"Gratitude is learning to recognize and express appreciation for the benefits we have received from God and others." So said Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her book Choosing Gratitude.
Thus, I shall take time to declare a more thankful, grateful attitude for myself. God has given so much that it's time to praise Him more and more. Yes, there will be an eternity to praise and worship Him but I will choose to begin 'practice' now; with His help.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17 NIV).
God has blessed me with: salvation, meaning, forgiveness of sins, everlasting life and a promise of a Home in Heaven to look forward to; crowning me with His love and compassion; giving me wisdom through His Holy spirit; He has brought me peace and reconciliation with Him; rescuing me from Hades and Hell and bringing me into His family and giving me more brothers and sisters-in-Christ than I can count.
Ongoing repentance in line with sanctification through Christian living by obeying His Word, is necessary and I thank Him for 1 John 1:9 (NIV)...
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
This is something we do, not to earn salvation but to live our lives in pleasing manner for God; for this I am truly grateful. I could never ever strive to be "good enough" to reach a certain tipping point of goodness to attain salvation, and I do not deserve God's mercies at all, yet, in His goodness and kindness and compassion, He lifted me up out of despondence and set me on a rock, and that Rock is Christ. There is no god like my God.
While reading the book Choosing Gratitude, I've discovered what DeMoss terms "invisible blessings". I thank God for what I cannot see, or hasn't happened. For instance: my house hasn't caught fire nor have I had a flat tire in ages. Have I thanked Him for that?
I'm not jinx-ing myself by saying these things. God is sovereign in my life. I thank Him humbly for "all His benefits" to me.
I have not been sick with cancer and I'm grateful. However I can pray for and come along side those who do have this disease or others and even though I don't "know, know" what those cancer patients endure, I can still sympathize and empathize to a certain degree.
I thank God I was kept from taking drugs in high school (or any other time, for that matter) despite the overwhelming desire to do so.
I thank God my husband doesn't smoke, gamble, drink, or womanize. I thank God he comes home from work (visible blessing) and at a reasonable hour almost every single evening possible; I'm grateful he doesn't squander his hard-earned $$$.
I'm thankful my parents are still married and have been there "to have and to hold" each other for 63 years and still counting (visible). I'm thankful, ever so thankful they have not separated nor divorced (invisible blessing) in this era of rampant divorce, sadly, even among Christians.
I'm amazed at the 1000s and 1000s of miles my parents have traveled over the highways of North America in all kinds of weather conditions over decades doing God's work and never have had a major accident, save one.
Once my Dad went off the road, down an embankment and smashed into a tree. He broke his neck but wonder of wonders he and the two lads with him walked up that embankment. Dad spent time in hospital but was not paralyzed. What a God of wonders!
The two lads only had minor scrapes and bruises as far as I understand.
Some things that may be considered mundane are up next, yet even in the little, little things of daily life, there are "invisibles" to be seen and to be thankful for...
I'm very thankful, I can tell you, that my washing machine used for the household laundry, works. It surely beats washing by hand!
I'm thankful I don't have to haul urns of water from a mile or more away from my home as many must do in Africa, India and elsewhere. I can pray for those who do, however, that their situation can change for the better and/or give to organizations such as World Vision who have a 'water mission'. I read about it some time ago where USD$1 can go a long way to such aid.
In 1 Corinthians 2:6-11 and especially in verse 9 we read,
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."
I like how verse 10 continues on...as we His children have the privilege to know,
"God has revealed it to us by His Spirit."
We cannot know many things on our own volition, but the Revealer of mysteries and secrets, our very own heavenly Father, God, let's us be "in the know". How good and kind of Him. This is God's
"secret wisdom...that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began" (vs 7).Just think how grand it all will be when we go to be "with Christ". People who have had Near Death Experiences (NDE) have been allowed to see just the tip of the iceburg; the apostle John had larger glimpses and God tells us snitches and snatches about it through John as seen in the book of Revelation, BUT, what will it be to be there!? "How marvelous, how wonderful then our song shall be;" beyond our earthly imagination.
The word "glory" comes to mind. God is keeping us in suspense so He doesn't spoil all the surprises of heaven for us by telling us all. I'm something like the child awaiting his birthday party and just what is in those tempting birthday presents so splendidly wrapped?! Hmmm. Get my picture even a tiny bit?
How does all this tie in to gratitude? Well I thank my Heavenly Father, from whom all blessings flow, for rescuing me from the destruction and horrors of Hades and subsequently, Hell, where the temperature is turned up full. I thank God for bringing me into His glorious light to experience His love and forgiveness.
Psalm 107:8, 15 and 21 (NIV) encourages...
"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men..."
Indeed, it is good to keep lists of them. Lists of all those wonderful deeds and as you have seen above what God has done for me, I hope you can give thanks too. Give thanks not just for what God has done in my life but for what He has done and is doing in yours.
1 Corinthians 13:5 states that...
"...Love...keeps no record of wrongs..."
Many of us capitalize on complaints and criticisms of or about others, listing them in our heads or on paper and go the extra ugly mile of verbalizing them to others. Let us change that practice into keeping lists of "rights" and be grateful to God and people.
DeMoss encourages us in her book to make two lists: one for gifts that God has given us and the other, gifts from others. As you think of them, record down and add to the lists as the days go by. Then give God thanks for all. This is how one can begin to make declarations of thanksgiving to God and to others. Do so audibly, and often, so others can hear and be "infected" with your joy and gratitude.
Another saying by DeMoss tells us on Page 181 of her book that...
"Gratitude places us in close proximity to Christ, where we experience the fullness of his redeeming power and enjoy the blessing of His presence."
God always wants to commune with us and when we want to develop our relationship with Him, try gratitude. Herein is joy.
Some of the "fruit" of gratitude is the "more grace" that God gives (James 4:6-11). Gratitude seems to go hand-in-hand with humbleness as well. Humbleness. Grace to forgive others so we do not resent them nor become bitter or speak words of slanderous judgment upon others. I thank God so very much for His grace that He gives to make those lists of "rights". To blot out those lists of wrongs. To forgive. Thank-you Father, God, for your grace which is "sufficient" and that You give more when we need more. What would we do without Your grace? I need You every hour.
It is such a very good thing that God says in His Word in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (esp vs 8), that
"God is able to make all grace abound..."
Freely He gives (as much as we want and need); freely we can receive and with His grace we can praise and thank Him for all He's done for us; for me. In return, we give generously back to Him of our time, energy, money, etc and He will
"enlarge the harvest of your righteousness" (vs 10).
Oh, how joyful and glad. Thank-you, Father of earth and sky and heaven (Psalm 121). I want to learn how to
"overflow in many expressions of thanks to You" (vs 12).
Oh Father God, and let those expressions ring out "loudly" as the leper (1/10) did yet with humility. Remember the 10 lepers that asked Jesus for healing (Luke 17:11-19)? DeMoss brings these guys to our attention. All ten were healed but only one came back to thank Jesus. And he did not come quietly. Read the portion. You'll see he came "loudly". That really tickles my funny bone to think of. DeMoss says we should be the same in our praise and gratitude to God for what He has done for us and also to others for what they do for us. Don't forget to be thankful.
May God lead us ever onwards in this. DeMoss intimates that...
"gratitude sprouts generosity".
May our Heavenly Father give us wisdom and faith to hear, understand and obey His Holy Spirit's promptings in "acts of generosity" out of our gratitude towards Him, to
"abound in every good work" (1 Corinthians 9:8).
Reach out to God and live to please Him; sing praises to Him, communing also in prayer with Him allowing God to create in us, through all of the above, a more spiritually healthy heart. This heart then would be more capable of generating and reflecting God's love and light; offering up praise and thankfulness and so instead of a vicious cycle of negatives and criticisms, there would be a more joyful, thankful cycle of praise and thanksgiving resulting in greater spiritual health.
This is God's wondrous blessing that will also in turn enhance our physical and emotional well-being as Solomon noted in Proverbs 17:22...
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit drieth up the bones."
Another gift from God. "Oh thank-You Father God!"
Cultivating a better attitude of gratitude to God and others, slowly but surely, will help you feel less of a sour spirit. Your mind, heart and body will give evidence. This gratitude business is certainly a cure of sorts and one can only give thanks to God for His 'doings' in one's life; He certainly is a Great Physician!
Thank Him for the times you've been down and He's raise you up out of "sloughs of despond". Thank Him for teaching you to sing praise. There was one time when the demands of motherhood were overwhelming and felt such a great burden. Yet that morning as I made my bed, I forced myself to start to sing. I sang, "Jesus Loves Me" for the sake of my wee daughter who was just barely able to stand up on the other side of the bed regarding me. As I sang, her heart was kindled into a smile of wonder which spread across her face. That in turn caused my heart to warm and soon we were both smiling at each other and were uplifted. I felt joy and gladness that day and a closeness of a shared pivotal moment with my child. It was, and still is, a special shared moment I treasure. Moments like these can create a better atmosphere in ones' home. Even small measures of such "sacrifices of praise" (Hebrews 13:15) can outgrow and overwhelm the sour moods and burst into songs of praise to God.
Choosing gratitude and praise may well be an uphill battle but we can persist with the help of the Holy Spirit Who indwells all who have put their trust in Jesus Christ. When we allow the Holy Spirit to help us choose to do God's will and way in our life we get godly wisdom and understanding which is part and parcel of godly Christian living.
If you look at Proverbs 3:13-18 you'll see that the passage begins and ends with "blessed". Nancy Leigh DeMoss tells us that that word also means "happy". When we follow God's wisdom and express our gratitude, we will be blessed with happiness. I have experienced this already even in the short time of being more conscious of choosing gratitude and thanksgiving instead of unforgiveness and bitterness. This is a healing process for anyone who so chooses. Father, God help us all in this and allow our countenances to be an "expression of a joyful, happy and thankful heart". To You alone, may we all give praise.
"Sing praise, sing praise, to my Lord and King, Your love endures forever..." ~Michael W. Smith~
On Page 198 DeMoss writes...
"Grumbling is the opposite of thankfulness."
May our Lord continue to purify and give that grace to give thanks and stop our mouths and tongue each and every time the temptation is there to grumble. May the Holy Spirit convict and arrest our minds and hearts in the act of grumble-thought and our tongues which would give vent to our inner attitudes. Father God, create in me a grateful heart and tongue that utters gracious words.
For starters, the people whom we've appreciated over the years: our parents, our siblings, extended family, classmates, etc, who have blessed or touched us in some way should hear words of gratitude from us. This comes under the list of 'Gifts from Others'. Write the name of the giver, and the gift and how their offering of love touched you and then take the time to pen or type them a few words of thanks, (again) or give them a call and have a thanksgiving tete-a-tete talk. We need to be ever so thankful for the members of the body of Christ who connect with us in the many and varied ways. They are God's children and should be extra special to us. How have they impacted your life? Tell them. Thank them. Declare your thanksgiving to God and them.
Here we ascertain that...
Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain
Think of the story of Ruth in Ruth 2:1-13. I love this story and take great delight in reading it. Ruth's humbleness and gratitude towards Boaz is very evident. She feels she is so undeserving of his kindness and therefore ever so much more grateful. Good example. The name Ruth means 'satisfied' which lends to the word 'contentment'. May we each have the desire to inculcated this and be thankful in all circumstances. Ruth was certainly down at poverty level, yet she exuded gratitude and contentment. Father God, many of us need your Holy Spirit's intervention in this department to produce this kind of deportment within our spirits and character. Compel our hearts to be willing.
Most of what has been written above was based on a daily devotional, for almost thirty days, as suggested by DeMoss. It has been a very beneficial time, reading God's Word and seeing how it all ties in with choosing gratitude. I will say that this has been very helpful to me and gotten me to really think more of such an attitude that doesn't come very naturally. I pray for myself that I will continue in this vein, imbedding gratitude into my mind and heart, and soul and spirit and that all who read this blog entry, will be blessed with the "great gain" of making gratitude your instinctive attitude and through living a life of godliness and contentment.
"Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son" ~Don Moen~
~ERC 2017~
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