As a Christian we should always be so grateful for the gift of salvation. Imagine our passports before we came to Jesus were stamped hell bound and there was nothing, we could do to change our destination for we were bound by sin and hopelessly separated from God. But praise God when Jesus died on the cross, He opened a way for us to have our passports restamped – heaven bound! And I know for me, because of my new eternal destination, my heart is always so full of gratitude for this incredible gift of salvation.
Sadly, many Christians don’t manifest a continuous attitude of gratitude because they focus too much on the trials of life and not on the joy of knowing Jesus and on our awesome eternal destiny. And the beautiful thing about gratitude is that we can always display it no matter how rich or poor we are in life. I love how A. W. Tozer talks about this precious attitude of gratitude: “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.”1
One of my favorite examples, that has proven a great source of encouragement to me, on this whole area of always having an attitude of gratitude can be seen in an event in the life of the well-known eighteenth-century Puritan preacher and Bible scholar, Matthew Henry; whose Bible commentary is still considered one of the most popular of all time.
On one occasion, while living in London, Henry was robbed of his wallet. Knowing that it was his duty to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18), he meditated on this incident and recorded in his diary the following: “Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”2
My friends, what a wonderful perspective to have on life. I love how Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth put it: “God’s command to be thankful is not the threatening demand of a tyrant. Rather, it is the invitation of a lifetime—the opportunity to draw near to Him at any moment of the day.”3 In addition, she said: “The Scripture says that God inhabits the praises of His people (see Psalm 22:3 KJV). God lives in the place of praise. If we want to be where He is, we need to go to His address.”4 So having an attitude of gratitude allows us to enter the very presence of our Lord!
Finally, having a thankful heart in all circumstances will lead to continuous joy and peace since this attitude is well-pleasing to Jesus. And when we please Jesus, He is certain to flood our hearts with supreme joy and a peace which surpasses all understanding!
1 Quotes About Gratitude | ChristianQuotes.info
2 Gratitude is a Choice – FamilyLife®