An Attitude of Gratitude

Phil 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,  present your requests to God.

When your sins have been forgiven and your sentence commuted you have much to be thankful for. That, of course, is just the beginning for the redeemed. Every breath we take should be a matter of thanksgiving for nothing is guaranteed to us, everything is a gift.

As a child I was taught to always say thank you when you got a gift. I was taught that when someone does something nice for you that not only should you say thank you, you should right them a little note of appreciation. Think of the last time you got a thank you note from someone and how that made you feel. How much more likely are you to do something for that person than you are for someone whom you routinely do nice things for and they never acknowledge it?

Working for Metropolitan Ministries for all of these years has made me appreciative of people who have an attitude of gratitude. Too many have a sense of entitlement. They come with an attitude that projects that whatever they receive is owed to them. I can tell you that while we may give to all who are in need, a sense of gratitude goes a long way. That sense of entitlements grates.

There are also people that are thanking you from the moment they walk in the door and that’s even before you’ve helped them out. When you come across those people you will find a way of helping them because of their attitude. This is a picture of our walk with God. It’s ok to ask for Him to meet our needs but do it with thanksgiving. Thank Him for His answer, be it yay or nay. Yes, we should thank Him for saying no to us because His no is always what’s best for us. He does not say no arbitrarily or from spite. He says no because in the long run it is the answer that is best for us. When I say no to my kids it is because my life experience has taught me that they don’t understand what they are asking for. To say yes would be irresponsible. While in the short term they would be happy that I said yes, in the long term it would not benefit them.

The other part of thanksgiving is not so pleasant.

1 Peter 4:13-14 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

We should be thankful to be considered worthy to participate in Christ’s suffering.

Rom 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Thankfulness in suffering is never easy. Who wants to say thank you for pain and suffering? Saying thank you in these circumstances in counter-intuitive. Then again, most of the Christian walk is counter-intuitive. We live in opposite world.

So go ahead, ask. The Bible tells us that the reason that we don’t have is because we don’t ask (James 4:2). Ask, but don’t forget to ask with thanksgiving in your heart, no matter what the situation.