’t take hold. But when you forget to do God’s clearly expressed will—to give thanks in all circumstances—then gratitude is canceled out by griping and complaining.
Gratitude has the power to give you joy no matter what. And that gratitude will cause you to fix your mind on all you have in Jesus. Jesus is the reason we can be and must be always grateful. This is how Peter put it:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8).
Inexpressible and glorious joy! Joy that does not yield to difficult circumstances, unhappy endings, unanswered prayers. True, gratitude is the quickest path to joy, and inexpressible and glorious joy is found in Jesus Christ—and in him alone. Go there when you’re tempted to be discouraged. As you express gratitude for Jesus, you will know this joy which can’t be expressed. Gratitude is very powerful.