A Thankful Heart

In everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:6–7

If you find discouragement, depression, fear, or anxiety among your frequent companions, you may tend to attribute them to difficult circumstances that surround you. But as challenging as your situation may be, your frame of mind likely has less to do with your circumstances than with your need to develop a thankful heart.

How else can you explain those believers around the world—spanning from ancient times to the present day—who scrape by with less than most of us can fathom and whose days are beset with trials and tragedy but who nonetheless manifest irrepressible peace and joy?

I’m convinced that we must cultivate the grace and spiritual discipline of gratitude if we’re to avoid losing our footing in these turbulent days. An important key to not becoming overwhelmed by what is going on around us is looking for evidence of God’s hand at work amid the turmoil and being simply overwhelmed with thankfulness to Him.

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Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy ©2009 Revived Hearts Foundation

Scripture taken from The CSB