Beautiful People, 

During the summer, I rolled my ankle playing capture the flag. Did we win? Yes! Did I regret playing the next day? Absolutely! For two weeks, I could not put pressure on my left leg. For those two weeks, I learned to appreciate the simple act of walking. It's interesting how we know to practice gratitude. Generally, we practice gratitude during special occasions and seasons of loss; however, God's will for us is to practice gratitude in all seasons of life! In 2011, Matt Redman released the song 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord). The lyrics are a delightful invitation to the practice of gratitude, but my favorite verse states this, "You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger, Your Name is great, and Your heart is kind; For all Your goodness I will keep on singing, ten thousand reasons for my heart to find." How is it possible for us to live in such a state of gratitude? Well, according to Redman, it's the goodness of God that compels us to gratitude. Look at this, "No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, TLB).

When Jesus comes again, He is to find us practicing gratitude because our minds are fixed on His goodness. I don't think there are only 10,000 reasons to praise Jesus; the number of reasons doesn't necessarily matter. What matters is what our hearts and minds are fixated on. When I focus on Jesus wholeheartedly, my automatic response is gratitude. It's easy for me to count the blessings He has richly poured out; however, when I am fixed on myself, it is easy to forget the goodness of God and fail to foster an attitude of gratitude; what you focus on impacts the level of your gratitude. I can live a life of gratitude only because of Jesus. When Jesus becomes the apple of my eye, gratitude becomes commonplace. I will leave you with a challenge for the next week, marinate in God's goodness by writing down one thing that God has done for you. Don't stop there, though! Once you have written it down, if it is applicable and Spirit-led, go and do it for someone else because "it is better to give than to receive." I pray that we may find joy in serving each other as we remember how GOOD GOD IS.