Be Grateful and JOYful!

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Though Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, let’s not forget to drink our JOY JUICE and count our blessings.

            One of our greatest blessings is the knowledge that God loves us. He tells us in Jeremiah 31:3:  "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” 

I’m sure that each of us is very, very, very grateful for many things, but I know that I'm not grateful enough for everything that comes into my life. As a matter of fact, I have to confess to you that sometimes I catch myself complaining instead of “thanking”! This entire week of Thanksgiving we have been talking about being thankful, but do we carry this thought process into our actions on a daily basis?  Our attitude should always express gratitude.

Gratitude will transform our lives. You remember the story of the ten lepers whom Jesus healed. They all walked away, but one….ONE of them turned around to say, "Thank you." Jesus said to the man, "Were there not ten lepers cleansed? Where are the other nine?"

 Are you a person who easily and readily expresses thanks?  We should desire to be grateful 100% of the time!  Sometimes we have to “practice” being grateful…just as we’ve talked about being intentional and practicing being JOYful.  Let’s remember that a genuine Christian should have a grateful heart….and a grateful heart leads to JOY in the Lord!

I am thanking God for each of you who have faithfully been drinking your JOY JUICE.  Keep sharing that JOY with a grateful heart!