The Power of GratitudeSample

Day 1: Gratitude Is a Key

One of my favorite TV game show games during my childhood was the game of doors and keys. The game show host gave the participant a set of keys, and the participant had to unlock and pass through multiple doors in the shortest possible time. At the end of all the doors was the big prize. One of the biggest challenges of this game was that all the keys looked similar, forcing the contestant to try as many keys as possible until he/she got the key that opened each specific door.

As in this game, in the spiritual world there are many doors and many keys. Knowing the usefulness of each key is important for attaining God's purpose in our lives and reaching maturity. Prayer, worship, honor, obedience, faith, and gratitude are examples of spiritual keys.

In Luke 17:11–19, the Word tells us the story of ten lepers who cried to Jesus to heal them out of mercy. Jesus instructed them to stand before the priest, and on the way there they were healed from leprosy. Although the ten lepers were healed, only one returned to thank Jesus for healing him.

As in the keys game, in this story there are three doors and three keys.    

1. The first door is Jesus. The ten lepers accessed this door through prayer when they cried out to Him to heal them.    
2. The second door is that of healing. They opened that door using the key of obedience—Jesus gave them an instruction and by obeying it, they were healed.    
3. Finally, the third door is that of salvation. That door was opened by only one of the ten lepers. That door opened using the key of gratitude.

This story is a reminder of the importance of being grateful. Gratitude is a key that gives us access to things we don't know. In the case of this leper, it brought salvation to his life. When we are in need or are in trouble, we are like those ten lepers who desperately come before God for help, but when He helps us, on many occasions we don't even recognize His help, or we don't even thank Him for answering our request. Gratitude is voluntary and speaks of how the heart is. When we thank God, we are giving glory to Him and recognizing that what we have, we owe to Him.

God is good, God is faithful, God is powerful, God is merciful, God is loving, God is God. On this day I invite you to thank God for what He has done in your life. Thank Him because you're alive and because you have something to eat; thank Him for your family; thank Him for the good times because they brought joy to your heart; and thank him for the not-so-good times because they made you stronger and helped you be who you are today.

Reflection  

• Why do you want to give thanks to God today?   
• Search the Bible for accounts of all the people Jesus healed or did a miracle for. How many were grateful?

Prayer

Father, thank you for being the best thing that ever happened to me. Thank you for your patience, for your care, for your forgiveness. Thank you for your plans for my life, and thank you because what I have and what I am, I owe to you, Abba.