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Attitude: Gratitude

‘Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

God is crystal clear on this issue: we are all called to give Him thanks. Who? You! When? In all circumstances! Why? Because it’s God’s will!

You may be confused about God’s will in lots of areas but this shouldn’t be one of them. It’s not a suggestion—it’s a command. And since there are more commands in Scripture about thanksgiving than anything else, God evidently enjoys receiving thanks.

The psalmist said, ‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock.’ (Psalm 69:30–31^KJV) Why does God need to remind us to give thanks? For the same reason we remind little kids to do it—it’s considerate and, until it becomes a habit, we forget!

David, a man after God’s own heart, prodded his often-forgetful soul into thanksgiving: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.’ (Psalm 103:2^KJV) When you feel ungrateful, stop and read David’s ‘benefit list’ in your Bible—it should fire up your attitude of gratitude. Even when circumstances don’t look good, God can turn them around for your benefit. In all things He deserves thanks. Even at his lowest point in the belly of a whale, Jonah recognised the need to thank God, and cried out from ‘the belly of hell’ (Jonah 2:2^KJV), raising his voice in ‘shouts of grateful praise… “Salvation comes from the Lord!”’ (Jonah 2:2^NIV)

So make a habit of ‘always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.’ (Ephesians 5:20^NIV) In other words, develop an attitude of gratitude.

SoulFood: Gen 24:1–25:18, Matt 18:10–20, Ps 58, Pr 6:12–15