Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:26-29
What is Your Gratitude Quotient?
Expressing thanks is an important part of our beliefs as Christians. This past Sunday Pastor Jim told us about an article he read on the Gratitude Quotient. The article by Randall Bach outlines three tests of thankfulness that can reveal what’s at the core of our beliefs about being thankful. The Gratitude Quotient is a test of our gratitude and how we handle it.
1. Test of intention – are you intentional with gratitude to and for God or people? Are you really thankful? Do you verbalize your gratitude to God or people? Don’t take the blessings you have for granted without giving them any thought. Be intentional to be grateful for all the blessings you have been given.
2. Test of direction – who do you direct your gratitude to? Are you intentional about who you direct gratitude to? Have you shown God the gratitude you feel for who He is and what He is doing? When was the last time you told someone you were grateful for them? This test of direction should always begin with our gratefulness to God.
3. Test of scale – do you only give thinks in the good times? How about in the middle? When you are in between the good and bad? What about the hard times? What about the times when we don’t understand? When we get in the habit of living out our thankfulness with our whole lives, we can have the perspective and maturity to be thankful in all times. It takes some spiritual maturity to rise above our circumstances, anchor in our faith that God is in control and He will work everything out according to His will, and be grateful for whatever that outcome may be.
We love to celebrate the good things. Nothing is greater than who God is, what God has done for us, what He is doing, and what he will do in the future. This is why we are to live our lives in thanksgiving to Him. It should filter into our thoughts, feelings, actions, relationships, jobs, hobbies, and into our whole life.
Wherever you go today, tomorrow and forever, remember to be intentional with your gratitude to God and others. Remember to direct your gratitude in the right direction and as often as God lays it on your heart. Be obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Lastly, remember to give thanks in the good times, the hard times, and the uncertain and middle times.
Pastor Jim said this past Sunday if you don’t know what God wants you to do, start with being thankful. God will open the doors and lead your steps when the time is right. We are seldom grateful for the wait but most often it is in the waiting that we are transformed. It is in the desert, while we are wandering that we listen and pay attention to Him. It is in the fog of uncertainty that we cling to Him.
Do you trust him enough to thank him for what he will do? Do you have enough faith to turn it over to him and thank him for today and tomorrow – whatever may come?
