Word of the Week - Gratitude
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
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.
We all know that living with a Heart of Gratitude and sincere appreciation 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 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 Recognize friends, family and others who have helped us along the way:
Thank God that He set things up for us to do life with others as a community of believers. We are much better together as a body of Christ each with different and unique gifts and personalities. None of us can do this life successfully without others. It is important that we take time out to show our sincere appreciation by recognizing those who have helped us along the way. “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”. Romans 12:5
We Remember to Count our blessings Daily and show sincere appreciation for those who are in our lives:
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. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”. James 1:17
Have a great week.
-Duane