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Day 21: Respond in Thanksgiving

Psalm 100 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.”

Devotional · · · We respond in thanksgiving to God at the revelation of who He is as our Creator—for all of His amazing goodness, everlasting lovingkindness, and enduring faithfulness. The Apostle Paul teaches that thankfulness should permeate our entire life as followers of Jesus. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) In good times or bad, in the greenest pasture or in the darkest valley, we can respond with thanksgiving. For our thanks is not rooted in the issues we face. It is built on the truth that God is with us at all times and in all things. Our thanksgiving is based on what He has done and on the promise of what He will do.

The greek word for “thanks” is eucharisteo, at the center of which is charis, meaning “grace.” The Eucharist, or Communion, is a response of thankfulness that moves us from repentance over our sins which made the cross necessary to rejoicing in how Jesus met us in our greatest need. The good news of His death and resurrection is what we are most thankful for! So, may we echo this Psalm of David in our lives, in our families, and in our church from generation to generation: “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2)

Prayer · · · Lord of All Creation, it is with great humility that we stand before Your throne in awe of all that You have done for us. May our praises be joyful, acceptable and pleasing to You. There are a million things we can be thankful for, acknowledging the blessings you have given us as Your people. God, may we be most thankful for the gift of Your Son who lived the perfect life we could never live, who paid the price for our sins that we could never pay and who made a way for us to draw near to You. Help us to respond in thanksgiving through every circumstance of life, knowing that You are with us and that You go before us. To You and You alone be all the glory in our lives and in our church to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Day 20: Respond in Giving

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 - “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Devotional · · · God desires that one of the ways we respond to Him in worship is by giving. The Bible has a lot to say about money, wealth, greed and generosity. Scripture talks about giving a tithe (the first 10% of our income), about giving a sacrifice, about giving to those in need. The intentional habit of giving reminds us that our only master is God. It reminds us that our security, provision and fulfillment is not in the wealth of this world, but in God alone. He inherently does not require our money. But we have the opportunity, as an act of worship and obedience, to trust Him with our finances by giving a portion back to Him.

In Mark 12:41-44 we encounter a crowd sowing their offerings into the temple treasury. While there were many rich people that contributed larger amounts, a widow of poor wealth gave the only two coins she had. And Jesus said to the crowd that it was in fact the widow who had given the most, because out of a cheerful heart and a spirit that desired to offer her best, she gave literally everything she had. May this challenge us as we give our offerings to the Lord, whether it be our finances, our time, or anything else that the Lord has been so gracious to provide us with.

Prayer · · · Almighty God, we acknowledge that every good thing comes from You. You have promised to meet all our needs from Your glorious riches. We are not worthy of all the gifts You’ve chosen to bestow upon us; but out of Your extravagant love for us, You choose to bless us. As we reflect on this, may it bring us to a place of humility and generosity as we give back to You cheerfully in whatever form it may take. May we give You our best and may we give to You first. Lord, enable us by the working of Your Spirit to be generous with our resources, to be obedient to Your Word, and to be a blessing out of the blessings we have received.

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Day 19: Respond in Hope

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Devotional · · · We worship the God of hope, allowing Him to restore and refill us with His joy and peace, by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we worship, we are reminded of who God is and what He has done, which gives us tremendous hope for today and for tomorrow. In the Psalms, we see this as David implores his soul, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6) And Hebrews 10:23 encourages “let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” In the end, our hope is in Jesus Christ because of His great faithfulness. He is our Living Hope! As believers, we can respond to trials in true hope that God is with us no matter what we face. We praise our Heavenly Father for His great mercy, for His gift of new life, and for His choosing us to be part of His chosen people. We look forward that we too will rise like Christ to a glorious inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. (1 Peter 1:3-9) Finally, we respond with reverence for Christ in our heart—always ready to share the hope we have to others who ask. (1 Peter 3:15)

Prayer · · · Father God, we thank you for the great hope we have in Jesus. Continue to make us mindful of who You are and all You have done. May we allow ourselves to open our hearts to Your holy restoration and refilling of our souls with Your Spirit. May we respond through every season of life and every trial we face with a confident hope in You and You alone. Give us endurance to run the race well and give us courage to share our hope with others we encounter along the way. Help us to live each day recognizing the position and identity we have as believers in Christ, He is our hope of glory.

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