Hard to believe it is November already! This month, leading up to Thanksgiving I want to spend the time dwelling on gratitude. What does it mean to be thankful? Why should we be thankful? How can we be thankful?
We will be focusing on the fact that thankfulness is an action. Most of the time, I say things like, “develop the attitude of gratitude” and focus on the way we feel about something. However, thankfulness isn’t complete until it’s demonstrated.
Consider what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:4–9:
[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Let’s zero in on the “with thanksgiving” part. If thanksgiving isn’t complete until it’s demonstrated, how do we see the demonstration of thankfulness in this passage?
It starts with “rejoice in the Lord,” which is to appreciate and enjoy our God. How can we rejoice in the Lord if we are not thankful for Him? Rejoicing, or praising God, is an action of a grateful heart.
Choosing not to worry about anything is an act of thankfulness. Recognizing God is there, that He is in control and He has your back so you don’t have to worry is the action of a grateful heart.
The way we approach God with our requests is to be thankful that we can approach His throne of grace (Heb 4:16). It is a privilege to have an audience with the One true God, and we can only approach Him because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
A grateful heart that demonstrates thankfulness through praise, not worrying and taking our requests before Him will lead us to the peace of God in Christ Jesus. Learning to be thankful and acting/speaking out in that gratitude results in harmony with God and peace in our circumstances. This peace of God defies human reasoning and draws us in to a closer walk with Him.
An act of thankfulness is to train our minds and our desires to focus on the things that reproduce joy and gratitude in our lives. These are the things that are “true, honorable, just, pure, lovely…” and the such. It doesn’t come naturally, it is something we have to work on.
What are you thankful for today? How have you expressed that thankfulness? Remember, thankfulness isn’t complete until you share it.
