We often hear that as Christians we should always have an attitude of gratitude. There are so many reasons why we should cultivate a heart of gratitude, but in this devotion I will list three of the main ones.
It’s God’s will for us
We read in (1 Thessalonians 5:18): “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” As a Christian we should always want to do God’s will because it shows we love Him and trust Him. It also shows we want to be obedient to His desires for our life. To be ungrateful or to have a complaining spirit clearly takes us out of God’s will. So, let’s make a covenant with our hearts to always have an attitude of gratitude.
A thankful heart brings positive mental and emotional health
(Proverbs 17:22) states: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Did you know that a thankful heart is better for your mental and emotional health than any vitamin. Being thankful has a wonderful way of banishing negativity which so often weighs adversely on our emotional well-being. Thankful people even make others around them feel better. Having an attitude of gratitude is the best way I know of to improve one’s down in the dumps state of mind.
A heart of gratitude glorifies God
I can think of nothing as important then to glorify God through our thoughts, words, and actions. And when we offer up thanksgiving to God we do just that. Psalm (50:23 ESV) says: “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.” And I personally believe that when you offer up thanksgiving to God when you are going through difficult times you will receive a double blessing. When you are thankful to God during trials it shows you trust Him to turn even the darkest moments into blessings. God is in the business of turning negative situations into positive outcomes. Remember the story when Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. We read near the end of Genesis the outcome: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20). So, thank God at all times – it brings Him glory!
Over the years I have seen many Christians forfeit the joys that following Jesus should always bring because they let circumstances determine whether they will be thankful or not. But thankfulness should never depend on the circumstances we find ourselves in but in the God we serve. And since God is always worthy to be praised because of His great love for us, let’s choose gratitude as our moment by moment attitude in life.
Below are some of the best quotes on the subject of gratitude and thanksgiving that I have found. I pray you will take them to heart and meditate on them. I guarantee you that if you put them into practice they will revolutionize your life!1
“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.” – AW Tozer
“Giving thanks to God for both His temporal and spiritual blessings in our lives is not just a nice thing to do – it is the moral will of God. Failure to give Him the thanks due Him is sin.” – Jerry Bridges
“No matter what our circumstances, we can find a reason to be thankful.” – Dr. David Jeremiah
“In happy moments, praise God. In difficult moments, seek God. In quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.” – Rick Warren
“An active faith can give thanks for a promise, though it is not as yet performed, knowing that God’s bonds are as good as ready money.” – Matthew Henry
“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” – Harry Ironside
“Gratitude produces deep, abiding joy because we know that God is working in us, even through difficulties.” – Charles Stanley
“Yes, give thanks for “all things” for, as it has been well said, “Our disappointments are but His appointments.” – A.W. Pink
“Thanksgiving is the language of heaven, and we had better start to learn it if we are not to be mere dumb aliens there.” – A. J. Gossip
“There should be a parallel between our supplications and our thanksgivings. We ought not to leap in prayer, and limp in praise.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“If there was ever a secret for unleashing God’s powerful peace in a situation, it’s developing a heart of true thanksgiving.” – Lysa TerKeurst
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
“A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer’s trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer’s heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord.” – John MacArthur
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G. K. Chesterton
“Spiritual joy is what you experience when you choose to give thanks to God no matter what happens – even when things go wrong.” – Jim George
“God is in control, and therefore in everything I can give thanks – not because of the situation but because of the One who directs and rules over it.” – Kay Arthur
“The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude.” – Max Lucado
“Grumbling and gratitude are, for the child of God, in conflict. Be grateful and you won’t grumble. Grumble and you won’t be grateful.” – Billy Graham
“The key to thankfulness is not to view God through the lens of our circumstances, but to view our circumstances through the lens of God’s love and sovereign purpose.” – Anne Graham Lotz
1 All of these quotations listed in this devotion are from the following websites:
Christian Thanksgiving Quotes – 45 Christian Sayings on Thanksgiving (holyspiritelpaso.org)
21 Christian Thanksgiving Quotes on Gratitude (learnreligions.com)