Morning devotional: Thankfulness = Kindness Romans 1:21 tells us that an ungrateful heart does not acknowledge God as it’s Creator. It isn’t thankful. It becomes “worthless, godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations. It becomes foolish and darkened” (Amplified Bible). To me, the word darkened means hardened, and a hardened heart is a dangerous thing. It is a rebellious heart that easily turns away from God. So how do we cultivate a thankful heart? We do that by waking in unity with Christ, reflecting His character in everything we do and say. We allow ourselves to be built up in our faith by spending time in the Word and in conversation with God. As we walk closer with God, we live our lives in a way that leads people toward Jesus and away from sin. One of the best ways to stand out and point people to Christ is to overflow with gratitude. I often struggle with thankfulness. I am a planner and a worrier. I will plan out multiple scenarios about how something could fail or go wrong and I will try to make back-up plans (in case God needs my help)!! Worry leads to doubt which leads to an ungrateful heart. For me, that leads to a rebellious heart. However, when I focus on being thankful for everything God has done for and in me (because it’s a lot), I can’t help but be full of joy and gratefulness. The more I am full of joy, the more kindness I show to others. When I look back at how God has taken every bad thing in my life that Satan intended for harm, all I see now is how God worked everything out for His glory and my good. Because He is a good, good Father and loves us with a love beyond our human understanding and comprehension. He made beauty from my ashes, and a message from my mess! How can I not be overflowing with compassion, joy, thankfulness and kindness?! #morningdevotion #kindness #thankful #uhbc #uhbcwomen #retreat #pineywoodscamp https://www.instagram.com/p/BoB2TbLHjmz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fuquke2f1fdf
