Topic: Instead of Grumbling, Give Thanks [RICK WARREN Devotional 17 June 2022]
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Instead of Grumbling, Give Thanks
BY RICK WARREN — JUNE 17, 2022
FROM THE HABITS OF HAPPINESS
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
Fretting and fighting over the small stuff will always cause you to lose your happiness.
This is a hard habit to break because people are negative by nature and conditioned by culture. Ever since Adam and Eve, we have been going around excusing and accusing. We excuse ourselves for the mistakes we make, and we also accuse everybody else for our mistakes.
We say, “If I just had a different spouse, then I’d be happy. If I had just never gotten married, then I’d be happy. If I just had children, then I’d be happy. If my children would leave home, then I would be happy.”
That’s “when and then” thinking. But you are as happy as you choose to be! You can’t blame anybody else for your unhappiness because happiness is a choice. You have to stop excusing and accusing; you have to stop fretting and fighting over the small stuff.
The Bible says, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure” (Philippians 2:14-15 NIV).
Those may be some of the most difficult verses in the Bible. But the scariest verse in the Bible to me is Matthew 12:36, where Jesus says, “And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said” (NCV).
That ought to send shivers up your spine. How many times have you complained, grumbled, or argued about something when you shouldn’t have been sweating the small stuff? The first law of life is this: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Law number two is this: It’s almost all small stuff!
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV).
Study after study has shown that gratitude is the healthiest attitude.
What do you have to be thankful for? Remember, no matter what is going on in your life, God is always with you, God is always in you, and God is always for you.
That’s cause for gratitude, not grumbling.
Talk It Over
- Do you think you will have to give an account to God for the “small” things you’ve complained about? Why or why not?
- According to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, what is God’s will for your life?
- What are some practical ways you can practice gratitude throughout the day?
Are you ready to join God’s family?
God made you to love you, and one of the places you see that most clearly is on the cross. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God made it possible for you to become part of his family for eternity. No matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, you’ve got a place in God’s forever family ready and waiting for you. The invitation is wide open. Just believe and receive.
Are you ready? Here’s a prayer you can start with: “Dear God, I know when I die, I’m going to give an account of my life to you. I know I have sinned against you, and I have lived by my plan, not yours. I want that to change, starting right now. I want to turn away from my sins and toward you.
“Thank you for sending Jesus to die for all that I’ve done wrong so that I don’t have to pay the penalty. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know only your grace can save me, Lord. I could never be good enough to get into a perfect place.
“Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you took all my guilt on yourself. You made me acceptable for heaven, and I humbly ask you to save me. I believe in you, Jesus, and I believe you will keep your promise to save me and do your good work in me as I try to follow and serve you all of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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