“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NKJV
Yesterday morning, before the start of the second day of the Dogwood Canyon Trail Run, I had the privilege of sharing a devotional with the runners preparing to tackle the beautiful but challenging 15K course. And while the message was directed toward runners, it's one that applies to every single one of us, whether we run or not.
You see, the message was simple but powerful. We don't HAVE to run. We GET to run! And when we begin to understand the difference between those two statements, we begin to understand just how important gratitude is to living a joyful life.
As I reminded the runners yesterday, by God's grace, we had been given another day to wake up, lace up our running shoes, breathe in the fresh air, and experience the beauty of His creation. We had the opportunity to challenge our bodies, enjoy the fellowship of others, and do something that many people would love to do but physically cannot.
And what a blessing that is!
I challenged the runners to remember that when the hills got steep and their legs grew tired. Rather than saying, "I HAVE to climb this hill," I encouraged them to say, "Thank You, Lord, that I GET to climb this hill!"
Because the truth is, what we sometimes complain about is the very thing someone else is praying for the ability to do. And isn't that true of so many things in life?
We complain about having to go to work when someone else is praying for a job. We grumble about having to clean the house when someone else is praying for a place to call home. We complain about being busy with our families when someone else is longing for the companionship and relationships we sometimes take for granted.
You see, gratitude changes our perspective. When we focus on what we HAVE to do, even our greatest blessings can begin to feel like burdens. But when we focus on what we GET to do, we begin to recognize just how good God has been to us.
And that brings me to the greatest reason we have to be thankful.
Jesus didn't HAVE to die for us. He CHOSE to die for us!
Romans 5:8 reminds us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Not after we cleaned up our lives. Not after we became worthy of His love. And certainly not because we had done anything to deserve it.
“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:18 NKJV
He willingly laid down His life because He loved us. In John 10:18, Jesus explained that no one took His life from Him, but that He laid it down of Himself. His sacrifice was voluntary, motivated by love, and made in obedience to the Father's will.
Think about that for a moment. The Son of God willingly endured the cross to pay the price for our sins so that through faith in Him, we could receive the gift of eternal life.
If that doesn't give us a reason to be grateful, I don't know what will!
Psalm 100:4 tells us,“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (NKJV)
Notice that Scripture doesn't tell us to be thankful only when life is easy, when everything is going our way, or when we have everything we want. We are called to be thankful because God is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His faithfulness never ends.
That's why I challenged the runners yesterday to spend their miles praising God. To thank Him for the strength to climb the hills, for the ability to keep moving when their legs grew tired, and for the breathtaking beauty of the birds, waterfalls, streams, and valleys along the course.
I even encouraged them to sing a praise song or two as they ran! After all, if the birds can sing, why shouldn't we lift our voices in praise to the One who created us?
But here's what I want you to understand today. We don't have to be running through the beautiful trails of Dogwood Canyon to practice gratitude. We can do it wherever God has placed us and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
We can thank Him for the breath in our lungs, the people in our lives, the opportunities before us, and even the challenges that cause us to depend on Him more. And when life gets hard, we can still praise Him for the one blessing that can never be taken away from those who belong to Christ—the promise of eternal life through Jesus.
You see, gratitude doesn't mean that life is always easy or that we won't face some difficult hills and valleys. It simply means that we choose to focus on the goodness of God rather than allowing our circumstances to steal our joy.
And the more we practice gratitude, the more we begin to recognize His blessings all around us.
So today, I want to challenge you to do the same thing I challenged those runners to do yesterday. Change your HAVE TOs into GET TOs. Look for the blessings in the ordinary moments. Thank God for the little things as well as the big things. And most importantly, never stop thanking Him for the gift of salvation that Jesus willingly made possible through His death on the cross.
Because the truth is, every breath is a blessing, every day is a gift, and every opportunity we have is another reason to praise the One who gave us life and gave His life for us.
So run grateful. Walk grateful. Work grateful. And live grateful. Not because life is always good, but because God is always good!
That's why I challenged the runners yesterday to spend their miles praising God. To thank Him for the strength to climb the hills, for the ability to keep moving when their legs grew tired, and for the breathtaking beauty of the birds, waterfalls, streams, and valleys along the course.
I even encouraged them to sing a praise song or two as they ran! After all, if the birds can sing, why shouldn't we lift our voices in praise to the One who created us?
But here's what I want you to understand today. We don't have to be running through the beautiful trails of Dogwood Canyon to practice gratitude. We can do it wherever God has placed us and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
We can thank Him for the breath in our lungs, the people in our lives, the opportunities before us, and even the challenges that cause us to depend on Him more. And when life gets hard, we can still praise Him for the one blessing that can never be taken away from those who belong to Christ—the promise of eternal life through Jesus.
You see, gratitude doesn't mean that life is always easy or that we won't face some difficult hills and valleys. It simply means that we choose to focus on the goodness of God rather than allowing our circumstances to steal our joy.
And the more we practice gratitude, the more we begin to recognize His blessings all around us.
So today, I want to challenge you to do the same thing I challenged those runners to do yesterday. Change your HAVE TOs into GET TOs. Look for the blessings in the ordinary moments. Thank God for the little things as well as the big things. And most importantly, never stop thanking Him for the gift of salvation that Jesus willingly made possible through His death on the cross.
Because the truth is, every breath is a blessing, every day is a gift, and every opportunity we have is another reason to praise the One who gave us life and gave His life for us.
So run grateful. Walk grateful. Work grateful. And live grateful. Not because life is always good, but because God is always good!
Heavenly Father, thank You for all the ways You are good to us. Lord, in response to providing a way to eternal life, help us to live lives of gratitude. Help us to be so joyful and so thankful everywhere we go that others might be drawn to the One who elicits this response. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
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