Thankfulness is the protocol for access. Ingratitude produces stagnation and will keep you at the same level in life.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. – Psalms 11:4
Thankfulness is expressed through words. Gratitude is expressed through actions.
Whatever you are thankful for or grateful for – increases in your life.
It makes no difference how gifted you are -thankfulness magnetises people to you.
I heard Mike Murdock once say: If you look at you, you will become depressed. If you look around you, you will become critical. If you look behind you, you will become regretful. But if you look up to God, you will become thankful.
Thankfulness and gratitude begin when you focus on God. They are the tools to attract destiny lifters into your life. Ruth maintained an attitude of gratitude despite her loneliness — a Boaz emerged! (Ruth 1:17).
It is unfortunate when we receive continuous blessings, opportunities and gifts from God or from our place of work, our place of worship, our parents or our pastor — our ability to appreciate seems to deteriorate.
Do not take for granted the company you work for which God is using to feed your family and school your children. Do not neglect your parents who nurtured you and raised you. Do not forsake your pastor who thought you the ways of God.
Seize the moment to show your thankfulness and gratitude. Do it swiftly, verbally, privately and publically.
Without these opportunities in our lives, we’d all still be blind and hungry. When Jesus restored blind Bartimaeus’s sight, he “…immediately glorified God, and all the people when they saw it gave praise to God.” (Luke 18:43).
Unthankful people are contagious and dangerous. The root of jealousy or envy in their heart gives birth to unthankfulness in their lives. Their words destroy the honourable and kill their joy. They are militant about influencing others with their ingratitude! They are never content with being alone, sitting alone, eating alone because company fuels their ingratitude. The measure of a person’s character is revealed in the truthfulness of their gratitude.
God despises the ungrateful!
The Holy Spirit warns us, “let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth…” ( Ephesian 4:29). Allowing others to criticise anybody in your presence, destroys your reputation and image.
We are commanded to refrain from the company of the ungrateful ( 1 Corinthians 15:33).
God will take away the person or thing you are not thankful for (Deuteronomy 28:47:48).
Remember this:
Thankfulness and gratitude begin when you focus on God.
Assignment:
- Recognise the people who have invested in you. It could be a parent, a pastor or a boss. What is your plan to let them know they are appreciated?
- When you think about all that God has blessed you with, perhaps its a job, a spouse, a home. Or maybe God has healed you from a disease or miraculously saved your life at birth. How will you express your thankfulness to Him both privately and publically?
Prayer Confession:
Father, I am thankful to you for every single blessing known and unknown in my life.
Quote:
Whatever you are thankful for or grateful for – increases in your life.
