Today’s scripture: 1 Timothy 4:4-5 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Linda Bernabie):
4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
In our Be Still and Know assignment this period, we were given the opportunity to pick our own passage that reflects our sentiment of the spirit of Thanksgiving. After selecting these wonderful words of Timothy, I browsed the multitude of passages that spoke of “giving thanks” or “being thankful.” I couldn’t help but notice that rarely was the word grateful/gratitude used.
Webster defines both “thankful” and “grateful” in much the same way, and clearly those who translated the Bible did so as well — but I don’t!
Just whom do I think I am disagreeing with — Webster and the Bible? Well, I am a person who believes the dictionary, like the Bible, contains phrasing that can be less than perfect.
Being thankful is about “things.” Being grateful is sent by God and is felt in the soul.
I am thankful for the food I eat.
I am grateful that I am blessed with a life without starvation.
I am thankful for my many friends.
I am grateful when a friend soothes my heart and mind.
I am thankful for a spring rain.
I am grateful when I see a rainbow.
I am thankful for the “things” God gives me.
I am grateful I have God’s love and grace.
I recently started keeping a daily grateful list. I understand that Oprah highly recommends this, and who am I to argue with Oprah? If you write down one thing you have to be grateful for each day, you will be amazed how your life will become joyous. If you add a prayer of gratitude to your daily devotions, you will be humbled.
Quote for the Day: “To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God is in everything (God) has given us — and (God) has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of (God’s) love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from (God). Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” –Thomas Merton
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.