An Attitude of Gratitude

It’s that time of year—the holidays are upon us!

It feels like the calm before the storm with less than a week to go before Thanksgiving. A lot needs to happen before we say grace on Thursday!

Thanksgiving, of course, isn’t just one of our favorite holidays, it’s also a daily discipline for those who know the Lord.

The Word of God says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

I do find it a little ironic…

We Believers are often seeking to know God’s will for our lives, but do we realize much of what God wants for us today is right before our very eyes?

Like this little gem: “Give thanks to God in every circumstance because it’s His will for your life.

It seems to me that until we obey Him in the revealed things, we can’t fully know or enjoy the unseen realities God has in mind for us in the bigger scheme of life.

It’s been called the mother of all virtues because gratitude generates in us humility that constantly reminds us of our never-ending debt to God.

And as a result, those who nurture an attitude of gratitude are humbler, happier individuals, and they’re healthier souls compared to their ungrateful counterparts.

When we have an abiding sense of what God has done for us, in spite of what we’ve done to Him, we desire to give back and serve others—gratitude protects us from that ugly vice of feeling entitled.

And I’m not sure what those who’ve sinned against the Most High could feel entitled to (other than just condemnation that rebels deserve); but even still, we do complain an awful lot considering all our sins have been graciously forgiven because Christ died on our meritless behalf.

And it’s probably good to point out here that Paul does not call us to give thanks for every circumstance, but rather to give thanks in every circumstance because the goodness of God never changes, unlike our day-to-day circumstances.

And the Lord knows that daily expressions of gratitude will keep us from bitterness, despair, and unbelief.

God’s commands are right and true, but they have an added bonus that sometimes gets overlooked—as Moses reminds us:

“You must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good” (Deuteronomy 10:13).

And that goes for giving thanks to God, no matter what.

If we want to be kept from inward nastiness that make us more of a liability than an asset to God, then we need to cultivate a heart of gratitude.

Instead of considering all the bad things going on, we “count our blessings and name them one by one” as the hymnwriter suggests.

I’ve been doing some of that lately (because I’ve been working on this post), and I started thinking of the multitude of ways God has been kind to all human beings.

For one thing, He knit us together in our mother’s womb (that was nice of Him).

I mean, if you’re reading this, you’re enjoying a life you wouldn’t have unless He created you.

Every heartbeat is a gift; every breath happens at His good pleasure.

We enjoy beautiful sunsets and breathtaking scenery with the eyes He gave us.

We listen to our favorite music with ears He made for us.

We taste delicious foods with the tongue He equipped us with.

And have you ever stopped to think that everything that makes our lives possible and enjoyable comes to us, ultimately, from something God has graciously given?

If we need it, He made sure the components were here for us to find and utilize:

The cement.
The wood.
The steel.

The oxygen.
The water.
The sunshine.

The cotton.
The wool.
The livestock.

The rain.
The grain.
The flowers.

The animals.
The medicines.
The carbohydrates 🙂

Love.
Joy.
Peace.

Beauty.
Romance.
Adventure.

Laughter.

Comfort.
Healing.
Hope.

Reconciliation to God.
Forgiveness of sins.
Life everlasting.

It’s endless.

And isn’t that why Paul rebukes the worldly, arrogant Christians at Corinth by asking: What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

I mean, think about it—try and name one good thing in life that wasn’t graciously given us by our benevolent God.

Even the ingenuity that makes possible technological advances, medical breakthroughs, and scientific developments… it’s all thanks to Him.

God’s good, and He’s been good to you.

And that’s true no matter what we’re going through.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:16-17).

Have an awesome Thanksgiving!