November is the month of THANKFULNESS in America. It may culminate with Thanksgiving Day, but there are myriad opportunities—and a great need—to be thankful all month and ALWAYS. The best way to pull that off is focusing on GRATITUDE, one of the most important but often overlooked words in a Christian’s faith walk.
God established GRATITUDE to be the guardian of our soul. If we generate and project and share gratitude, we will be overflowing with THANKSGIVING. Guaranteed.
God knows that if we show gratitude–especially in the midst of tests and trials—others in our midst will see we are suffering and connect that counter intuitive act to GOD. The faith of believers will be strengthened. The faith of unbelievers could possibly sprout and grow.
For the sake of our own safety, we must strive to be thankful and guard ourselves with overflowing and genuine gratitude. In fact, God warns believers who have seen evidence of his power but not responded with gratitude (Romans 1:21).
Failure to respond to God with gratitude darkens our life and opens the door for Satan to enter with his bag of nefarious tricks. The light that illuminates the guardian of our soul will be extinguished.
How do we make sure GRATITUDE is constantly coursing through our veins? WATCHFULNESS. That’s right, being constantly vigilant and alert will keep us watchful (Colossians 4:2).
The kind of GRATITUDE God wants from us is SO MUCH bigger than “counting our blessings,” even though that is critically important. He wants our GRATITUDE to completely transform how we view the world and he wants it to dominate how we interact with and appreciate others coming in and out of our life.
For me, I ask God to keep me forever grateful for everything he has done for me and to share that gift with others.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
When was the last time your expressed true GRATITUDE to God?
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2
