Gratitude Leads To Joy...

"O come let us sing for joy to the Lord;
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
Psalm 95:1-2

I have mentioned before that I love to keep journals. Just writing my thoughts, prayers, and the all the things God shows me on a daily basis fulfills something in me. It helps to write it down because God does so much for me every day, that I fail to even notice all the things He does. And I forget. Yes, we all can take His goodness for granted , but for me I fail to recognize all the daily little things from God, that are a part of my normal day. I want to be more aware of his workings in my life not only in the big things but the daily small things as well.

If I fail to recognize the goodness of God to me, it means I also forget to thank Him. It makes me think of the person who receives a very nice gift and yet fails to thank the person that gave it to them.

We can't help but be joyful if we are thankful. They run hand in hand. Have you ever known a person who has lost their joy? Could it be that they stopped praising God or thanking Him? There is such power in praising God. To praise God for all He has done for us is the healing balm that can restore our joy. Joy is the result of obedience...and we are told to Praise Him!

Won't you join me in writing down all the things we are grateful for and then Praising God for them? It only needs to be a sentence not an entire paragraph or page. Keeping a journal or notebook is just a tool to help us to be ever mindful to praise God and be thankful. Try praising God with an attitude of gratitude and watch the JOY well up within you!

"True Christian joy is both a privilege and a duty."
~Jerry Bridges~