Beneficial Reasons to Celebrate and to Be Thankful For Life
1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
It’s true, isn’t it, that travelling from theory to reality is a long journey. It is only a 16 inch journey from your head to your heart, but sometimes it takes a while to get there. We are helped by the Holy Spirit whose work is to take the theory of God’s word and teach us how to appropriate it into our everyday life. I know of no other more practical transition than learning to be thankful on a daily basis, being thankful is vitally important.
The word thanksgiving occurs 28 times in the Bible, and the phrases give thanks and give God thanks occur 40 times. The words thank and God occur in the same verse 14 times, thanks and God is used together 22 times, and thank or thanks and Lord appear together over 40 times.
A Grateful Person is one Who Has Learned to Focus on the Good Things of God
In Their Life, Not on the Things they do not possess. Eph 5:20
The words “Thank You” are two of the most important words; which are appreciated in any language. They are a kindly reward for a job well-done, just two simple words, yet powerful enough to lift our spirits when we feel no one cares. The opposite response is being ungrateful which can be a form of selfishness and often pride. An important key, I believe, to living a joyful life despite the not-so-good things that occasionally happen to us, is being a grateful person.
Thankful People do not see the Need to Compare themselves with Others and don’t Feel Badly if their Lifestyle does not Compare. They know that in Christ They Will Always be Taken Care of. Col 1:12
As a Christian, I realize how rich I am in Christ. As a follower of Christ, I am thankful for the inner peace He has given me in my heart. As a servant of Christ my eyes are opened to see His beauty all around me. As one who studies His word, I realize there are always good things that follow the bad things that happen. As a seeker of Christ I am focused on living a life of gratitude. And as one who has been freed by Christ, I take joy in the fact that He has removed the debris and excess clutter that kept me from being joyful when experiencing difficult times. As His disciples, we realize that joy is not found in our possessions. Being thankful people helps us to value our life in Christ far more than we value physical belongings.
Contentment makes people Grateful for a God Who Provides. Philip 4:11-13
Contentment is the lifeblood of gratefulness. Contentment looks to God as its source. And without it, the journey towards remaining thankful is short-lived. Discontent and ingratitude will always rear their ugly heads trying to become the road blocks that will keep us from fully thriving as thankful people.
A Thankful Person lives to Satisfy Christ in all they say and do by maintaining
A Generous Attitude of Thankfulness. 2 Thes 2:13
Becoming and remaining truly thankful must become a daily habit. Ephesians 5:19 says, “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.” Always is the key word. Not just on Thanksgiving, but every day. If you have food to eat, a roof over your head, a car or any form of transportation, if you are not starving, living in a war torn area, being tortured for your faith, living in a cave, or running for your life because of your stance for Christ, then you have MUCH to be thankful for. Every day almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes – that’s one child every five seconds. You have MUCH to be grateful for!
Let’s make every day a Thanksgiving Day by becoming extremely grateful for all our benefits and blessings. Let’s express it to God and those around us by being kind-hearted and generous to the less-fortunate as often as we can. God is on your side, and He Will take care of you! BE THANKFUL.
Meet the Author
Alan Bullock
Alan Bullock has a BA in Biblical Studies, a Master’s Degree in Biblical Counseling, and an earned Doctor of Theology. In addition, Alan is a Certified Pastor Counselor, a member of The International Association of Christian Counseling Professionals (IACCP), and also a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC).