Gratitude

Yes, You Can Be Thankful!

DrJayCook Thanksgiving , , , ,

I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy a time of rest and celebration.  However, I really hope that you are experiencing a thankful heart.  I also hope that your thankful heart continues to guide you every day.

I realize that continually being grateful is not easy, but it is what God expects of us.  We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  And we are told in Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

The story is told of a young boy who did not speak.  Naturally, his parents believed that he could not speak, but one day they discovered the truth.  His mother tried a new recipe for supper and called everyone to the table.  When the boy tasted it, he pushed it away and said, “This is awful.  I won’t eat it.”

The family was overjoyed to hear him speak, and they wanted to know why he had never spoken before.  He told them, “Because up ‘till now, everything has been OK.”

Sometimes it seems like there are people who only speak when they want to complain.  And gratitude is the furthest thing from their mind and their conversations.

Does that describe you?

If you had a good night’s sleep, know that there are millions of people who did not.  If you had a bed, know that there are millions who do not.  If you have a job or a car or a house, know that there are millions of people who do not.

AND – if you have accepted God’s salvation, know that your sins have been forgiven, that He is with you, and that He has a home for you.

Yes, you can be thankful – no matter what.  And we should be thankful – no matter what.  Remember the cry of Psalm 103:2: “My soul, bless the LORD, and do not forget all His benefits.”

Happy Thanksgiving!  You have more than enough reason to be thankful.

Want to know more? Click the picture below for a great resource…

The Thankful Challenge

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My salvation.  My relationship with God.  My wife.  My children.  My family.  Ministering for God.  You.  I am thankful.  I am grateful.  I am overwhelmed at how good God is to me.

What about you?

For what and for whom are you thankful?

We live in a world that seems to forget how important gratitude is.  Though we’ve been blessed in more ways than we could ever list or recognize, people seem to focus FAR more on what isn’t right – on what isn’t up to expectations – on disappointments.

Could that be a large part of the discontent and anger we see?  Could that be feeding the division and anger we see?  Could that be eating us alive?

What would our world look like if we looked for the good more than we look for the bad?  What would our world look like if we pointed out the good more than the bad?  What would our world look like if Christians pointed others to our good God more than to what we don’t like?

What could Thanksgiving really do if it was more than a date on the calendar?

I’ll tell you what… Let’s make a pact.  Even though November 25 is the day we call Thanksgiving this year, let’s make a point to point out things for which we are thankful every day of November this year.  Tell someone what you are thankful for – post online what you are thankful for – write some notes to express what you are thankful for – find a way a day to be thankful and share your thankfulness.  I have a strong suspicion that it will help our own attitudes as well as those who hear or read about it.

Remember – the news about Jesus (what He did, what He does, what He will do, and who He is) is Good News.  Let’s spread more of that than the bad news we can scrape up.

Let’s be a Thanksgiving People.

“Hallelujah!  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1)

“I will thank the LORD with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works.  I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2)

And always remember that you are loved!