Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise: give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Developing a thankful heart can change the way we view life! David cultivated a thankful heart and he understood what it meant to be thankful ALL THE TIME.
When we understand that all things come from God and everything is subject to God – we begin to be thankful in everything.
Paul says it this way in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Paul understood the concept of a thankful heart. He lived it, he taught it and shared it with anyone who would listen! Do we do that today? How will people know that God is good and His love endures forever unless we are telling them and living it out?
A truly thankful heart touches the Heart of God and causes Him to shower even more blessings on the believer that is thankful from the inside out.
The blessings of life are tied to a thankful heart! When we find ourselves thanking God for another day and believing He is in control of it all – God sees our faithfulness and pours out His blessing on our lives.
Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
We wonder why God does not bless us and why our lives aren’t changed and pouring out goodness. This verse gives us a clue to follow. When we delight ourselves in the LORD and KNOW that He is in control no matter what our circumstances say – then hold on for the pouring out of the blessing in our lives.
This all happens when our heart is thankful. A THANKFUL HEART GIVES BACK!
· Trust in the Lord and do good – (Psalm 37:3) A thankful heart trusts God in ALL situations WHEREVER we may be. We ‘enjoy safe pasture’ no matter where the pasture is!
· Commit our way to the Lord – (Psalm 37:5) He will make you shine! God will pour out on the person who is committed to God in ways that are unexplainable by mankind. That is His promise and God’s promises are true!
· Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him – (Psalm 37:7) If God is in control – wait for Him to tell you when to move in big decisions and plans! Don’t be upset when others get the props in this life or when those who seem evil win. Waiting on the Lord is a beautiful thing and God intends for us to develop as a believer to be able to wait on Him!
· Don’t be angry when things don’t work out like we think they should – (Psalm 37:8) Anger in the wrong place always leads to problems and more anger. If things don’t work out in whatever we are doing – look to God for the answers. Have a heart of thanksgiving even in the midst of the problem. Think about this story about Paul and Silas. (Acts 16:25-26) When our hearts are in the right place – God ALWAYS rewards that in ways that show God is in control!
A thankful heart ALWAYS gives back! Even in their dire circumstances; Paul and Silas BELIEVED that God was in control and began to thank Him and praise Him even in chains and look what happened!
Are we doing that today? These stories in the Bible are timeless! They may have happened back in Bible times – but the circumstances of life are still the same today.
While we may not be in physical chains in a dark prison – we are often chained to our problems and awful circumstances and in a dark place in our lives.
God’s Spirit LIVES in the believer. Isn’t it time that we were thankful for that in such a way that our hearts are pouring that out daily?
No matter the problems, the circumstances, the issues, the darkness…God KNOWS them all and is waiting for our hearts to be thankful to Him in such times!
He WANTS to pour out the blessings of life upon us. He is waiting for us to recognize that He is in EVERYTHING THAT WE DO EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES!
As our Thanksgiving Holiday approaches let’s focus on what it means to be found thankful to God for everything! Let’s begin to examine our hearts and see where the breakdown is!
HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER! What IF we really started today knowing and believing that in a way that changed our hearts to ‘thankful hearts that give back’! Imagine how God can magnify Himself in us if that happens!
Would the chains fall off? Would you be more in love with the Savior?
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