“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” ~Tecumseh
Jesus was a person who gave thanks all the time. He thanked and blessed His Heavenly Father for the good works that He was performing and for the opportunity to bring God’s children closer to Him. His attitude of thankfulness was infectious. People who gathered around Him found themselves wanting to give thanks as well.
Thankfulness is a hallmark of a true Christian. However, thankfulness requires humility. It is only when we see that we are blessed by someone else that we can render thanks. For those who believe in doing everything on their own and who believe that everything that comes their way is of their own doing, thankfulness would be out of the question.
We need, then, to realize that what comes our way is gift and that it is a gift from God. We do not wake ourselves up in the morning. God is the one who grants us another day of life. We do not raise the sun up in the sky. God causes the sun to rise and set. We do not cause the rain to fall on a parched land. God graces the earth with rain.
We can do nothing on our own. We are totally dependent upon God.
That is why our hearts should be bursting with gratitude. God grants us all things. He blesses us tremendously each day and we should give Him the thanks that is rightly His due.
When we come to an attitude of thanksgiving, it is easier to be thankful to others as well. There are people in our lives who do things for us on a daily basis. Many times, we take those people and their actions for granted. We should not do so. They deserve our thanks and we should joyfully give it to them just as we joyful render thanks to God.
FAITH ACTION: Did you give thanks, this morning, for all that God has done for you? If not, make sure that you do so as soon as possible.