Thankful

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced… Psalm 105:1-5

It’s Thanksgiving week and hopefully you are thinking a little more about all the blessings you have.  If you are not, then stop and take a moment to really reflect on the many blessings in your life.  Then take action to let God and those special people in your life just how grateful you are.

Thankful
Gratitude must be expressed TO someone. It’s not enough to just feel thankful. We must express our thanks to someone, being grateful for what they have done. That is why we call it "Thanksgiving." We give thanks. We don’t just feel thankful. We need to tell people what they have done that has benefited and blessed us. 

God Deserves Our Thanks For Many Things With Which We Are Blessed 

You can thank God for the air you breathe, the rain that waters the soil, and the abundant variety of foods that grace our table. ​You have God to thank for a healthy body, a sound mind, eyes that see, and ears to hear. You can thank Almighty God for an inspired, preserved Word of Truth upon which we can build our lives. And you have no one to thank but God for the precious gift of salvation. 

Yet, others deserve our thanks for the many good things they contribute to our lives. When was the last time you thanked a friend for their friendship? How long has it been since you thanked your mate for their commitment to your marriage? Have you ever thanked your employer for giving you a job that puts food on your table and a roof over your head? How about thanking your parents for all the sacrifices they have made to make you successful? 

Gratitude Must Be Expressed The psalmist tells us to "give" thanks, to "make known" what God has done.  We are to "talk" of all His wondrous works. If you are grateful, tell it, sing it, shout it, but don’t bottle it up inside of you. Don’t take it for granted that people will know you are grateful, or what you are thankful for.

Both Gratitude And Ingratitude Are Contagious
Don’t you find it somewhat depressing that people almost always know of our complaints, but seldom know how we have been blessed? We are so quick to share our latest trials, no matter how trivial, but it takes a "big blessing" before we think to share something good. Can you imagine how different life would be if we spent as much time in sharing our blessings as we do in airing our complaints?

Whether you realize it or not, both gratitude and grumbling are learned habits. You simply develop a habit of focusing on the good things around you or the things you don’t like, the things that can make you happy, or the things that add hardship to your life.
It becomes a habit to be grateful, or to grumble. Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to fall into the habit of complaining. That is why we need the special encouragement God gives us in His Word to be grateful. We need to be reminded that God is good. We need to be prodded to remember how He has blessed us.

Scripture to Claim:Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. Psalm 95:2-4