Thanksgiving + “The Power of Gratitude”
The Power of Gratitude.
Over the last few weeks, or maybe month, I have been thinking about gratitude and thankfulness. It has been coming to my mind quite frequently, and I want to try to “capture” a few thoughts. Not exactly sure what this will be, except for that: THOUGHTS.
1. I have been thinking of how when someone is thankful, you want to do more for them; give more to them. There are people who are so thankful and overjoyed when you give them something that it makes you want to shower them with more. They display a genuine appreciation for the smallest acts of kindness.
This reminds me of when Jude was turning 2, 3, and 4, and every gift he opened, he GUSHED with thanksgiving. He was so tiny, but he would go on and on and say “thank you” so sincerely for each gift. I remember that someone had wrapped one of his gifts in a microwave popcorn box. He thought it was popcorn and gave the same level of thanks for microwave popcorn as he had for everything else.
Give me that kind of heart God, that appreciates absolutely every single thing you give. You give good gifts (Matthew 7:11), even when they come wrapped in “popcorn boxes.”
I truly believe giving thanks invited God to work and bless our lives more. This is not a manipulation tactic. This is cultivating a heart that is THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING.
So many times, our expectations keep us from being THANKFUL. We expect that we should’ve been given the opportunity. We expect that we should have what they have. We expect that God should’ve done X, Y, or Z by now. But thanksgiving helps us look at what we DO have instead of what we don’t. If we expect nothing, we appreciate everything. When I step back and realize that I don’t even deserve salvation, every other thing is “icing on the cake.” Even the tiniest blessings are undeserved and unexpected, and therefore, appreciated.
Thank you, Jesus, for EVERYTHING…even the things that are still in “popcorn boxes.”
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give GOOD THINGS to them that ask Him?” (Matthew 7:11)
What He has given is good. <3
2. Gratitude is a gateway into His presence. “Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING and into His courts with praise: BE THANKFUL unto Him and bless His name.” (Psalms 100:4)
Years ago, when I first started praying, I used this verse every day, and I would envision myself drawing closer to His throne by THANKSGIVING and praise. He worked so powerfully in my life through the act of GIVING THANKS. Thanksgiving took me into His presence.
3. Gratitude is a pathway to CONTENTMENT and helps guard against the sin of COVETOUSNESS. The writer of Hebrews wrote: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5—NKJV) “Thou shalt not covet” is the final of the Ten Commandments. Wanting (longing for) what others have is a sin. That cuts across the grain of our first-world mindset. Ouch. But through GRATITUDE, we can LEARN contentment. “I have learned to be content.” (Paul—Philippians 4:11) Paul wrote to Timothy and said, “Yet true godliness with CONTENTMENT is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing into this world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8—NLT) It is IN giving thanks for what we have that we truly learn to appreciate it and LEARN to be content.
4. Gratitude and thanksgiving give us fresh perspective and magnifies God and His blessings. “I will praise the name of God with a song, and I will MAGNIFY Him with THANKSGIVING.” (Psalm 69:30) Being thankful; intentionally choosing GRATITUDE magnifies God. It reminds us that HE is way bigger than any problem. HE is the source and Creator of all. Thanksgiving shifts our eyes off of what is wrong and onto WHO’s RIGHT. He’s so big, that He’s always up to the task. <3
5. Thanksgiving guards against deception. (Running low on time, but quickly…) Romans 1 paints this picture: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:21-22—ESV) A lack of thanking God was an open door to deception.
The Bible has so much to say about THANKSGIVING and GRATITUDE and so do my thoughts, but I only have time to write about one final thing for today…
6. Thanksgiving allows God to work in and our lives in greater ways and heal in greater measure. (This thought is not original to me…I’m sure many have preached it. I personally was so impacted by Luke Levine preaching this concept years ago.) Luke 17 includes a story that so beautifully illustrates the powerful affects of GIVING THANKS…Luke 17:12-19: “And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”
Ok. I wish I had hours to write about that, but my desk is calling.
All 10 of these leprous men received a measure of healing. They all had their leprosy “cleansed.” But the single, solitary man who came back, giving thanks at the feet of Jesus, GOT THE WHOLE MIRACLE. He was MADE WHOLE as a simple result of gratitude. His THANKSGIVING was equated with faith by Jesus. Jesus asked where everyone else was: “Where are the 9?” They only received part of that miracle…their leprous condition was reversed. They were granted re-entry into society, but they had to live out their days without the pieces and appendages that their illness had robbed them of. But the one leper who went back to say THANK YOU to Jesus, got the whole miracle. He didn’t just get healing, he got WHOLENESS. “Thy faith…” thy faith displayed in this humble act of deep, sincere gratitude, “has made you whole.” (Luke 17:19)
To say that gratitude is powerful is an understatement. Again, thanksgiving is not a means of manipulation. Gratitude is and attitude. It is a frame of mind…it is a heart condition that has to be cultivated. It is a practice that becomes a lifestyle. Gratitude takes what I have and reminds me that it’s from Him and it is enough.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you for joining me for this journey!
Go grab your Bible and your journal!
I look forward to the power of this habit in your life.