Life can be challenging. We live in an imperfect, sinful world. We all have our ups and downs. Some days, weeks, and months are better than others. Everyone experiences joys, sorrows, blessings, and disappointments. Yet, have you noticed some followers of Christ seem to maintain such positive attitudes? Sure, their behavior may be influenced by their temperaments, overall life experiences, and knowledge of the Bible. Furthermore, they may be grateful to God for who He is and what He has done.
Let’s focus in on the topic of gratitude. Gratitude is the act of expressing appreciation and thankfulness for the blessings in our lives.
People who approach life with a sense of gratitude focus on the blessings of life. People who lack gratitude are truly never happy.
Gratitude is not just a pleasant feeling. It can change our lives in remarkable ways. Gratitude can be learned and developed. The more habitual it comes, the more our minds can be renewed.
Gratitude is a recurring theme in the Bible.
The benefits of practicing gratitude can be found throughout the Bible. We can choose to focus on what we have been given, instead of on what we lack.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting (Psalm 107:1; See Psalm 118:29;
Psalm 136:1).
This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:6, 7).
4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4, 5).
Some practical steps to implement.
- Give thanks. Thank the Lord throughout the day.
- Thank God for both the big things, and the little things in life.
- Keep a Gratitude or Blessings Journal. Write down things you are grateful for or have been blessed by/with on a regular basis.
- Express immediate appreciation for the blessings God brings to you.
We should be grateful/thankful because our great and loving God is worthy of our gratitude/thanksgiving.
Bible verses are from The New American Standard Bible (1995).
Pastor Cecil Price
November 17, 2024
Photo by Kit Ishimatsu on Unsplash