Did you know that always having a thankful heart is not only good medicine for the soul but commanded of us by God. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) tells us: “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I don’t know about you but whenever I read about something being the will of God for me, I take that very seriously. I have also learned in my walk with the Lord that everything that God wants me to do and obey is for my long term benefit and for the advancement of His kingdom on earth.
I believe that God, in His infinite wisdom, understands that a thankful heart generates a tremendous amount of positive energy which then flows to every part of our bodies. Not only that but when we realize that an attitude of gratitude pleases Jesus, we get an extra dose of joy.
And as far as the medicinal value of having a thankful heart, always filled with gratitude, I love how John Henry Jowett puts it: “Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic. This is a most searching and true diagnosis. Gratitude can be a vaccine that can prevent the invasion of a disgruntled attitude. As antitoxins prevent the disastrous effects of certain poisons and diseases, thanksgiving destroys the poison of faultfinding and grumbling. When trouble has smitten us, a spirit of thanksgiving is a soothing antiseptic.”1
So, to sum up, a thankful spirit first, pleases our Savior, second, provides us with many more opportunities to have people ask, “what makes you always so joyful,” thus, opening up wonderful avenues to share the gospel, and third, it can add years to your life through the many medicinal qualities that a smile can bring.
To help you cultivate this wonderful desire to always be thankful, may the following quotes leave you with several other reasons why gratitude is an essential characteristic in the life of a believer.2
“I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way, I can choose to respond in one of two ways: I can whine or I can worship! And I can’t worship without giving thanks. It just isn’t possible. When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance, that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others.” – Joni Eareckson Tada
“The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” – Hannah Whitall Smith
“Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff…Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread.” – Max Lucado
“Thanksgiving is a spiritual exercise, necessary to the building of a healthy soul. It takes us out of the stuffiness of ourselves into the fresh breeze and sunlight of the will of God.” – Elisabeth Elliot
“That the Father and Son would love sinners that much is beyond our comprehension–but it ought to awaken a response of love and gratitude within our hearts that will change our lives forever!” – David Hunt
“The Bible tells us that whenever we come before God, whatever our purpose or prayer request, we are always to come with a thankful heart.” – David Jeremiah
“Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“If we comprehend what Christ has done for us, then surely out of gratitude we will strive to live ‘worthy’ of such great love. We will strive for holiness not to make God love us but because He already does.” – Philip Yancey
“A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution.” – Billy Graham
“We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.” – J. I. Packer
“Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.” – Andrew Murray
“This way of seeing our Father in everything makes life one long thanksgiving and gives a rest of heart, and, more than that, a gayety of spirit, that is unspeakable.” – Hannah Whitall Smith
“God wants to see prayers that are filled with genuine praise and thanksgiving for what He has done in the past. He wants our hearts to be filled with awe and gratitude for His blessings. He wants us to set up memorials in our hearts testifying to the provisions He has given us.” – Michael Youssef
“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” – Harry Ironside
1 TOP 19 QUOTES BY JOHN HENRY JOWETT | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
2 All of these quotes are from the websites below: