Thankfulness

In Luke 17:12-19, we read how Jesus mercifully healed ten men who were lepers. Back in those days, lepers were outcasts of society. They were not allowed to be around others for fear of spreading the disease. These men saw Jesus as the way out of their wretched situation. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests, for they were the ones who could pronounce the men "clean." As they went, they were all healed. Only one of the men returned to thank Jesus for healing him. The rest of the men kept hurrying to see the priests. Too often we find ourselves in such a rush that we forget to stop and thank God for all that He has done for us.

There are verses in the Bible that encourage us to be thankful to God. A famous verse on this subject is Psalm 100:4, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." Colossians 3:15 reads, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Psalm 107:1 says, "O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever."

We are also encouraged to pray with thanksgiving. In Philippians 4:6 we read, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Even when things are going the opposite of how we want them to go, we can still be thankful to God that He has everything under control. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 encourages, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."Ephesians 5:20 says, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

When your alarm goes off in the morning, instead of saying, "Oh I dread another day of work;" we could say, "Thank you Lord for giving me another day and thank you for my job that you gave me." We can thank the Lord for the blessing of family, shelter, food, clothing, and the list goes on and on.

There is a saying that goes like this, "God is good all the time and all the time, God is good." We can thank God for His goodness in our lives. He could have left us in the dark with no hope of making heaven our home, but He Himself put on flesh to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He took those stripes on His back so that we could have healing. He is preparing a place for us in heaven so that we can be with Him (John 14). We have a lot to be thankful for!

Next time you are tempted to complain, turn your pout into a praise! Remember that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). Praising Him will bring you into a better place than complaining can. Gratitude will affect your attitude, for the better. Have a great day filled with gratitude toward our gracious God!