“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” -Ephesians 2:8

Worship in and of itself is saying thanks to God. Worship comes from an old English word that means “worth-ship.” You’re ascribing worth to God.

All of those things you feel that you need, and all those things you feel that you want, well, I wonder if God wants those things, too. What if God wants to be recognized for the good things that he’s done in your life? What if God feels that you’re thankless?

How do you feel when a child is spoiled rotten and they stop saying thank you? You don’t want to help them anymore, do you? What about God? What if you stop saying thank you to God? He’s looking at you and thinking, “Giving more to that spoiled kid is actually going to hurt rather than help.”

When you say thank you to God, it’s a way of saying that, even though I’m blessed in this time of my life, I have a hold on the things in my life, but they don’t have a hold on me. Saying thank you means I don’t deserve it, it’s a gift, it’s free, and I am grateful!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I thank you for all the blessings during good times and for your help during hard times. I am grateful at all times, indeed! Amen.

REFLECTION: In this moment, make a list in your mind of all the things for which you are grateful, then share your list with God in prayer.