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A THANKFUL HEART

“Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father,” Ephesians 5:19 NIV. The Apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Ephesians while chained in a Roman prison cell awaiting imminent execution. Praising while chained is impossible for someone with an empty heart. But praise with a thankful heart is one of the primary characteristics of a spirit-filled life. Outward circumstances may steal away the inner joy of a child of God for a moment, but a person with eternity in their heart returns to equilibrium. The biblical phrases “by Him,” “in Him,” “through Him,” not only point to the greatness and goodness of God, but they are also instructions for how to be joyful and thankful in any circumstance. LORD, this is the day You have made; I will rejoice and be glad in it! 

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