Gratitude is Huge!

I must admit I often forget the significance of giving thanks to God, yet I was reminded of the importance of gratitude as I was reading my Bible this past week. Psalm 50:14 says “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Lord, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall glorify me.” Later in that same Psalm we read, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.”

God is serious about thanksgiving! And it makes sense that as we turn our eyes toward Him and acknowledge His blessings, He is glorified and we are changed as well. When we live with an attitude of gratefulness for what God is doing in our lives, our eyes focus on what is good and we humbly recognize God as our Provider.

Take a moment right now to thank the Lord for at least five blessings in your life. Your list may look like mine:
Thank you for Jesus who died on the cross on my behalf and rose again to give us hope of eternal life.
Thank you Lord for your Spirit who dwells within us, comforting us and guiding us.
Thank you Lord for the ability to be alive and reading this blog right now.
Thank you Lord for the family and friends you have given me.
Thank you Lord for the purpose you have for my life, and for the provisions you give me each day.

A friend of mine, Denise, says that turning her heart toward thankfulness has literally transformed her attitude and her life. She even a created a journal to simply write down five specific things she is grateful for each day. It’s a great practice! I want to encourage you to do the same. This is a great idea for your kids as well. On the way to or from school name five things for which you are grateful.

Gratitude is a choice. We can choose to grumble and complain or we can choose to thank God for all His many blessings. Guess which choice makes you a more joyful person! The apostle Paul summed it up best in his letter to the Colossians, “Whatever you do in word or in deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”