30 Days of Thanks & Praise! Day #26 Gift of Gratitude

30 Days of Thanks & Praise! Day #26 - Gift of Gratitude (II Thessalonians 2:13)

Gift of Gratitude (II Thessalonians 2:13)

II Thessalonians 2:13, “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”

Paul praises God for the salvation of the Thessalonians. Notice: Paul mentions all three members of the trinity in this verse II Thessalonians 2:13, “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” Not only did he again express his thanks for them, but he also wrote they were beloved of God. That in itself should bear encouragement. Sometimes we think that we are thankful people, but too often we neglect to express our gratitude. Often this is the result of failure to appreciate what we have.

Focusing on what God has done for us is the key to maintaining a grateful heart. Do you know the single greatest enemy of gratitude? It’s not poverty. It’s not stinginess. It’s not mistreatment. It’s expectancy. No one owes us anything, especially God. Of all the heavenly gifts we have to be thankful for, the most frequently overlooked is the gift of gratitude. Paul said he was “bound to give thanks” — that he owed an obligation to be grateful, and this is true of us as well. God has done so many wonderful things for us, and none of them are deserved. Gratitude guards our hearts against pride and selfishness, for if we remember that the good things we enjoy are blessings from God rather than something we are owed, we will remain humble before Him. Thankfulness is the attitude that perfectly replaces our sinful tendency to complain, and in so doing, releases joy and blessing into our lives. Thankfulness is the ideal replacement for complaining. Take time today to express your attitude of gratitude.

Here are three reasons gratitude is a vital virtue for spiritual development:

1. God requires our thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving, as we have just noted, is a form of praise to God. When we thank God, we give credit to Him. That honors and praises Him. Praise is to be continuous. God's performance, unlike our performance, is always praiseworthy. The most important reason we express gratitude is because God requires we offer Him our thanks. God takes our gratitude, or lack thereof, very seriously. Gratitude is a vital virtue. We are always required to give God what He is due, including our thankfulness. Everyone can make the decision to give thanks and acknowledge the goodness of God.

2. Gratitude keeps our focus on God (and off ourselves).
Paul’s thanksgiving was not based on what they were doing for God, but on what God did for them. When we develop a habit of gratitude, we are constantly asking two questions: “For what should I be grateful?” and “To whom do I owe thanks?” The more we express our gratitude, the more our eyes are opened to the benevolence of God and His generosity in bestowing us goodness and blessings. When we see how much we owe to God, it helps to reduce our own self-centeredness. Express your gratitude today, both to God and to those who have helped you in your life. Take sometime today to express gratitude to others whom God has used in your life—your family, friends, teachers, mentors, and spiritual leaders. Thank them for their investment in you, and tell them specifically how God has used them to provide for, encourage, and strengthen you. It is also important for us to express our gratitude to those who have made investments in our lives. Recognizing that others have helped us get to where we are, it is only right to thank them.

3. The blessing of having enough.
Rather than focusing on what others have, we should be expressing our gratitude to God for all that He has given us. Sometimes we think that we are thankful people, but we neglect to express our gratitude. Often this is the result of failure to appreciate what we have. This ingratitude happens because we count the blessings of those around us instead of counting our own blessings. We fail to realize that even great blessings and success may only be temporary. The fact that those who do not know God may have temporary success in “climbing the ladder” or accumulating the most toys does not change the fact that this is short-term success that produces no lasting or eternal result.

Every person can come up with a list of things they would like to have (and there is nothing wrong with owning things if the things don’t own us). If we are honest in our assessment, we would have to say that we have far more than most people in the world, and more than we must have to live. The reality of our lives is that we do have enough— we simply need to be content with what God has provided and thank Him for it. How often do we focus on what we can get or how to provide for ourselves without thinking of those less fortunate than us? Yet many times we can pass by others without stopping to help.

When was the last time you helped the elderly? When was the last time you carved out time in your schedule to sit and listen to someone who's hurting? When was the last time you bought a meal for a family in financial trouble? Rather than always expecting to be showered with gifts, live your life giving of yourself to others. Thank God for what you already have and commit to focusing on others rather than yourself today.

When we ponder all the good things we have because of God’s grace, and rejoice in the Lord, our hearts will erupt with gratitude. Gratitude heals our hearts. It displaces lethal complaining. It opens our eyes to the innumerable graces of God in our everyday lives. In our hurry through life, we neglect gratitude. Rather than rushing off to the next thing, spend some time thanking Jesus for specific gifts in your life. Make a gratitude list.

• Be thankful for what He has already given you!
• Ask God today to help you have an attitude of gratitude!
• Have you thanked God today for His many blessings in your life?
• Take your eyes off yourself and focus on the goodness of God.
• Take time to thank God today for all He has done for you.
• When we focus on ourselves, we lose the opportunity for God to use us.
• One way we can keep our focus on Christ is by thanking Him for His many blessings.

Prayer, Heavenly Father, please forgive my shallow, immature, faith-choking ingratitude. You shower me with Your blessings, yet how rarely I stop to truly thank You. Thank You for all that You have done for me. Please replace my complaints with thanks. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus. It’s in His name I pray, amen.

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