Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:4–5, ESV)
Our verse of the week tells us to enter God’s presence with an attitude of gratitude. This is a hard thing for me. I often lead with complaint and discontentment. I focus on all that I don’t have rather than the many blessings God has poured into my life.
The wisdom in these verses is for us to enter, begin, start, initiate, and lead with thanks and praise. When we lead with an attitude gratitude it builds faith. When we remember God’s past and present goodness, it gives us confidence in his steadfast love which endures forever.
Gratitude is an attitude. It is not dependent on what we have or don’t have. You can have two people who have been given exactly the same things. One may live grateful everyday while the other lives ungrateful. I have visited places where people have much less than people in America, but have a gratitude we cannot understand.
But gratitude cannot be manufactured. This week we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. This day is designed to nurture gratitude in the hearts of all Americans. But the very next day we claw and fight for the bargains to be found on Black Friday. Have you ever caught the irony of Thanksgiving being followed by Black Friday? Black Friday shows how little of an impact the holiday of Thanksgiving has on making us grateful as a nation.
Our gratitude is a measure of the spiritual condition of our heart. The more and more I am filled with the grace of God the less room I will have for discontentment and dissatisfaction. When we lack gratitude it will lead to envy, anger, and impatience.
Gratitude is an attitude that God develops within us. It is the work of grace and the Holy Spirit in our lives. Gratitude is a gift we receive. We don’t create gratitude but we can certainly nurture it. I want to encourage you to consider how you might more intentionally nurture gratitude in your life. Here are some ideas:
- Keep a daily prayer journal. List what you are thankful for each day.
- Make a practice of writing weekly thank you notes to people who have been a blessing to you.
- Take a prayer walk and reflect upon God’s goodness in creation.
- Set a reminder on your phone or an alarm on your watch to help you daily reset your mind on gratitude.
- Open God’s Word which reminds us of all that God has done for us.
- Serve others with your gifts.
- Limit your exposure to media that is trying to tell you that your life is not complete until you have bought their latest and greatest product.
- Be generous with what you have.
What are some other ways in which you intentionally cultivate gratitude in your life?
The final thing I want to say is thank you for your support and encouragement. I am grateful to have you as a reader of this blog. God’s blessings!
Doris says
Loved your blog Phil <3 very well-written!
Being grateful truly improves the quality of life, from your mental health and wellness to your emotional fortitude. If you feel extra tired to get up and make accomplishments with your day, you should stop this attitude by identifying the things you are still grateful for.
life. You may also check my blog Reasons Be Grateful Every Day
Thanks,
Cheers
Doris