As Christians, there are two things that should be at the forefront of our lives and that is walking in love and having a thankful heart. Why:
Because the Bible says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1–2 (ESV) and
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thess. 5:18
For a Christian, living a thankful life everyday is not just for Thanksgiving, but a everyday 24/7 life. A thankful life changes who you are, it transforms you into the creation God called you to.
Thanksgiving brings forth supernatural results. Thanksgiving is something we do every day.
The more we cultivate a thankful life the more our heart will begin to beat like the heart of Jesus. There will be less complaining, less coveting, less selfish attitudes, less haughtiness. There will be more joy, more sharing, more contentment, and more internal peace.
I believe it is time for us to reflect and give thanks for all that God has blessed us with. Our families, our children/grandchildren, health and healing in our bodies, peace of mind, every need meet, and all the people we are thankful for, and we love.
It gives us the perfect opportunity to transform our lives from those of discontentment and dissatisfaction to lives of joy, peace, and gratitude.
Every day we have a choice. We can live thankfully, or we can live dissatisfied. We can be grateful for all the blessings God has brought into our lives, or we can murmur and complain about all that we do not have. Hopefully, we choose to live with thanks.
I believe we all have been in situations when we received something we did not deserve. Every day we all are recipients of God’s grace, which is God’s unmerited favor. Whether it is just life or the ingenuity we were created with, God’s grace is a reason for us to be thankful.
Aside from God, two of the most valuable things in this life are life and good health so let us be thankful. God want us to be of thanksgiving and gratitude.
“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:8
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What Does It Mean to Live a Life of Thankfulness?
During times like the ones we are living, I am constantly reminded of the importance of thankfulness and the positive effect this has on our attitude and our life in general.
We have so many reasons to be thankful and to live a thankful life every day. Even when face with challenges in our lives, some good and some sad. Some perfect, and some not so perfect. Even in the worst situations there is always a reason to give thanks.
The apostles Paul and Silas were falsely accused, arrested, and put into jail. They were beaten with rods and thrown into the inner prison; their feet placed in stocks. “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). Even in pain, they were singing and praising God. Later, because of their testimony the jailor was saved.
You were made for God. You are His special creation. You are chosen. He formed you and He made you because He loves you. The reason you are to get up each and every morning is to fulfill the purpose that God has for your life.
And it is a great purpose – a wonderful purpose. In fact, God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, that He has a “good plan” for you when you seek Him and His will for your life.
God has a good plan just for you.
The God who created you for Himself has never made any mistakes. There have been no failures or flaws in His plan for you. Yes, there are trials that you may have to endure. But the negative realities that you may be facing, or have faced, will work together for good if you love God, draw near to God … experience God. He promises.
God’s word tells us that, “in all these things (trials, struggles, emptiness, pain) we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
God never promised to deliver us from all things. He has promised that “in all these things” we will overwhelmingly conquer. We will experience Him. We will receive the benefits and blessings that come only through our deep and meaningful experience of Him when we give Him thanks through it all.
Living a thankful life every day warms my heart, and I want it to warm yours, too. Life is too important and too short to miss out on all that God has for you.
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— 1 Corinthians 2:9
We need to cultivate a lifestyle that always looks like God’s grace. An attitude of thanksgiving should dominate the life of the believer. Thanking God for His grace and loving-kindness instead of complaining about our losses takes a great deal of energy and persistence.
“The joy of the Lord is our strength” (Neh. 8:10). Satan is trying to cut you off from one of our greatest sources of power. Thankfulness. There’s power in thanksgiving.
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called . . . Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. – 1 Timothy 6:11-12,17
I believe when we embrace living a thankful life every day, it allows us to be a much kinder person, forever changed, and transformed. Words of praise should be on our lips and in our hearts daily.
God’s word tells us in Psalm 100, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God……Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”
Thanking God is not a matter of protocol or politeness. It goes far beyond that. It goes to the very heart of what we really think about God. Through thanksgiving, we give credit to God as our Creator and keep him at the head of our lives.
All the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 flow from the spring of a thankful heart. When we remember with thanksgiving that God has demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, we are motivated to do likewise.
If we are grateful, we will have joy, even in trials because we know that God is working all things, even our trials, for our good. If we are thankful for what we have instead of grumbling because of what we do not have.
If we are thankful for God’s provision instead of complaining about our problems, we will have a general sense of contentment and peace.
God has expressed his goodness towards us is that he has been patient with us, faithful to us, kind to us, gentle with us, and given us His precious Holy Spirit to help us overcome and avoid temptation (self-control). When we think of the grace and goodness of God, it encourages us, motivates us, and compels us to do likewise.
RELATED: 50 Gratitude Quotes That Will Inspire You To Be Grateful
What are the Characteristics of a Thankful Person?
Being thankful is a way of life for a Christian, and thankfulness is an important part. It is what God commands us to do. Now being thankful is much more necessary and essential than most people realize.
To be a growing, joyful, fruitful, contented and truly blessed believer, you need to be thankful. But sad to say, many Christians are not as thankful as they should be, resulting in problems and struggles in their lives, in their relationships with others, and with God Himself.
What does it mean to be thankful? It comes from the Greek word “charis” and is translated grace. A person who is thankful realizes that who he is, what he has, what he has accomplished and what he owns and possesses, is not from himself or others, but is from God, and is by God’s grace.
In John 3:27, John the Baptist says, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.”
1 Corinthians 4:7 tells us, “What do you have that you did not receive?”
In 1 Chronicles 29:13-14, David says, “Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name… Who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.”
Today, more than ever, there is a need to thankful and grateful like never before. There is also a need for people who possess the kind of personality traits and characteristics that show they know how to be thankful in the world today. Not every day will be picture perfect, but you can always find something good in every day. Always be thankful.
Related: The Power of Gratitude: 12 Benefits of Giving God Thanks
Here are four characteristics of a thankful person.
1. Thankful people are humble and always thankful. Humble people are not seeking or self-absorbed. They enjoy letting people talk about themselves, and their interests. Thankful people feel full and content and do not need to ramble on to feel accepted or receive accolades. They are confident standing alone.
2. Thankful people encourage others. They are not afraid to let others stand out. Matter a fact, they encourage others successes.to They are not threatened by others’ successes. Grateful people can encourage others because they are aware of how their own lives have been positively affected. They can see the things they have to be thankful for, so they can help others to see the many ways they too can be thankful.
3. Thankful people are compassionate. Compassion is defined as the ability to understand the emotional state of another person. Moreover, it encompasses understanding our own emotional state.
As a result, compassion motivates and challenge us to help and support others. It inspires us to do what we can to help another person who are going through hard times.
In fact, compassion literally means, “to suffer together.”
4. Thankful people love God.
Jesus said to him, “‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37 – 40)
Loving God with your whole heart is the key to everything in life because your relationship with God affects everything and everyone in your life. It is impossible to love God too much; however, it is easy to fall short of loving Him with your whole heart.
God says in everything give thanks for this is His will for you in Christ Jesus. Right now, you may be saying I cannot be thankful for the tragedy or wrong that happened to me.
You may even be in a current situation that is very painful. But your choice in every situation is to either be angry with God or thankful. You think that you love God, but you also admit that you are angry at people who have hurt you.
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20) If you will decide to be thankful to God for the situation, recognizing that it is God’s will for you, then the hate and anger will be replaced by love, even for the people who have hurt you. Love always brings revelation, allowing you to see things and people in God’s light.
List of Things to Be Thankful to God For
Have you ever stopped to think about the goodness of God, and all that He has done for you? Do you ever stop and just raise your hands, and thank God for what He has done for you in your life? It is so important, as Christians, that we humble ourselves before God and show true appreciation and thankfulness for all that our Father has done and provided us with. Just thinking about what He has done for me, bring joy to my heart.
I am so grateful to God for His unconditional, everlasting love, grace, and mercy. He has given me a second chance; He has given me life have been made anew. My sins have been forgiven and washed away with the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for me. This is what I am grateful for.
1. PRAYER
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).
Praying is the direct channel between us and Him and it allows us to strengthen our faith in Him. This is such a great way to be thankful towards God by thanking Him for all that He has given you as well as showing appreciation towards Him hearing and answering your prayers.
Philippians 4:6, it states that we should be giving thanks to God in all that we pray about and let all our requests be made known to Him.
2. STUDYING/READING THE BIBLE
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
Spend time every day studying, reading, memorize the Word of God daily. God has provided us the perfect tool on how to live our lives and understand who He is and how to worship Him. Be thankful to God for His word and your ability to read and understand it (through the Holy Spirit).
3. SERVING AND LOVING OTHERS
“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).
We can be thankful to God by serving and loving others. This is when we can help others who are in need such as volunteer work, donating to charity and so on. We want to share the same level of love, kindness and support that God gives to us, onto others.
4. SHARING THE GOSPEL
“And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Jesus commanded us to go into the world and preach unto every creature. He wants us to spread the good news and help others see the truth of God and the Bible. Through this, we are thanking God for all that He has done for us, for opening our eyes to see the truth and to believe in the goodness of His son, Jesus. We want others to see and feel the way that we do!
5. EMBRACING THE LOVE OF GOD’S GRACE
“We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Embracing God’s love and grace for us in all that we do, think, and say is showing God how much He means to us. We love Him because He loved us first. We embrace His unconditional love and grace because of all that He has done for us.
When Jesus came to earth, He did everything in accordance to God’s Will. In all that He did and said was to glorify Him. We need to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and put God first. God must increase and we must decrease. Which is your favorite way to show thankfulness towards God?
Thankful Quotes for Life
When you can take time to focus on what you are thankful for instead of all the problems in your life can change how you think of everything.
Whether you’re looking for a thankful quote to share with loved ones, a self-reminder to yourself about gratitude, or a way to design your thank you card, I am providing following intuitive thankful quotes to help you express your sentiment.
1. “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher
2. “If you want to find happiness, find gratitude.”— Steve Maraboli
3. “Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.”— Rumi
4. “I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, happy and I am loved.” – Reba McEntire
5. “I’m just thankful I’m surrounded by good people.” – Jon Pardi
6. “There’s no happier person than a truly thankful, content person.” – Joyce Meyer
7. “We don’t need more to be thankful for, we just need to be more thankful.” – Carlos Castaneda
8. “Sometimes the little things in life mean the most.” – Ellen Hopkins
9. “When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength.” – Tecumseh
10. “Take as a gift whatever the day brings forth.” – Horace
Thankful Quotes for appreciating your family
11. “My advice: Take a second out of the day and be thankful for your family.” – Jenna Morasca
12. “Family is the most important thing in the world.” – Princess Diana
13. “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” – Michael J. Fox
14. “I am thankful for each and every day that I am blessed to receive, to spend in this life with my family.” – Karen Madewell
15. “Rest and be thankful.” – William Wordsworth
16. “The most important thing in the world is family and love.” – John Wooden
17. “Family is a unique gift that needs to be appreciated and treasured, even when they’re driving you crazy. As much as they make you mad, interrupt you, annoy you, curse at you, try to control you, these are the people who know you the best and who love you.” – Jenna Morasca
18. “The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family.” – Lee Lacocca
Prayer
Father, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for this time that we come together in a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving. Thank You, God, for Your goodness and Your grace to every person here. Thank You that You have provided for all our needs abundantly at the Cross.
I thank You, God, that it is Your perfect will that not one of us be burdened with sickness or disease. So, we take healing right now in Jesus’ Name. We curse every attempt of the enemy against any and every member of this family right now in the Name of Jesus.
I plead the blood of Jesus over every person under the sound of my voice. I speak Psalm 91 protection over them and declare that angels protect them wherever they go.
For those who do not know You, Lord, I pray right now that Your love, mercy, and grace would overwhelm them—that they might see and know how much You love them, to the point of dying to save them. Help them to know that no matter what they have done, you love them, and when they come to You, they are forgiven. Cause them to see that the Great Hope we have in this life is because we have been made Your sons and daughters.
We thank You for blessing us as a family, for blessing this nation, and for blessing Your Church. We ask that You use us to further Your Kingdom and obey You in all things.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Thank You!