“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15

Fulton Oursler was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1893. He wrote plays and popular religious books, most notably “The Greatest Story Ever Told in 1949”.

Dr. Oursler used to tell a story from his youth. It was about Anna, a former slave who, after emancipation, was hired by the family for many years. She used to take care of him when he was a child. He remembered her sitting at the kitchen table, her hands folded and her eyes gazing upward as she prayed, “Much obliged, Lord, for my vittles.”

He asked her what vittles were and she replied that they were food and drink. He told her that she would get food and drink whether or not she gave thanks, and Anna said, “Yes, we’ll get our vittles, but it makes ’em taste better when we’re thankful.” She told him that an old preacher taught her, as a little girl, to always look for things to be grateful for. So, as soon as she awoke each morning, she asked herself, “What is the first thing I can be grateful for today?”
Sometimes the smell of early-morning coffee perking in the kitchen found its way to her room. On those mornings, the aroma prompted her to say, “Much obliged, Lord, for the coffee. And much obliged, too, for the smell of it!”

Years later, after Fulton had left home, he received a message that Anna was dying. He returned home and found her in bed with her hands folded over her white sheets, just as he had seen them folded in prayer over her white apron at the kitchen table so many times before. He wondered what she could give thanks for at a time like this. As if reading his mind, she opened her eyes and gazed at the loving faces around her bed. Then, shutting her eyes again, she said quietly, “Much obliged, Lord, for such fine friends.”

Are you grateful for all the Lord has done for you? Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord throughout the day for all that He has done for you.

“Whatever we have, we have because God in his grace and generosity has given it to us. When we realize this, there comes into our lives a joyful gratitude for what we do have, and we are freed from resentment and anxiety over what we don’t have.” – Ben Patterson

God’s Word: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” – Hebrews 12:28

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2004, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING pkennedy6@yahoo.com