Cultivating Gratitude
We have all had to mark the 1 year anniversary of the pandemic, over the past week. Even so, we have seen God's protection and care in our lives in a mighty way and more than ever before.
Most of us know, cultivating a grateful heart is good for us. But do we know just how good?There are so many reasons to intentionally cultivate gratitude!
Let's unpack the power of gratitude with these 7 benefits of giving God thanks.
1. Gratitude glorifies God. This alone would be a reason to give thanks to God. Our gratitude glorifies God as we exalt not the gifts, but the Giver. Gratitude helps us realize all we have comes not because of us, but from God.
And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 2 Corinthians 4:15
2. Gratitude helps us see God. Gratitude opens our spiritual eyes. There's a beautiful cycle in giving God thanks: the more we thank Him, the more we see Him working in us and around us. Gratitude helps us sense God's presence, His personal care and His perfect timing.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. James 1:16-17
3. Gratitude brings peace. Count your blessings. We're told to get rid of the worry keeping us up at night. Gratitude helps us see that God's hand is all over our circumstances. And God tells us when we give him our thanks, He gives us supernatural peace.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
4. Gratitude draws us to God. Gratitude for the magnitude of God's undeserved kindness draws us to Him. We see that when Jesus healed 10 lepers. As Jesus walked by, all 10 cried out for healing. "Go, show yourselves to the priests," Jesus commanded and as they went, they were healed! Fingers were restored and ulcers disappeared as full sensation returned to their faces and limbs. Certainly they were all happy, but only one was thankful.
Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:17-19
5. Gratitude brings contentment. It's said that gratitude makes what we have enough. If we aren't grateful for what God has given us, getting more won't satisfy us either. Being thankful is the key to contentment.
. . . godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and neither can we carry anything out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 1 Timothy 6:6-8
6. Gratitude leads to joy. The overflow of gratitude is joy. Realizing God's abundant goodness, even in the hard, is a gateway for joy. Psalms 126 shows this so clearly as the Hebrew exiles sang their thanks to God for bringing them back to Israel. It's a psalm I prayed in advance for years.
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm: 126- 1-3.
7. Gratitude is a testimony. When we thank God openly and acknowledge what He's done for us, we proclaim a personal, caring God to the world around us. We show that contentment and peace come not from what we have but Who we know.
Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Psalm 105:1
God has been good to us. So let us spend this week by praising and giving thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.