Gratitude

Today’s devotion comes from Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him.  The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  Jesus then tells them this parable about a man who had two sons.  One son wanted his inheritance.  He went to a land far away and wasted his wealth through extravagant living. With nothing to live on he hired himself out to a farmer who sent him to feed his pigs. When he came to his senses he realized that his father’s hired hands had more to eat than he did.  He went to his father and said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  Take me as one of your servants.” The father called for a feast and said, “This son of mine was dead and has come back to life.  He was lost and is found!”

The oldest son came in from the field and was furious. The father said to the oldest son, “Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. We have to be glad and celebrate because your brother of yours was dead and is now alive.  He was lost and is found.”

In this parable the father has love for both of his sons.  In this story, one of the lessons the father demonstrates is how to practice gratitude. We too are called to pay attention to give thanks for all that God has done for us.  When we pay attention to all that is good in lives, we can see and feel God’s presence in our lives. This week, I invite you to think about all that God has given you.  I invite you to practice the spiritual gift of gratitude with your family and community.  Take time each day to share three things that you are grateful for.

Prayer: God, we thank you for Lent, the time when we get ready for the mystery of Easter.  Help us to learn how to trust you, love you, and share your love with others.  Amen.

Luke 15: 24 – For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.

Author: Tommy Herndon