In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”–1 Thess.5:18   Someone said,” The foundation of gratitude is the expectation of nothing.” I believe there is a better way to look at it. As a child of God I do expect some things–the Bible teaches us to do so.As we yield ourselves to God’s will we can expect that He will supply all our needs (Matt.6:33).We should expect that, and we should be thankful for it. There’s nothing wrong with expecting God to keep His promise—there is something wrong if we don’t. God is honored when we trust Him.   The best way to develop a grateful heart is to realize that we don’t deserve anything–we really don’t! Think about it this way—Those who don’t deserve anything should be thankful for everything. That way our gratitude is rooted and grounded in grace. How can we not be grateful when we realize that everything we have is the result of God’s grace? No one is earning their way with God–nobody! “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father–“(James 1:17).   As long as we think we deserve more, bigger, and better we will fail to be grateful. When we understand that we are just sinners saved by grace, deserving of hell, it is much easier to accept what God allows and to appreciate what God provides. Although we are totally undeserving, we are joint-heirs with Christ.Be thankful! If God never did anything but save us from hell we would have no reason to complain.

“But I don’t feel thankful.” I can hear this perfectly logical complaint coming from my kids when I make them say “Thank you” for some act of kindness done toward them. Should we really act grateful when we are not?

But perhaps the better question is, “How could we be so blind to all that God has done that we would ever be ungrateful?”

When the Pilgrims ate the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621, they were being thankful even though they had seen horrific tragedies from the very beginning of their experiment in this new land.

“The Mayflower remained in New England with the colonists throughout the terrible first winter. Although the ship was cold, damp and unheated, it did provide a defense against the rigorous New England winter until houses could be completed ashore. Nevertheless, exposure, malnutrition and illness led to the death of half the group, both passengers and crewmen. There were four deaths (and one birth – Peregrine White) during the month they spent at the tip of Cape Cod. The remainder of the winter saw the deaths of another 40 or 41 colonists. At the lowest ebb, only seven people were healthy enough to tend the sick. On January 14, a fire destroyed the thatched roof on their first structure or “rendezvous” but fortunately none of the sick people that lay within were hurt. A second fire a month later was put out without incident.” (Plimoth Plantation web site, www.Plimoth.org).

Experiencing the loss of loved ones and all normal conveniences and even basic necessities has a way of heightening one’s appreciation for God’s most mundane mercies.

It all has to do with our starting place. What do you think you deserve? If you deserve to be six feet under with your soul writhing in hell, then you’re bound to have an elevated motivation to be thankful for any mercy at all. Even a few drops of water on the tip of the rich man’s tongue, as in Jesus’ Luke 16 story, could elicit thanks, if you felt what you really deserve.

The problem with being thankful is not so much one of manners as it is of alertness to the facts, that is, simply having open eyes to what is true. And it is true that you and I deserve nothing good. No, more than that, we deserve everything bad-an eternity in hell.

Sure, it makes sense to teach our kids to say “thanks” even when they don’t feel like it. It is a reasonable service to others and makes our world much more pleasant to live in.

But we could probably nip ungratefulness in the bud if we could ever learn well what we deserve because of our sins.

Try this mental exercise this Thanksgiving when you are feasting on turkey and dressing and enjoying a warm and comfortable home or apartment. Stop for a moment and look around you at the abundance, the family, the nice clothes you have and all you enjoy, and then say to yourself, “I deserve hell.” Repeat it several times and believe it because it is true.

Then thank God for even the next breath you are given. Because it is only “in Him” that we “live and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:26)-By Jim Elliff

So we, thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever….
Psalm 79:13

Erma Bombeck once wrote about the subject of thankfulness, saying that when she forgot to be thankful among cancer survivors, she would hear the voice of a particular eight-year-old named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When Christina was asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought for a moment and then responded by saying “I don’t know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!”

Sometimes a momentary thought about someone other than ourselves is all it takes to remind us to be thankful for what we have and who we are. In the same way, when we turn our attention away from ourselves and upward, toward the Giver of all life, the many blessings He has poured out on us come rushing back and overwhelm us with thanksgiving.

If we find ourselves complaining about our situation or longing for a better life, we need to take a few moments to worship God and allow His goodness to wash over us until we are consumed with gratitude. (From Turning Point)

The optimist says, the cup is half full. The pessimist says, the cup is half empty. The child of God says, my cup runneth over.
Anonymous

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

I truly believe that this commandment, to thank God at all times for all things, is perhaps the hardest in all of the Bible to practice. But it is the secret to a happy and productive life.

When Should We Be Thankful?
I want you to notice several things about this passage of Scripture. First, I want you to notice when we should be thankful. We are to give thanks always. If Paul had said sometimes, that wouldn’t be so hard. But he clearly said always.

Now we’re coming to Thanksgiving Day, but you and I both know that one day is not enough. Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits…” Every day you get a fresh load. You should never pray without thanking God.

Why should God give you anything else if you don’t thank Him for what He’s already given you? Many of us need to pull out some of the groans and shove in some hallelujahs into our prayers. If you don’t already, begin putting some thank you‘s in your prayers.

For What Do We Give Thanks?
And what should we our thanks be for? For all things! Thank God for your faith, for your friends, for your food, and for the water you drink? You may ask, “Do I have to thank God for dirty dishes?” Well, a lot of people would like to have some dirty dishes; that would mean they had something to eat. But also, just be thankful for your fortune – the things that God has given you and done for you.

In church, a family heard of a couple giving a significant love offering in memory of their son who had died on the battlefield. On the way home, the wife asked her husband, “Why don’t we give an offering of an equal amount for our son?” He said, “Why? Our son wasn’t killed.” She replied, “Don’t you think that’s a good reason to give an offering?”

How Do We Give God Thanks?
But how? How is it possible to thank God always for all things? Beginning in verse eighteen, Paul says it is possible because of three things. First of all, we are to give thanks in the Spirit. He says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” You see, to be Spirit filled is to be thankful. If you’re not thankful, you’re not Spirit filled. In contrast, there is no way you can be Spirit filled and be unthankful. The mark of a Spirit filled life is gratefulness.

So give thanks in the Spirit, and verse twenty says to give thanks “unto God and the Father.” James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Don’t think negatively about God. God is good. He is your Father.

So, in the Spirit … unto the Father … and through the Son. Verse twenty also says to give thanks “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” You thank God in the name or with the authority of Christ. You don’t have to understand all that God is doing. Even if you don’t understand it, you can just say, “In the name of Jesus, I thank You.”

Make it your daily habit, as I do, to lift your heart to God in praise as you get out of bed each morning. Just say, “Lord God, I love You, and I praise You.” What a great way to start your day and to live your life!

Four Levels of Life
In closing, I want you to think about something. There are basically four levels of life. The first is represented by people who are constantly complaining and grumbling. They brighten up a room just by leaving it.

The second includes people who just live lives of ingratitude. They don’t complain, but they never thank God for His obvious blessings. That’s a little better but not much.

Then, there are people who thank God for obvious blessings. When something good happens, they’re grateful. That’s a better level.

But let me tell you what the highest level is. It is to be grateful for all things at all times. Now folks when you get to that place, then you have learned the secret of joy.–By Adrian Rogers

I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2

The Hebrew word for “blessed” can also be translated “happy,” as in, “Happy is the man who . . . .” “Happy” in biblical days meant “content” or “satisfied” more than our modern understanding of happiness. Today, Christians sometimes act like God’s blessings are primarily to make us happy. The truth is that we have been blessed in order that we might be a blessing to others.

When God called Abraham from Mesopotamia to begin a new life in Canaan, He set the standard for the meaning of blessing. He told Abraham that he would be blessed–no doubt about that. But He also said, “And you shall be a blessing.” Abraham and His descendants were going to be blessed by God so they could become a channel of blessing to the world–and indeed they were as the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was born as a descendant of Abraham. Sometimes when we grow discouraged (unhappy) with the life God has given us, we need to remember that there is blessing in being a blessing to others. Happiness and joy come in this life when we share God’s blessings with others.

Look for someone this week who needs God’s blessing–and then become that blessing for them.–From Turning Point.

It is dangerously easy to fix our hearts on the blessing rather than the Blesser.
Ronald Dunn