The Daily: Wednesday November 26, 2025

Scripture

4Always dance with joy before our Honored Chief! I will say it again: dance with joy! Let everyone see how kind and thoughtful you are. Our Honored Chief is close at hand. Do not let your hearts be weighed down with anything. Instead, with every step you take, send your voice to the Great Spirit, asking him for the things you need. And in all your prayers remember to give him thanks. Then the peace and harmony of the Great Spirit, which goes far beyond our small and weak ways of thinking, will watch over your hearts and minds through the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

Last of all, my sacred family members, if anything can be seen as good and honorable, think deeply about these things. Things that are true and noble, upright and pure, full of beauty and worthy of respect. Follow the way of life you have seen in me, the things you have learned from me, heard from me, and received from me. Keep walking in the traditions I have passed on to you. Then the Great Spirit of Peace will continue to walk with you on this road.

Philippians 4:4-9

Wildman, Terry M.. First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament (p. 364). (Function). Kindle Edition.

While the season of Thanksgiving is an opportunity to root ourselves in gratitude, it is also a painful season for indigenous people and those who walk with them. In honor of them, our readings this week will be from the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament.

Gratitude as Resistance

Devotional
In a world that profits from our anxiety, gratitude becomes a radical act. Think about it - how many messages do you encounter daily that tell you what you lack, what you should fear, or why you need more? From news cycles to advertisements, we're constantly fed a diet of scarcity and worry. But what if gratitude is more than just a nice spiritual practice? What if it's actually a form of resistance against systems that thrive on keeping us anxious and afraid? When we choose gratitude, we're making a counter-cultural statement: there is enough.

There is enough grace, enough love, enough provision for everyone. This isn't naive optimism or spiritual bypassing. It's not pretending that real problems don't exist or that injustice isn't happening. Instead, it's choosing to operate from a different foundation - one that recognizes abundance rather than scarcity as the deeper truth about God's kingdom. When we practice gratitude, we're not just changing our mood; we're changing our worldview. We're declaring that fear doesn't get the final word, that anxiety doesn't define our reality, and that there's enough of God's goodness to go around. This shift in perspective doesn't just benefit us personally - it creates ripples that challenge the very systems that depend on our fear. Gratitude opens up possibilities we couldn't see when we were focused on what we lacked. It reveals a God who is generous with everyone, not just the privileged few.

Reflection Question
In what areas of your life have fear and scarcity thinking taken hold, and how might gratitude serve as resistance against those messages?

Prayer
God, help me to see through the lies of scarcity and fear that surround me daily. Give me the courage to practice gratitude as an act of resistance, trusting in Your abundance even when the world tells me there isn't enough. May my gratitude be a witness to Your generous heart. Amen.