Putting a Thankful Attitude into Practice

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways.  When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.  -Psalm 128:1, 2 (NJKV)

Hopefully we understand that we are supposed to be thankful and have grateful hearts, but are we truly thankful?  Are we walking in a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude?  It’s one thing to say we are thankful, but the next step is to actually put a thankful attitude into practice.  We can accomplish this in a number of ways.

Remember that in Christ blessings always outweigh trials.  Psalm 128:1, 2 speaks of the blessings that come from serving the Lord.  Though it may not seem like it all of the time, those blessings will outweigh the trials and heartaches.  Of that we can be certain.  We can say with Jeremiah the prophet, it is because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, great is thy faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22, 23).  Through faith we begin to look at all of our blessings and trials.  I know from personal experience that the blessings will be greater than the difficulties we face.  Remember also the ultimate blessing which is having Jesus Christ as Savior.  This outweighs any problem we will ever face.  

Realize that in Christ a thankful heart is greater than worry and fear.  When we stop and are thankful we will find that our fears are comforted and our worries are stilled.  Ephesians 1:3 says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places with Christ.”  Thanksgiving leads to praise which leads to victory over whatever we fear.  We have trials, but because we are so thankful to God we are not afraid.  Rather, we will rejoice.  Rejoicing always drowns out fear and worry.  Worry has to have a source.  Praise and thanksgiving cuts off the supply of what worries us.

Recognize that being thankful takes our minds of ourselves and places them on Christ.  One of the greatest hindrances to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is self.  We can become so self-absorbed that we cease from being thankful for anything.  Being thankful causes us to stop thinking so much about ourselves and to begin considering what the Lord would have us to do.  When we pray as the Lord Jesus did that God’s will, not ours be done (Mark 14:36), then the result will be a movement of God’s Spirit in us. 

Part of our high calling in Jesus Christ is to be thankful to God every day and to walk forward in an attitude of thanksgiving and praise.  During this week of Thanksgiving, may we be reminded of these blessed truths.