Forever Grateful

Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Sabbath friends!

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
Philippians 4:11 NIV

I pray you had the most blessed Thanksgiving whether it was with family, friends, pets, etc. In honor of Thanksgiving, I will be delving into five ways we can show our gratitude to Our Heavenly Father. In my life, God has completely turned my life around for the better. He found me at my lowest place, and reminded me of the unconditional love He has for me even when I was the furthest away from Him. God loves each and every single one of us. He is waiting for some of us to grasp onto His hand so He can pull us out from troubled waters. I will be forever grateful to Him for that as I am so undeserving of His grace, and yet, He pours it over me abundantly every single day. Let us go over some ways that we can show and express our gratitude towards Our Heavenly Father who is there for us throughout the highs, and the lows.

Worship

The first way we can show our gratitude towards Jesus is by worshipping Him! Some ways we can worship Him could be singing, spending time with Him, praising Him for all the miraculous miracles He has done on your life, etc.

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”
Psalms 100:2 NIV

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
Colossians 3:16 NIV

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,”
Hebrews 12:28 NIV

Pray

The second way we can show our gratitude towards Jesus is by spending time in prayer! Just taking at least five minutes to spend time with God in His presence, and talking with Him, is more than enough to express your gratitude to Him. When you spend time in prayer with Him, you can express your thanks for all the blessings He has given to you. Thank Him for everything, even if it is as simple as God blessing you with another day of life.

“pray continually,”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6 NIV

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6 NIV

Serve Others

The third way we can show our gratitude towards Jesus is by serving others around us. God should be our example in how we act amongst this world. We can see in His life that He always looked out for His children, whether they were lost and/or found. He cares for each and every single one of us, and gave His life to save us from our sins. We should walk in the same shoes that Jesus walked, and give to those around us. Be the light in this dark world. Be the love amidst the hatred. Be the difference in honor of our Lord and Savior.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:10 NIV

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
Mark 10:45 NIV

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”
Philippians 2:3-5 NIV

Count Your Blessings

The fourth way that we can show our gratitude to Our Heavenly Father is by counting our blessings. Keep a mental note of all the blessings in your life whether they are big or small. The more you focus on the blessings in your life, over the bad, it can help shift your mindset to a more optimistic and grateful state. Start each morning by spending time in prayer with Jesus and list off three things you are grateful for. End each day by spending time in prayer with Jesus and list off three things you are grateful for. Even if it’s as small as thanking God for blessing us with another day, it will shift your focus on the good in your life, even if you are faced with hardship.

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

“But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!””
Psalms 40:16 NIV

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

Tell Others

The last way you can show gratitude to Jesus is by sharing the good news to those around you. If we are truly forever grateful to Jesus for all the miraculous ways He has been there for us, wouldn’t we want to talk about it? Let’s say you went out to dinner at a restaurant and had exceptional service and food, wouldn’t you tell the people in your life about this restaurant so they can experience the goodness too? We should have the same mindset when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Knowing Jesus is truly a blessing, and I want the people in my life to know about Him, so they can experience the miraculous ways He has shown up for me, and the exceptional love He pours over me.

“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
Mark 16:15 NIV

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
2 Timothy 4:2 NIV

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”
1 Peter 3:15 NLT

This concludes the five ways that we can show gratitude to Our Heavenly Father who loves us all unconditionally. Going forward, I pray that we always do our best to focus on the abundant blessings in our lives, as everything good comes from God.

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,”
1 Timothy 4:4 NIV

Thank you Jesus for everything You have blessed us with. Thank you for blessing us with a new day. Thank you for our families. Thank you for our friends. Thank you for our pets. Thank you for blessing us with You. Everything good in our life is from You, and we want to praise Your Name for that fact as everything You created is good. Help us to use these five methods of expressing gratitude to You every single day, as You are an awesome God.

Amen.