Speak Up

 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.—Philippians 1:3

Today’s devotional is from the pen of our good friend, Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It’s a great reminder to all of us this Thanksgiving:

GRATITUDE IS NOT THE QUIET GAME. It begs to be expressed, both to God and to others. “Silent gratitude,” Gladys Berthe Stern said, “isn’t much good to anyone.”

So if a certain cashier has been consistently pleasant at the grocery store, why not stop by to tell the manager what a delight you’ve found his employee to be and how thankful you are for her attitude. He’ll be glad to pass along the compliment, and she’ll go home encouraged and freshly motivated about her work.

If a neighbor’s flower bed catches your eye every time you pull into the driveway, try walking over and telling her how much you admire her for the hard work she puts into tending her yard and how it just seems to get more beautiful year after year.

If your pastor’s messages encourage your heart and deepen your walk with God, don’t assume he just automatically knows this or gets tired of hearing how his ministry is impacting people’s lives. Look him in the eye and thank him for his faithfulness to bring you the Word, or jot him a note with a few specifics of how something he said really spoke to you.

And, of course, when you’re captivated by a glorious sunset, or comforted in sorrow, or uplifted by some sweet reminder of the hope God gives in the midst of life’s many problems and challenges, make your praise not only ring in your head but roll off your tongue.

Spoken words of praise and thanks have the power to dissipate the spirit of heaviness that can cling to you like a wet blanket. Tired of feeling lifeless and weighed down? Then speak up!

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh Leigh (2012-09-01). The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings (Kindle Locations 6636-6640). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Is there someone in your life that you need to SPEAK UP to today? If so, purpose in your heart that you will do so … today! – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Ezekiel 16-17; Proverbs 21; James 3

Motivations: All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask. Yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask. Martin Luther

Practice to Remember: Level 1:James 3:17-18; Level 2: James 3:13-18

Powered Up:  Our prayers for God’s help are often nothing but incarnate laziness, and God has to say, “Speak no more unto Me of this matter. Get thee up …” Oswald Chambers