“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (Philippians 1:3 NLT).
If you want to have healthy relationships, start with an attitude of gratitude. You will be far happier and enjoy your relationships more if you develop the habit of being grateful for the people in your life. Philippians 1:3 says, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (NLT). That simple truth is the foundation of good relationships. When you think of the people in your life, is your first feeling gratitude? Or are you more likely to ask, “What do they need to do for me? What are our problems? What do we have to get done?” Your first thought may not be gratitude. But Paul’s first thought for his friends was one of gratitude, and it is the model we should follow if we want our relationships to last. Here’s the problem: The longer you know someone, the more likely you take that person for granted. Isn’t that true? With the passage of time, it becomes easier to focus on that person’s faults and the bad times instead of the happy times. That’s why it takes effort on our part to choose to have an attitude of gratitude for the people in our lives. The longer our relationships have lasted, the harder it may be to remember. But we experience an eternal impact on our relationships when we develop the habit of giving thanks to God when we think of our spouses, children, parents, siblings, neighbors, coworkers, and small group members.
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“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NIV).
Happiness comes from service and giving your life away. Until you understand this, you’re not going to be happy for much of your life. Happiness does not come from self-gratification. It comes from self-sacrifice. Paul knew that to be happy, he had to stay focused on his purpose and not his problems. He summed up his purpose in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NIV). If you were asked to fill in the blank, what would you say? “For me to live is ______.” Would it be entertainment? Sports? Clothes? Family? Friends? A career? There could be a lot of good things you could answer, but nothing deserves the place of the One who created you and gave you your life: Jesus Christ. How you fill in that blank will determine how happy you are in life. If you answer “money” or “success” or “pleasure” or “power,” you are going to be unhappy for most of your life. The issue isn’t whether there’s something wrong with those things; they just don’t deserve first place. You weren’t created to make a bunch of money, then die, and give it away. God has a far greater purpose for your life. There is only one answer that leads to happiness: To live is Christ. Give your life away. It is your purpose! |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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