A Grateful Heart
What are you grateful for today?
I want you to make a list of 10 things for which you are grateful. Then the rest of the day, focus on those ten things. Ask the Lord to reveal to you what gratefulness for these ten things will do for you.
As I was mentally listing all the things I am grateful for, my list was long. I am grateful for little things, like the shower of rain we just had. I am grateful for that bird that is singing outside my window. I am grateful for the smile the older lady gave me in the store today when I smiled at her.
We must have a heart of gratitude. We must develop a heart of gratitude continually. For some reason I think about the scripture in Romans 4:20 which says that Abraham grew strong in faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Praise is a form of gratefulness. We praise God for all that He is to us and all that He does for us. And look what the word says happened to Abraham. He grew strong in faith as he gave glory to God. Wow! Looks to me like we have found another way to grow strong in our faith.
Let’s see. We have Romans 10:17 which says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Then we have Jude 20 that tells us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith as we pray in the spirit. Look at that. Right here you have been given three ways to grow strong in faith.
In my 1828 Webster’s Dictionary it is interesting to me to note that the first thing I see is this: “See grace.” The definition for grateful is: kindly disposed towards one from whom a favor has been received; willing to acknowledge and repay benefits; having a due sense of benefits. When we look up the word grace we find the origin of the word grace coincides with the word agree. I see here that being grateful is agreeing with. So, when I am grateful, I am agreeing with God concerning this wonderful earth He has created for us to live in.
Now you can take the opposite stand if you wish and say that you don’t see anything to be grateful about living in this nasty, sin-filled, trouble-ridden, falling-apart world. Do you notice what that does to you as you read those words versus what it did for you when you read the previous paragraph? What a difference in the sense of well being on your insides, in your spirit.
When I am grateful, I see things in a different light. The world is a better place and people actually respond to me in a different manner. Gratefulness produces a heart of joy, a heart of contentment, regardless of the circumstances that surround us. I choose to live a grateful life, a life in which I see the good instead of the bad, the good instead of the evil. It is a choice I make every day.
A person who has a grateful heart receives from God and man favor when others don’t receive it. Everyone loves to give to someone who has a heart full of gratitude for what they have. To one who has much will more be given. Why is that? Because we love to give to people who are grateful. I have seen individuals who always have people doing stuff for them, giving them things, showering them with blessings. If you will look at these individuals, you will see them happy and singing and smiling. And do you know that these individuals can be people who are in desperate situations? They can have little money and very few earthy possessions, but they won’t stay that way long. The Blessing of the Lord is theirs and gratefulness will bring it in in dumptruck loads.
Purpose today in your life that you will have a grateful heart and display a grateful attitude for all that you have, for all that God has done for you and for all that is being prepared for you even as we write this Pearl today.
I AM A GRATEFUL PERSON TODAY.
I want you to make a list of 10 things for which you are grateful. Then the rest of the day, focus on those ten things. Ask the Lord to reveal to you what gratefulness for these ten things will do for you.
As I was mentally listing all the things I am grateful for, my list was long. I am grateful for little things, like the shower of rain we just had. I am grateful for that bird that is singing outside my window. I am grateful for the smile the older lady gave me in the store today when I smiled at her.
We must have a heart of gratitude. We must develop a heart of gratitude continually. For some reason I think about the scripture in Romans 4:20 which says that Abraham grew strong in faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Praise is a form of gratefulness. We praise God for all that He is to us and all that He does for us. And look what the word says happened to Abraham. He grew strong in faith as he gave glory to God. Wow! Looks to me like we have found another way to grow strong in our faith.
Let’s see. We have Romans 10:17 which says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Then we have Jude 20 that tells us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith as we pray in the spirit. Look at that. Right here you have been given three ways to grow strong in faith.
In my 1828 Webster’s Dictionary it is interesting to me to note that the first thing I see is this: “See grace.” The definition for grateful is: kindly disposed towards one from whom a favor has been received; willing to acknowledge and repay benefits; having a due sense of benefits. When we look up the word grace we find the origin of the word grace coincides with the word agree. I see here that being grateful is agreeing with. So, when I am grateful, I am agreeing with God concerning this wonderful earth He has created for us to live in.
Now you can take the opposite stand if you wish and say that you don’t see anything to be grateful about living in this nasty, sin-filled, trouble-ridden, falling-apart world. Do you notice what that does to you as you read those words versus what it did for you when you read the previous paragraph? What a difference in the sense of well being on your insides, in your spirit.
When I am grateful, I see things in a different light. The world is a better place and people actually respond to me in a different manner. Gratefulness produces a heart of joy, a heart of contentment, regardless of the circumstances that surround us. I choose to live a grateful life, a life in which I see the good instead of the bad, the good instead of the evil. It is a choice I make every day.
A person who has a grateful heart receives from God and man favor when others don’t receive it. Everyone loves to give to someone who has a heart full of gratitude for what they have. To one who has much will more be given. Why is that? Because we love to give to people who are grateful. I have seen individuals who always have people doing stuff for them, giving them things, showering them with blessings. If you will look at these individuals, you will see them happy and singing and smiling. And do you know that these individuals can be people who are in desperate situations? They can have little money and very few earthy possessions, but they won’t stay that way long. The Blessing of the Lord is theirs and gratefulness will bring it in in dumptruck loads.
Purpose today in your life that you will have a grateful heart and display a grateful attitude for all that you have, for all that God has done for you and for all that is being prepared for you even as we write this Pearl today.
I AM A GRATEFUL PERSON TODAY.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 7:08 PM
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