Practicing The Attitude Of Gratitude

Have you ever received something amazing that you didn’t expect or deserve, such as a birthday gift, a Christmas present, or a promotion? How did you feel – happy, humbled, grateful? I felt that when my wife agreed to marry me, and ever since that day, I have remained grateful for her being in my life.

Gratitude is a powerful human emotion, and the word comes from the Latin word ‘gratia’, which means gratefulness or thankfulness. God tells us to:

"come into his presence with THANKSGIVING; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!" (Psalm 95:2 ESV – emphasis mine)

The Hebrew word translated as "thanksgiving" is 'todah' and refers to raising hands in adoration to God during worship songs, who wants us to thank Him in worship and praise continually.

"...And be THANKFUL. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:14b-17 ESV – emphasis mine)

The Greek word for "thanksgiving" is 'eucharistia,' and means to be actively gracious and grateful as an act of worship to God. God implores us constantly to be thankful. It is clearly pleasing to Him when we are thankful and show it through worship and praise, not just through song, but in everything we do. Some have defined praise as thanking God for what He has DONE and worship as thanking Him for WHO He is.

There is a more profound element to thankfulness that will positively affect us and those around us, as it permeates everything we think, do, and say, and that is the attitude of gratitude.

"Therefore let us be GRATEFUL for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV – emphasis mine)

The Greek word translated as "grateful" is 'charis' and means the act of giving thanks to God with deep gratitude. It comes from the Greek word 'chairo,' which means "to joy, rejoice, be glad." God wants us to be grateful as a way of life.

In the New Testament, thanksgiving is a motive for living a life of holiness before God, and the underlying attitude towards both blessings and the trials of life, and the central element of all prayer (Matthew 11:25;15:36; 26:27; Mark 8:6; 14:23; Luke 10:21; 22:17,19; John 6:11,23; 11:41; Acts 27:35).

In the book of Revelation, the four living creatures "give glory, honor, and thanks to him who sits on the throne" (Revelation 4:9); “twenty-four elders worship him for he has taken his great power and begun to reign” (Revelation 11:17). All the heavenly hosts give thanks to God for His redeeming blood used to purchase those who received Jesus as Lord and Savior (Revelation 5:9-14).

We are admonished "in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present their requests to God" (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV). We should be thankful for all things and live daily with gratitude in all circumstances, including suffering, for His saving grace that permeates every element of our life and to offer our bodies to Him as instruments of righteousness (Romans 5:3-5, 6:13, 12:1; Ephesians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Hebrews 12:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; James 1:1-4; Colossians 1:12, 3:17). It is thanklessness and ingratitude that distinguishes the godless and wicked people who suppress the truth about God's goodness (Romans 1:18-21; 2 Timothy 3:2)

Gratitude and thankfulness are synonymous with faith and love. They are the natural response to God's merciful goodness and gifts of grace. God is glorified through the thanksgiving of His people. When we infuse everything we do with gratitude and thanksgiving, it becomes an act of worship (Colossians 3:17).

The Bible reveals that the goal of evangelism is to invite all people to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior so that prayers of thanksgiving bringing glory to God will increase (Romans 1:21; 2 Corinthians 4:15).

Gratitude Vs Thankfulness

There are some key differences between gratitude and thankfulness. Being thankful is of utmost importance in the life of the Born-Again Christian. Thankfulness is processed on an intellectual level and is a thought or feeling of being happy in a passing moment for something received or experienced.

Being thankful is the foundation to build gratitude, which is more than just the feeling of thankfulness. You need to cultivate the feeling of being thankful and integrate gratefulness into your life. Gratitude is finding happiness without needing to receive something or experience a change that makes you happy.

Gratitude is both an action and a constant state of being. Gratefulness is the state of knowing that what you already have is enough and you need nothing more. Each time you are grateful, you will find more reasons to feel thankful.