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Thanksgiving is a good time to remind ourselves that we really need to be thankful people—to have an attitude of gratitude. It’s not always easy to do, is it? Don’t you know that the enemy of your soul would love to keep you from being a thankful person? If we stay mired in worry and complaining and negative attitudes, then we’re not going to be effective for our Lord.
But a person who develops a real, genuine attitude of gratitude is the kind of person you love to be with, the kind who exudes the joy of the Lord. So, I just want to remind you of some ways you and I can develop a life-long attitude of gratitude. We must be intentional about it; it won’t just happen. And it’s all in our minds—how we think, what we think about.
I think we need to go back to the wonder of all that God has done for us. Have you lost the wonder? Check up on yourself as I mention some of the wonders we need to recover.
Have you lost the wonder of your salvation? When was the last time you shared your story of the time when you became a child of God? When was the last time you prayed: “Lord, thank you so much that I’m born from above and I know that I’ll spend eternity with you?” Thank God for your salvation every day.
Have you lost the wonder of God’s creation? Do you just take all the beauty and extravagance of the world for granted? When was the last time you enjoyed a beautiful flower or sunset?
David wrote:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4)
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1)
Have you lost the wonder of his creation? Take some time to sit and look around you at the beauty of the world. It will give you an attitude of gratitude.