Gratitude Series Episode 3

Hello, my walking friend! Every moment is an opportunity to turn – to turn a frown upside down, to turn away from unrighteousness and toward holiness, to turn apathy into action (like getting up and taking a walk!) and to turn a sour spirit into a grateful heart. As you begin your walk today, I hope you will turn a grateful heart toward Jesus and leave your burdens behind.

Today is the 3rd episode in the gratitude series. Each day during this series we will take some time to focus on thanking Jesus for something specific and we will have two different verses to meditate on. Today we will be thanking Jesus for his promises.

Our first verse to meditate on is Hebrews 10:23:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 

Have you ever been let down by someone important in your life? Maybe someone close to you that you thought you could count on in good times and bad…but when you found yourself in a season of need, they were nowhere to be found? I know I have experienced that in my life…and, I am sad to say, I am sure that I have let a few people down myself. That’s because we are broken, imperfect, and sometimes selfish, human beings. No matter how hard we try, we cannot love others perfectly. Jesus is the only one who can love us perfectly and he is the only one who can keep every promise he ever made.
Jesus doesn’t promise us we will have a problem-free life. In fact, he tells that in this life we will have troubles. But he promises us that we will not go through this life alone. He promises he will never leave us nor forsake us. He promises that when we ask for forgiveness he will be merciful. And he promises that when we accept his free gift of salvation we will spend eternity with him in heaven.

Our second verse to meditate on today is Psalm 7:17:

I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord most high.

Now let’s take a little time to meditate on both verses and to thank Jesus for his righteousness, his faithfulness, and his promises.

Did Jesus reveal anything special to you as you meditated on these two verses? For me, I was drawn to three key points in these two verses: faithfulness, righteousness, and hope.

Promises don’t mean anything if the person making them isn’t reliable, wouldn’t you agree? But Jesus is faithful and righteous and because of that his promises are true. This is where our hope comes from. It comes from Jesus. It doesn’t come from government, or political leaders, or even our family and friends. In these uncertain times, it is easy to get discouraged. When the political leaders in power break their promises to us – and that is true regardless of your political affiliation – we start to feel hopeless. But that is because we have misplaced our hope. We are putting our hope in broken, sinful human beings. Of course there are good people out there – God-loving, hard-working, kind people with good intentions. I will bet you are one of those people. But even the best of humankind will fail us at some time. Only one was perfect. Only one is the perfect promise-keeper. Our real hope comes from only one – Jesus. And he, above all else, deserves our thanks and praise.

Take some time now to thank Jesus for his promises and for being a promise-keeper.

You are now at the halfway point of your walk. If you need to be back in 10 minutes, this would be the time to turn around and head back.

Now I am going to pray for us:

Dear Jesus,
I thank you for every one of your precious promises to me. Forgive me for those times when I forget what you have said and I live as one without hope. Help me focus on your promises so that I can be a living witness of your faithfulness, goodness, and love. Empower me to share the reason for the hope that I have with anyone and everyone who asks. When I care too much about this life, remind me of your promise of life-everlasting with you in heaven. Please give me a heavenly perspective as I walk through life here on earth. And thank you, Jesus, for always walking with me. Amen,

Here are some questions to consider:

Which one of Jesus’ promises resonates with you the most in this season of your life? Take some time to think of that promise and thank Jesus for it.

Why do you think promises are so important to people? How do you feel when someone honors their promise? Contrast that with how you feel when someone breaks a promise to you. Consider that now.

Your experiences with promises and people might have caused you to distrust. Remember that Jesus isn’t like anyone on earth – he is a perfect human being and he is the perfect promise keeper. Take some time to thank Jesus for his character and his promises.

Before we wrap up, consider today’s verses:
Hebrews 10:23 :
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Psalm 7:17:
I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord most high.

Is there anything else you would like to talk to Jesus about? Remember, he is right there with you, walking with you, and he is eager for you to share all that is on your heart and mind with him. Take some time to talk to and thank Jesus now.

Well, you did it! 10 minutes of walking! I hope that it helped to put your focus on Jesus and his promises during your walk today, remembering in these times that he is THE promise-keeper and he is our hope. Let’s remember to thank him throughout the day for his mighty promises!

And let me thank you for taking the time to walk with me, my friend. But we both know that it is Jesus you want to walk with! I know that he will bless you above and beyond what you can imagine for spending this time with him.
If you would like more Walk with Jesus resources, including the Walk with Jesus 21 day scripture, devotional, and guided prayer journal book for walkers, go to WalkwithJesusDevotional.com. The November edition focuses on gratitude and is a part of this podcast series. You will find the URL for this book and other resources in the podcast show notes.

I hope we can walk together again tomorrow, friend. In our next episode we will be thanking Jesus for his love. Until then, God bless you as you walk with Jesus.