Echoes of Truth
February 10th
Theme: Grow in Thankfulness
A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart. – Charles Finney
Every aspect of the Christian life requires growth. Apostles Paul and Peter were very keen, emphatic on the need to grow from being babies to eating spiritual meat (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12-14). When the Bible clearly admonishes to be thankful always, on the same par with praying without ceasing or men ought always to pray as spoken by Jesus Himself, the same intentionality put into staying in constant communion with God must be put into thankfulness.
The truth is that we are either thankful or not. There are no inbetweens in spiritual disciplines. When it comes to the realities of faithfulness in walking with God, Jesus says be hot or cold. If you are either, you have no use (Revelation 3:15-16). For this reason, if we are not constant thanksgivers then we simply are not, no halfsies.
Given the peculiarities of the ungratefulness of our human nature, it is natural not to feel like doing anything like being thankful which can draw our hearts to God. The flesh simply won’t want that. Over the years we have adequately learnt the skill of independence from God hence no need to be thankful. We have mastered complaining at the slightest discomfort, murmuring at the moment of inconvenience, and grumbling when we do not have our way.
In other words, we need to learn the art of thanksgiving both in words, actions, thoughts, attitude, and motives. It is in learning gratitude that we are slowly going to untangle ourselves from the sinful habits of ingratitude.
One of the hallmarks of spiritual growth is the ability to look beyond our physical circumstances. Being able to see the hand of God in everything depicts growth in grace. No wonder the Bible tells us to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
This growth is not spontaneous, it is as a result of day by day relationship with the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 50:4). Spending time with the Lord morning by morning and being conscious of His presence shifts the state of our hearts till we begin to see God in every circumstance.
The more intentional we are about being thankful in every circumstance, the more grace we receive to be that indeed, the more we see ourselves soaring in spiritual stature. Thanksgiving in good and bad times, convenient and inconvenient situations brings us into spaces of direct contact with God where we understand God’s ways better and are feasting on solid spiritual meals.
Having a thankful heart also makes us see God in all we do. A look at Paul and Silas who were able to give thanks in prison shows the level of their spiritual maturity such that they could invite the Third Person of the Trinity and break loose from every bondage. God came down because two men invited Him with grateful hearts even while in bondages. God surely could not resist that (Acts 16:25).
This is a state of mind we all need to develop, spiritual height we should learn and grow to attain, sisters.
Take time to read this wonderful short post on Gratitude in Suffering by Elisabeth Elliot. It is worth your read: https://elisabethelliot.org/resource-library/devotionals/gratitude-part-2/
Let Us Pray:
Abba Father, we thank You choosing us to be Your own, thank You for building us in You. Lord, forgive us in all the ways we have been lukewarm. have mercy upon us for all the times we have been ungrateful and chosen to remain babies. We pray that You help us grow in You Lord, let not the circumstances of life take us away from You Jesus. Help us to see You in all circumstances and remain grateful. Thank You Abba, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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