Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 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
As Christians, gratitude should be a part of our daily lifestyles. And thankfully, the Bible reveals some godly habits you and I need to develop to truly be thankful people!
The first habit is joyfulness. First Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Rejoice always.” Now, it’s important to remember that this kind of joy isn’t found in your external circumstances. It’s found by focusing on Jesus in the midst of your circumstances.
The second habit of a thankful person is prayerfulness. First Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing.” Now, I know this sounds like a tall order! But the Scripture is telling you and me that we need to live life with a mindfulness of God’s presence all the time. We do this by acknowledging Him throughout the day and developing a habit of talking to Him about every experience we have in life, whether it’s good or bad.
The third habit of a thankful person is, well, being intentional about being thankful! First Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances…” This doesn’t mean we’d call everything we see or experience if life “good,” it means that in the midst of everything, God is good. And because God is good all the time, you have a reason to be thankful no matter what you’re going through today!
Finally, being thankful requires the habit of hopefulness. Now, I’m not talking about wishful thinking here. I’m talking about believing what God says… that as a believer, you can become more and more like Jesus and that you will be with Him one day in heaven.
So what about you? Are you living in joyfulness… prayerfulness… thankfulness… and hopefulness? Remember, these habits are actually commands! So I challenge you this day… and every day… to cultivate these important qualities in your life!
Is gratitude a part of your daily lifestyle?
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
Luke 24:44
Charles Spurgeon told of a veteran Welsh preacher who gave some advice to a new minister regarding the importance of preaching about Jesus. The old minister said, “Young man, from every town and every village, and every little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London. And so from every text in Scripture, there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. And my dear brother, your business is when you go to a text, to say, ‘Now what is the road to Christ?’ and then preach a sermon, running along the road to the great metropolis—Christ. And I have never yet found a text that has not got a road to Christ in it.”
The Jewish people divided what we now call the Old Testament into three sections—the law, prophets, and psalms. In His first appearance to the disciples following His resurrection, Jesus declared to them that all of the sections of Scripture told of His coming—and that He had fulfilled the prophecies exactly as God had given them to the inspired prophets of old. They had spoken of His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection; and He had lived just as they said.
In addition to being a powerful statement about the complete reliability of Scripture, this is a pattern for us to follow in our lives and ministry. Jesus is to be at the center of everything we do. Paul said, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The focus of our efforts should not be anything other than our blessed and wonderful Saviour.
Today’s Growth Principle:
If we make much of Jesus and glorify Him, we have fulfilled our great duty as His children.
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