Cultivating GratitudeSample

Day 5: More Expressions of Gratitude

Praying - Philippians 4:6 reminds us that there is nothing in our lives outside of God’s influence, and that He is the answer to all our needs. The instruction to not be worrying about things revolving around us in our lives is not a request, it is a command; and we are promised that in being thankful for all our circumstances, the Lord will bless us with inexplicable peace. We are to keep talking to the Lord, He loves to hear from us, and in doing this our relationship with Him grows closer as we become more thankful for His sovereignty and authority over our lives. Colossians 4:2: “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

Praising – Hundreds of verses from the beginning to the end of the Bible teach us about the joy we experience when we lift our gratefulness to God with a joyful heart. Psalm 95:2…“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving…” Spending some time in the Psalms will lift you, and show you that you can come before the Lord no matter what your frame of mind is. 

He is always listening for our praise, joy, love and thanksgiving, and in doing so we bless Him and bring Him honor. Revelation 7:12: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Eating – We see in scripture that Jesus lifted His food to the Father in thanks before eating it. This is a clear example of another way we can be grateful to God; as Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:3, for all the “foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” 

By being thankful for the food we have received, we can turn the blessing around, back to Him to express our gratitude to God, and we are both blessed! The key is our conscience, are we eating or drinking in a manner that expresses gratefulness for the need the Lord has provided for? 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Doesn’t this sum up beautifully how we are to live our entire life?! 

Is everything we do, including our praying, praising, eating and drinking, being done in gratitude to God and for His glory?