Thankful

Colossians 4:2 NLT Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Teaching children to say thank you is an important part of “training a child in the way they should go” (Proverbs 22:6). However, gratitude and thankfulness go beyond just saying thank you but is about a heart filled with thanksgiving toward God.

In this topsy-turvy, upside-down world, where demands on your time and attention are constant, it is easy to lose your sense of peace and joy. Life becomes a blur of raising a family, meeting the latest deadline at work, participating in community or church events, and so many other things that exhaust your time and energy. John 15:11 tells us that Jesus’ joy is ours for the taking: “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Yet we struggle to grab His joy amidst the slog of our daily grind. We begin to set our hope for joy on changing circumstances rather than on the ever-faithful promises of God.

Gratitude cannot depend on our circumstances but must be expressed regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. Gratitude transcends mere words; it becomes a lifestyle that reflects our continual recognition of God’s goodness towards us. Thankfulness is about recognizing and appreciating the blessings we have received, but also His promises. Even during the most difficult challenges, we can thank God that His plans for us are always good, for a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). In times of financial uncertainty, we can thank God that he is our provider, that his children are never left in want (Psalm 23:1), He supplies all our needs from His riches (Philippians 4:19), and withholds no good thing from those that love him (Psalm 84:11).

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to avoid false teachings. Teachings that only create controversies and empty of power that builds up and strengthens. As he draws the letter to a close, Paul makes a profound statement, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6). We know that godliness comes from only one source: “God made him (Jesus), who had no sin, to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV). But what is the source of contentment? Contentment is the result of thankfulness. The result of living and exercising Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Paul was saying this: Great spiritual gain of joy and peace comes to a life filled with thankfulness and completely surrendered to God, knowing Jesus Christ redeemed us and completely paid for our righteousness. This thankfulness becomes the hidden key to a powerful and effective prayer life. Knowing that God alone is the source of everything we need in life.

There are seasons when thankfulness does not come easily. King David knew these seasons all too well: the betrayal of friends and those he had trusted, the death of loved ones, the pain of failure, and the consequences of his sin. Yet amid these times, David wrote: “'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits” (Psalm 103:1-2). Benefits that forgive, heal, redeem, crown and satisfy our life.

Choose to make Thanksgiving more than a day, and you will find the joy and peace that satisfies your life.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

1 Chronicles 16:8 NLT Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.

1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Colossians 3:16-17 NLT Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 2:6-7 NIV So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Psalms 100:4 NIV Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Luke 17:12-16 NLT As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! He looked at them and said, Go show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, Praise God! He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

Ephesians 5:20 NLT And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Psalms 28:7 NLT The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Psalms 95:1-2 NLT Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Psalms 105:1 NLT Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.

Psalms 136:4 NLT Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.

1 Timothy 2:1 GNT First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people.

1 Thessalonians 1:2 NIV We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.

1 Chronicles 29:12-13 NIV Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.