The way to develop the best in people is through encouragement and appreciation. Share the Joyīeing thankful not only makes you happier, but it affects others in powerful ways. The truth is it’s not happy people who are thankful-it’s thankful people who are happy. I believe our joy will increase dramatically if we begin to notice our blessings rather than assume they will always be readily available to us. The apostle Paul says we should be always giving thanks to God the Father for everything (Ephesians 5:20 NIV). It was barely 8am and I had already found at least 100 things for which to be thankful-things I normally took for granted simply because they were always available. When I got dressed, I had multiple outfits to choose from and many pairs of shoes. In fact, I think we would greatly miss most of the things we do easily day after day, without giving them much thought, if we were unable to do them.Īs that morning went on, I thought of how nice it is to have hot and cold running water in my home, a warm robe to wear when the house is chilly, and a furnace with a thermostat that can easily be adjusted to make my surroundings warmer in a matter of a few minutes. We may take these and other abilities for granted, but they are great blessings, and we should thank God for them. I started thanking God that I could walk, talk, see, and hear-abilities for which I had not thanked Him before. Remember Your BlessingsĪs I lay in bed one morning several years ago, I thought about people who are unable to simply wake up, get out of bed, and begin their day because they use a wheelchair or have other limitations that prevent them from doing so.

Nehemiah 8:10 says that the joy of the Lord is our strength.īecause it’s so important to be consistently grateful, I want to share a few simple ways we can make an attitude of gratitude a daily habit. It helps us realize how blessed we are, and this mindset gives us joy. This is a powerful instruction it means to have a heart that appreciates everything it is given and a mouth that expresses thanksgiving to God and to people through the words we speak.Įxpressing gratitude through phrases such as thank you or I appreciate you not only blesses those we speak to, but it also releases something wonderful in us. Psalm 100:4 says that we are to be thankful and say so (AMPC).

I like to say, “Why be grumpy when we can be grateful?” When we stop seeing the good in our lives and start complaining, we cause many problems for ourselves. Where goodness flows, thankfulness should also flow. He wants to be good to us and wants us to be good to others. Goodness is part of His character and essence, and He is good all the time. Our gratitude belongs first to God, because without Him, we would have nothing. Anything the Holy Spirit repeats that often must be important to my life and yours. The words thanks and thanksgiving appear in approximately 100 Bible verses, and we’re told to give thanks 73 times. Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! -Psalm 100:4 AMPCīeing thankful is important, and God’s Word is filled with instructions and reminders to give thanks and be thankful.

Thank you for simply being who you are