Unceasing Gratitude
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
What if a close friend of yours sold his most prized possessions and used the money to pay for a life-saving surgery for you? What if a stranger stepped in front of oncoming traffic to save your life? What if your brother or sister was killed while rescuing you from would-be killer? What if your father or mother willingly died from donating a vital organ for a transplant that allowed you to live?
“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.” Romans 5:7
If someone gave his or life to save your life or my life, we would:
Remember the sacrifice that was made for us every moment of every day;
Be filled forever with immeasurable gratitude and love;
Proclaim to anyone who would listen what was done and its impact on our life; and
Constantly look for similar ways to selflessly impact others.
So, while we can imagine the many ways we would respond with extreme and never-ending gratitude, love and remembrance IF a friend, relative or stranger sacrificed their life for us, do we exhibit the same gratitude, love and remembrance for the person who ACTUALLY gave his life for us on the cross? This person, Jesus Christ, also happens to be the same person (i) whose sacrificial death gives us not only life “to the full” on earth but also eternal life with Him in heaven and (ii) who, after willingly dying for us, gave us access to the Holy Spirit and, therefore, to lives filled with love, joy, peace and other fruit of the Spirit.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.
Although our hearts often struggle to truly embrace the impact of Jesus’ life-giving sacrifice, we can make conscious choices in our daily lives that help us develop a heart of gratitude for the fact that Christ loved us enough to willingly die for us “while we were still sinners”. We can:
Remember and Choose – We can make the intentional decision to remember what Jesus did at the cross and express our gratitude to Him throughout each day. The “feeling” will follow the choice.
Worship – There is no such thing as a bad time to worship Jesus, whether it’s by humming a song, raising our hands and voices, serving others with Christ-like humility, or engaging in countless other acts of acknowledging and worshiping Him.
Scripture - God’s word is the ultimate teacher and reminder of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice and both the present and eternal benefits we received as a result.
Relationship – Gratitude is best experienced and expressed within the context of a deep and meaningful relationship. Jesus explained to us that if we abide in him, he will abide in us and, as a result, we will bear much fruit. See John 15:4-7. A heart of gratitude is one of the fruits that comes from an abiding relationship with Jesus.
Prayer – From speaking a simple “thank you” to Jesus to a deep and extended conversation with Him, prayer is a simple and direct way to express our sincere gratitude.
Share Jesus – What better way to express gratitude for Jesus than to share the good news of the gospel with others.
So, let’s choose to remember what Jesus did for us at the cross and adopt an attitude of unceasing gratitude for all the wonderful things this sacrificial gift made possible for us. We might just find that the more we give thanks, the more God will give us to be thankful for.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Worship
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for your selfless sacrificial gift. You were not compelled to come and die for our sins, and we certainly were not deserving. But out of your unmeasurable love, you chose to forgive us and to give us abundant and eternal life with you. We give you our unceasing gratitude for all you did, all you are doing and all you will do.
Devotional written by: Keith Windle, Triumph of Hope Volunteer
It is undoubtedly as important to the Lord that we forgive ourselves as it is that we forgive others, because if we are not forgiving ourselves, then there’s no way we can love ourselves. And the Lord said very clearly in verse 39 of Matthew 22 that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.