First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Thanksgiving is the act of expressing specific gratitude to God for the blessings God has given us –
physical, spiritual or material.
As Christians, we should see an attitude of thanksgiving growing continually in our lives. A relationship with Jesus Christ should transform us into a joyful, positive and grateful and thankful soul. One sign that Jesus Christ is living in your heart is gratitude. God lives in a humble, grateful and thankful heart.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the greatest saint in the world is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it. Our lives are to be filled with a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude towards God for all He has done. As children of the Most High God, we should make a concerted effort to appreciate all the blessings God has given to us. Our lives should be filled day to day with a spirit of thanksgiving. In Psalm 116
we read that we are to make our lives a thanksgiving offering before the Lord.
Our lives are to be filled with a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude towards God for all He has done. The Bible commands us to give thanks to God among many other reasons because
“The LORD is God. It is He who made us” Psalm 100:3, “He is good”
(Psalm 118:29), “His mercy is everlasting” (Psalm 100:5) “His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:3). “He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture” (Psalm 95:7).
To become thankful people, we need to discipline ourselves to find something each day that we should be thankful for to God. Thanksgiving and praise always go together. We cannot adequately praise and worship God without also being grateful and thankful. It is in our best interest to be reminded that everything we have is a gift from Him. It is very hard to be grateful when we cannot learn to be happy with what we already have. Without gratitude, we become arrogant and self-centered. We begin to believe that we have achieved everything on our own.
Thankfulness keeps our hearts in right relationship to the Giver of all good gifts.
Brethren, when we give thanks continually, we are reminded of how much we do have. When we focus on blessings rather than wants, we are happier. When we start thanking God for the things, we usually take for granted, our perspective changes. It is then that we realize that we could not even exist without the merciful blessings of God. Giving thanks to God keeps our hearts in right relationship with God and saves us from a host of harmful emotions and attitudes that will rob us of the peace God wants us to experience (Philippians 4:6–7). Thankful people are always able to draw strength from gratitude and able to empower others with their perspective as well. PRAISE THE LORD!
As members of the Abundant Life Family, on this occasion of our 14 TH
ANNIVERSARY, we say, GOD,
WE ARE GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL.