Not enough can be said for a grateful attitude. Pausing in our daily lives to reflect on everything God has done for us—even sacrificing His own Son to die on our behalf to open heaven to us—makes it hard not to automatically give Him thanks. In a selfish world, thanking God keeps our focus where it should be. Setting our minds on things above, not on things of the earth, keeps us in the right mindset.
When Adam and Eve fell from grace in the garden of Eden, God had a plan to restore everything back. When Jesus eventually came, He humbled Himself and willingly became the perfect sacrifice needed to permanently cleanse mankind from sin. Jesus was human like us, by choice, yet He was also God. This perfect expression of the Father’s love for us has never been duplicated, and never will be.
God’s very nature is love. His desire is for everyone to live a victorious life on earth through Him, enter the gates of heaven, and stand in His presence when our lives here are finished. His will is eternal life for everyone. He made this possible through Jesus, who is the only way to receive it.
Most people don’t understand the nature of God’s unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor toward them. They can’t comprehend why God would send Jesus to endure what we deserve on our behalf and offer instead something we clearly don’t deserve. The world refuses to believe this grace. However, receiving it justifies us by faith.
Grace has always been around, even before Jesus was born on earth. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, and David were also recipients of God’s favor because of their faith in Him. He wants to shower us with His love, and show us the same kind of favor. Believing and receiving this brings us into gratitude and thanksgiving.
Prayer:
Father God, Christ made it possible for us to be completely cleansed of all sin and be as righteous and holy as You. Thank You for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
Colossians 3:2, NKJV
Philippians 2:6-8, NKJV
Romans 5:1, 8
1 John 4:16
John 14:6
Genesis 12:2, 3
Genesis 39:4
Exodus 3:21
1 Samuel 16:10-13, 22