Word of the Week - Heart of Gratitude

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

I hope all of you had a blessed Thanksgiving enjoying time with family and friends.  What a wonderful Holiday to take time out to count our blessings and give Thanks to God and others.  I love Thanksgiving and the spirit of Thanks and Gratitude.  This is truly the heart of God and what Jesus demonstrated through His life on earth even unto the Cross.  Many believers and even non-believers often wonder and ask the question of what God’s will is for their life, this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 makes it pretty clear, it is simply to “Give thanks to God in all circumstances” to live with a heart of Gratitude.  Developing a healthy God perspective and attitude of gratitude is a key to healthy living.  Researchers have found a correlation of gratitude to mental and physical health as reported in a 2018 “Mind and Body” article https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/is_gratitude_good_for_your_health “After 15 years of research, we know that gratitude is a key to psychological well-being.  But might the benefits of gratitude go beyond that?  Could gratitude be good for your physical health, too?”.We all know that living with a Heart of Gratitude is good and healthy, so how do we foster a heart of Gratitude and live with a spirit of Thankfulness even when our circumstances are not so rosy:We Understand Who God is:If we truly understand the truth of who God is, 1) Our Abba Father who loves us, 2) Our savior and redeemer who gave His life so we can have eternal fellowship with Him, 3) Our comforter who desires to walk in intimate fellowship with us each and every day as we navigate life.  Understanding and walking in a personal daily relationship with the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, gives us tremendous life and hope that will foster a heart of gratitude.We Recognize what God has done for us:If we truly recognize what God has done for us.  God our Father sending His only begotten son Jesus to become flesh and then take on the sins of the world through the Cross so that we can have eternal life.  “For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (us).  It is rare indeed for anyone to die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His love for us in this;  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:6-8.  Understanding the reality of what God did for us should foster a tremendous heart of thanks and gratitude.We Realize Who we are in Christ:If we truly understand who we are in Christ, that we are adapted as His sons and daughters who have full access to His kingdom.  That we are co-heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom of God and all of the benefits.  That we will live in fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in heaven for eternity.  This is very exciting news that should fill our hearts with gratitude since we really did nothing to deserve this, we simply gave our hearts to God and trusted Him.  “For those who are lead by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children”. We Remember to Count our blessings Daily:We should make it a habit each day when we wake up in the morning and throughout the day, to simply thank God for the grace to be alive and to be able to have simple things like use of our arms, legs, ears and eyes if we have them.  We should not take for granted things like family and relationships and the ability to go out and enjoy the day and use our talents to influence the world and make a honest living.  As bad as things can seem at times, there is always a silver lining if we take time to look for it.  “God uses all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose”. Romans 8:28Thanksgiving is a great reminder for all of us to live with a heart of Gratitude, which is a daily decision for each of us.  By the way, I am grateful for you.Have a great week by “giving thanks in all circumstances”.-Duane