Perception Affects Our Gratitude

Have you ever noticed how two people can experience the exact same situation and walk away with completely different attitudes? One is frustrated and discouraged, while the other feels blessed and hopeful. What makes the difference?

More often than not, it’s perception.

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

— Colossians 2:6–7 (NLT)

Years ago I read a line from Erwin McManus in Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul that has stayed with me:

“Perspective is not shaped in a vacuum; it is formed in the context of gratitude. An ungrateful person sees the glass as half-empty and wonders who is holding out on him. The grateful see the glass as half-full knowing that someone has shared with them more than they deserve.” (p. 124)

That truth is crucial on a day like Thanksgiving.

Gratitude shapes how we see the world. A grateful heart interprets life through the lens of God’s generosity. It breeds contentment, peace, and hope. The ungrateful heart, on the other hand, constantly believes it is missing out—always comparing, always wanting, always questioning God’s goodness.

If I’m honest, gratitude has not always come naturally to me.

There were many seasons when I looked at my life and wished it were different—different opportunities, different circumstances, different abilities. I wondered why things seemed to come so easily for others while I had to struggle. Underneath those thoughts was a quiet but poisonous question:

“Why is God holding out on me?”

That mindset robbed me of joy. It kept me from seeing the blessings right in front of me. And more importantly, it distracted me from becoming the person God created me to be.

The truth is, comparison and discontentment don’t just make us miserable—they blind us. They cause us to overlook the ways God has been faithfully working in our lives, providing what we need, shaping our character, and giving us opportunities to grow.

Even now, that temptation still pops up from time to time. Gratitude isn’t a one-time decision; it’s a daily practice. But over the years I’ve learned something crucial:

Gratitude opens my eyes to what God has already done.

Discontentment blinds me to it.

When I begin to thank God for the blessings, experiences, relationships, and abilities He has given me, I find peace replacing frustration, and trust replacing fear. I remember that God has not abandoned me—He is shaping me.

The apostle Paul understood this connection between gratitude and peace:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

— Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)

Notice the connection: prayer with thanksgiving leads to God’s peace.

We often want the peace without the gratitude. We want God to calm our fears and quiet our worries while we continue to focus on what we don’t have. But Paul says peace comes as we turn our attention toward God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Worry, fear, and loneliness grow in the soil of ingratitude.

Peace grows in the soil of thanksgiving.

On this Thanksgiving Day, many of us will sit around tables filled with food, family, and tradition. But if our hearts remain focused on what we lack, we will miss the joy right in front of us.

God has given each of us far more than we deserve—His presence, His grace, His salvation, His people, and countless daily mercies.

It’s time for us to stop asking, “Why isn’t my life like theirs?” and start thanking God for the life He has given us.

Because it’s only when we practice gratitude that we experience the peace He promises His children.

Point to Ponder:

Gratitude transforms the way we see life—contentment and hope grow when we recognize God’s generosity.

Passage to Remember:

Philippians 4:6–7

Question to Consider:

What are three specific things you can thank God for today?

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Sunday Prayer: A Life of Joy, Prayer, and Thanksgiving

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of life in Christ Jesus, and for the clear direction You give us in Your Word. Teach us to rejoice always, not because our circumstances are perfect, but because You are faithful, present, and unchanging. Open our eyes to see Your goodness in both the ordinary and the difficult moments.

Help us to pray constantly—to turn every worry into a conversation with You, every decision into a moment of seeking Your wisdom, and every joy into an expression of praise. Draw our hearts into continual communion with You, so that prayer becomes our first response rather than our last resort.

Shape us into people who give thanks in everything, trusting that You are at work even when we cannot see it. Fill us with gratitude that steadies our hearts, softens our attitudes, and aligns us with Your will.

Lord, may this way of living—rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks—become our daily practice, because this is Your will for us in Christ Jesus. By Your Spirit, make it real in us.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

A Message to Proclaim: The First Step In Sharing the Message

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:1–5

Jesus commissioned His followers to go into all the world and make disciples. That mission begins when people hear and trust the Good News that Jesus is the King of the universe—the One who will make all things right.

But how does evangelism happen? How do ordinary people like us proclaim such a world-changing message?

Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Lookout Mountain rises 2,000 feet above sea level, offering stunning views of the valleys and rivers below. But what lies beneath the mountain is even more impressive. Hidden 1,120 feet underground is Ruby Falls—the tallest and deepest underground waterfall in the United States. Since 1929, millions of visitors have taken the glass elevator down into the caves, exploring the beauty that cannot be seen from the surface.

I think evangelism is a lot like that. What we notice most are the things above ground—the visible fruit: people hearing the Gospel, repenting, being baptized, and finding new life in Christ. But beneath the surface there is something just as crucial, though often unseen. It happens early in the morning and late at night. It happens around kitchen tables and in quiet prayer closets. It happens in small groups and in solitude. The hidden but essential foundation of evangelism is prayer.

As Professor Lionel Windsor has written:

“Prayer must undergird and accompany everything in our Christian lives, especially as we speak the message of the gospel to others. That’s why, when it comes to evangelism, prayer—not our own plans or wisdom or activity—must always be the first item on the agenda.”

Paul’s Call for Prayer

In 2 Thessalonians 3:1–5, Paul shows us just how central prayer is to evangelism. Writing to a young church facing persecution and confusion about the “day of the Lord,” Paul asks them to pray:

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1–5)

Here we see three key lessons about prayer and evangelism.

1. The Acknowledgement of Need (vv. 1–2)

Paul doesn’t pretend that his mission is easy. He knows the challenges: persecution, spiritual opposition, cultural hostility, even the dangers of travel. And so he asks for prayer—that the Gospel would “speed ahead” and be honored, and that he would be delivered from wicked people.

Notice what this implies: evangelism is not a solo project. Paul, the great missionary apostle, admits he cannot do this on his own. He needs the church—not just to send him, but to stand with him in prayer. Evangelism is a team effort, rooted not in our cleverness or charisma, but in joining God in the work He is already doing.

This is why we pray. Without prayer, our efforts will fall flat. With prayer, we tap into the power of the One who opens hearts and transforms lives.

2. The Reassurance of God’s Faithfulness (vv. 3–4)

Paul contrasts the faithlessness of people with the faithfulness of God. Not everyone will believe the Gospel—some will even oppose it. But God will not fail His people. He will strengthen, protect, and guide them.

That same reassurance is for us. We don’t evangelize in our own strength. We don’t have to shoulder the entire burden of results. God is faithful. He has been faithful to His promises, faithful to His people, faithful to His mission. And He will be faithful to us.

No matter how discouraging or overwhelming the world feels, we can be confident that the Lord of the harvest is still at work. That confidence frees us to pray with expectation and to act with courage.

3. The Prayer for Faithfulness (v. 5)

Paul closes this section by praying for the Thessalonians themselves: that their hearts would be directed toward God’s love and Christ’s endurance.

This is a reminder that evangelism isn’t just about the words we speak. It’s also about the lives we live. When our character reflects God’s love and our perseverance mirrors Christ’s endurance, our message has credibility. People need to see the Gospel embodied in us if they are going to believe it.

So Paul prays for their faithfulness. And we should pray for ours too—that our daily lives would back up the message we proclaim.

The First Step

Prayer is the first step of evangelism.

It is not passive. It is not secondary. It is the crucial, hidden work that undergirds everything else. Before we speak, before we act, before we go—we pray.

You can start the work of evangelism today without leaving your home. Pray for your neighbors. Pray for your coworkers. Pray for your church. Pray for me. Just as Paul asked the Thessalonians to pray for him, I ask for your prayers as I seek to proclaim the Gospel.

Evangelism is the first step in disciple-making. And the first step in evangelism is prayer.

So let’s get started—on our knees.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

A Message to Proclaim: The Message the World Needs

Text: Matthew 9:35–38

Have you ever noticed how many people are searching for meaning, hope, and purpose in life?

According to surveys, 57% of Americans wonder at least once a month how they can have more purpose in life, and 46% wonder if they will go to heaven when they die. Add to this the heartbreaking reality that 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021, and you begin to see what the apostle Peter meant when he described life apart from Christ as “an empty way of life” (1 Peter 1:18–19).

Our generation knows something is missing. People sense there is more to life than what we can see and touch, but they don’t know what it is. As followers of Jesus, we do know: what people need most is to be rescued from the empty, broken way of life that has been handed down to us.

The Good News of the Kingdom

The word Gospel simply means Good News usually connected with . In the ancient world, it was the announcement of victory—when Israel won a battle, the messenger who ran back to Jerusalem carried good news.

The Gospel of Jesus is the greatest victory announcement of all: Jesus has been crowned King of the universe. That’s why we have four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—not four different messages, but four unique perspectives on the same announcement: how Jesus became King.

Matthew, writing especially to a Jewish audience, highlights how Jesus fulfills God’s promises. His healings and miracles reveal His authority over sin, sickness, demons, and even death itself. And in Matthew 9, we get a glimpse into the very heart of this King.

The Ministry of Jesus

Matthew 9:35 summarizes Jesus’ ministry in three parts:

• Teaching in the synagogues—explaining how God’s promises were being fulfilled.
• Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom—announcing that God’s rule was breaking into the world.
• Healing diseases and casting out demons—demonstrating what God’s Kingdom looks like.

This is the message our world still needs: that evil will not have the last word, that oppressors and abusers will be held accountable, and that justice, goodness, and love will ultimately triumph.

The Compassion of the King

When Jesus saw the crowds, Matthew tells us, He was moved with compassion. They were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

He didn’t blame them for their condition. He didn’t urge them to just try harder. Instead, He saw them for what they were: vulnerable people with no one to protect or guide them. Their leaders had failed them. Their shepherds had abandoned them.

That’s how Jesus sees our world too. He looks at our neighbors, co-workers, and friends who inherited an empty way of life—and He responds with compassion. And if we are to follow Him, our posture toward the world must be the same. Not condemnation, but compassion.

The Call to Pray

Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said:

“The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38).

Notice that the first command wasn’t go, but pray. Evangelism doesn’t begin with our boldness, eloquence, or strategies. It begins with prayer. Prayer is the foundation of all mission.

It is important for us to pray for God to move—for baptisms, for new faces in our church families, for opportunities to build bridges and share Christ. But Jesus’ words remind us that prayer is not passive. It is an act of faith, asking the Lord of the harvest to raise up workers: bridge-builders, wealth-givers, prayer warriors, compassionate servants, worship leaders, and engaging teachers.

And here’s the twist: when we pray for God to send workers, we must be ready for Him to send us. That’s exactly what Jesus did in the next chapter. He told His disciples to pray for workers—then He sent them out to be the workers.

The Message Our Generation Needs

The message our generation needs to hear is that Jesus is King. Since He is King, He will make things right. He will bring justice. He will bring healing. He will bring help.

People are searching for meaning, but only Jesus can give them life. They are longing for justice, but only Jesus will set things right. They are weighed down by brokenness, but only Jesus can heal.

The harvest is still plentiful. The workers are still few. And the call of Jesus is still the same: pray to the Lord of the harvest.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.