Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read Psalm 106:1 (NRSVUE).
Our devotionals this week are inviting us to assess with what level of gratitude we live our lives. About a year ago I heard a radio interview with A.J. Jacobs, the author of, “Thanks A Thousand; A Gratitude Journey.”
In his book and interview he shares his story of thanking every single person involved who helped to create his morning cup of coffee. He describes the journey as the “gratitude chain” which takes him around the globe! After thanking the barista, his journey took him to South America to the farmers where the coffee beans are grown, then to the truck drivers who transported the coffee beans. He also traveled to thank the logo designers for the business and to thank the engineers who designed the cups and the cup lids and many individuals in-between!
The Psalmist helps us focus our gratitude on these two core reasons to “give thanks to the Lord”: “for he is good” and “his steadfast love endures forever.” (NRSVUE)
Dr. J. Clinton McCann, Jr. in “The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary” writes, “The Psalmist invites gratitude, faithfulness, and obedience in the present as the prelude to a transformed future. This future is not in the people’s willingness or ability to be faithful and obedient but in God’s abundant, compassionate, faithful and forgiving love.”
Personal Worship Option:
Gratitude can be expressed in both words and actions. In these moments ponder God’s goodness and steadfast love to you. How might God be leading you to live with deep gratitude in actions today?
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