prayer for a grateful heart
Written by Rachel Adams
Bible reading:
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, through the psalms, the humanities, and the songs of the Spirit, with thanksgiving in your hearts, singing to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:16-17).
Listen or read below:
Through the car window, I could see him leaning forward against the wall of the pizzeria. His clothes were tattered and dirty. Next to him was what appeared to be all his belongings stuffed into a grocery bag. Out of compassion, I ordered more pizza and drinks.
As I approached him to feed him dinner, he took the pizza from me and started throwing it at me. Instead of feeling grateful, I felt angry. I walked away in disbelief and wondered why God inspired me to be generous to someone so ungrateful.
Have your donations been met with ungratefulness? Not only can I relate, but so can Jesus. Even he was aware of the ungrateful spirit of those who came in contact with him. Such was the case when he cured ten men of leprosy. When one of them was healed, he returned and praised God. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him (Luke 17:11-16).
Jesus asked, “Are not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one come back to praise God besides this foreigner? Arise and go, for your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:17-19). Isn’t it inconceivable that nine of these people received God’s gifts and never gave thanks? One tenth is not a good ratio.
Let’s put ourselves in this story and imagine for a moment that we are the 10 lepers. Upon reflection, are we more like the nine who received God’s great gifts with ungrateful hearts, or are we more like those who responded with gratitude? God does not require us to be grateful, but through this teaching we learn that God is pleased when we are grateful. All ten received healing, but only the grateful man realized that his faith had played a role in the process. When we respond with gratitude, Jesus uses our response to teach us more about Himself as well.
Just as Jesus gave even when gratitude was not guaranteed, the gratitude of others is not a prerequisite or expectation for our giving. But it’s nice to be appreciated.
It is unusual for a man at a pizza shop to be so clearly ungrateful. To be honest, I still feel pity for him because his reaction to me reveals how hopeless his situation really is. In addition to this example, when I give something to others, I feel grateful. But I tell this story because I think it’s important to remember that you’re not giving anything away to others for the reaction you receive. It’s not about reciprocity from people. It’s about our respect for God. We just have to be obedient and remember that Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:40). Everything we do for him is out of gratitude for what he has done for us. And it’s because of my gratitude to him as a person.
Let’s pray:
main,
There are many things I want to be grateful for. Remember the many blessings you have given me. Help me to be grateful to You in every situation. Please forgive me for having an ungrateful heart. Thank you for everything you have given me and for who you are.
May I respond with gratitude not just for what others have done for me, but simply for who they are. I pray that I will give to others out of gratitude for You, regardless of how they may react to me.
Amen.
Please share your thoughts about today’s devotion in the “Daily Prayer” discussion in the Crosswalk forum.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/AaronAmat
Rachel Adams, author of A Little Goes a Long Way and host of the podcast The Love Offering, wants to help women understand their God-given purpose and importance. She and her husband, Brian, live in Kentucky with their two children, Will and Kate. Her work has been featured in Crosswalk, Proverbs 31, Today Parenting, and YouVersion. Connect with her by visiting rachaelkadams.com, searching @rachaeladamsauthor on social media, and listening to The Love Offering podcast every Tuesday on your favorite listening platform.
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