Gratitude and thankfulness is not only an attractive personality trait worthy of admiration, but it is also an appealing posture of the heart which has the potential to attract God's attention...
Just as humans naturally love to be appreciated, and their good nature or good deeds recognized, so also God Who created us in His likeness also desires and expects us to maintain a heart of gratitude towards Him, so much so that His anger could be kindled in an atmosphere of continuous complaints and ungratefulness, which to Him is a show of unbelief and a lack of trust in His personality and His ability...
No wonder He dealt with the Children of Israel of Old in the wilderness sometimes in a manner that seemed like they were not His own chosen people; as their ungrateful attitude often got to His nerves, especially despite the fact that they had seen His divine hand of deliverance with signs and wonders, yet they seemed to quickly forget and drift into unbelief...
📖"...They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the desert?..." Psalms 78:11,18,19 (NIV)
And no wonder also that the Psalmist David who was called "a man after God's heart", wrote often about recalling the goodness, mercies, and faithfulness of God, and giving Him thanks and praise for the same, in spite of whatever the present situation is...
So we find severally in the Psalms, "O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever."...
Interestingly, we find that it is often easier for us to remember the pains of the past and to talk about the problems in the present than to recall the good things we had experienced in times past and the seemingly insignificant blessings we have presently...
It is also interesting to find that thankfulness or gratitude is not mentioned as one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); which indicates that we do not necessarily need a supernatural power or a special anointing from God to help us to be thankful; rather we find numerous verses in the Scriptures that requires us to make a conscious effort to remember and be mindful of God's goodness and make an intentional choice to be thankful to Him regardless of the current situation or the present needs we may have...
So the Psalmist wrote: 📖"Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits..." Psalms 103:1-2 (NKJV)
And Paul the Apostle admonished: 📖"...In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1Thesselonians 5:18 (NKJV)
Indeed, there are benefits to maintaining a heart of gratitude towards God; such as experiencing His intervention in your areas of need, and experiencing divine provision or multiplication; but more importantly, thanksgiving especially when done sacrificially (in the midst of a dire need or a painful season of trial), is a show of one's submission to the will of God (which is always for good), and a show of a resolute faith in the faithfulness of God and confidence in the power of God...
Truly, there is always always something to be thankful for, if only we remain mindful of them; and God will always be near to the thankful...
Therefore, 📖"Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. know that the LORD, He is God; It is He Who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." Psalms 100:2-4 (NKJV)
📖"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
You cannot pray amiss when you pray the prayer of thanksgiving, and you cannot sing wrong when you sing the song of gratitude...
Thanks-giving is never excess! There is always room to give more thanks! Give it freely! Give it cheerfully!
Thank God for Who He is, for all He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He will yet do... Thank God also for the good He has done for those around you; Rejoice and celebrate with them genuinely...
As they say, 'if God has blessed your neighbour, it means God is in your neighbourhood, and He will soon get to you... Also make it a habit to be thankful and show appreciation to everyone who has been a blessing to you in any way huge or small.
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#JesusChristIsLORD #GODisStillinCharge
