How to Fill Up on Gratitude

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 it says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (NLT)

When I’m going through a season of great change and stress, how can I maintain joy?

What I’m learning is that I do it by developing the habit of thanking God for all that’s good, despite all that’s bad.

This principle is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). This means that I should develop an attitude of gratitude in every situation. It doesn’t mean that I have to be thankful for everything that happens to me, especially the bad things like cancer or car accidents. I don’t have to be thankful for all the evil in the world.

But every time I take a minute to express gratitude to God about anything—it could be my favorite music, nature spot, or Scripture—it helps refill my empty emotional tank so I can move forward in life. Choosing to be thankful is for my own good; it keeps me from getting bitter and helps me make it to the finish line.

Being grateful is easy when my emotional tank is full and things are going great in life. It’s much harder to find something to be thankful for when I’m facing a crisis or prolonged chronic stress. But that’s when I need to express gratitude the most.

The story of Job is a great example of gratitude during hard times. He was a wealthy and successful man, but he lost everything in a single day. He didn’t know why everything happened to him, and he had every reason to be angry and bitter. Despite this, he gratefully worshipped God. Even in his darkest moment, he fell to the ground and worshipped God, saying, “May the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21 NIV).

One of the most practical yet powerful habits I can develop is to make a daily gratitude list. Just sit down for five minutes each day and ask myself, “What am I grateful for?” It’s a habit that will strengthen my soul and keep me going when I feel like giving up.

Even in my darkest moments, we can follow Job’s example and gratefully worship God, knowing that his will for us is to give thanks in all circumstances.

In summary, my joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with my circumstances or feelings. Learning to obey three commands; to be joyful, never stop praying, and to be thankful, often go against my natural inclinations. However, when I make a conscious decision to do what God says, I will begin to see people and things in a new perspective. Doing God's will makes it easier to be joyful and thankful.

 

When I Ask for Something, Believe God Will Answer

In Mark 11:24 I read, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (NIV)

If I gave you a check today for a thousand dollars, would you withhold your thanks until you knew it wouldn’t bounce? Anyone who knows me would think, “This is a pretty good guy. I can trust that he has enough in his account to cover it. I’ll thank him right now.” You’d thank me first—and then you’d take the check to the bank.

God’s promises are better than any of our promises. Before I even receive what he has promised, I can say, “Thank you, God. I know that what you promised will happen and you’ll do what you say you will do.

There’s a great example of this in God’s “Faith Hall of Fame” in Hebrews 11. Remember how Joshua led the Israelites around Jericho, where the walls fell down? How did the walls fall down? Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days” (NIV).

The people of Israel were going into the Promised Land, where the powerful city of Jericho was located. God promised he was going to let the Israelites into the city and then gave them his plan. It went something like this: “I want you to go and march around Jericho for seven days. Then on the seventh day, I want you to march around the city seven times, thanking me for the victory that’s going to come.” And when they did that, the walls just fell. God did what he’d promised! 

What if I’d been one of those people marching around the walls for seven days?  I’m sure some of them must have been looking at the walls, getting more and more worried and wondering how God could ever bring the walls down. But a lot of those people had faith instead. And every day they looked at the wall and thought about what God could do and thanked him in advance.

This is the kind of life that God wants me to live, the thanking-God-in-advance kind of life. Jesus talked about it in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (NIV).

When I ask God for something, why even ask if I don’t believe? It’s an empty exercise.

Jesus said that if I pray and ask God for something, I should believe he’s going to do it. Thank him in advance for what only he can do. And then look for how he answers your prayer.

In summary, God’s promises are better than any of our promises. Before I even receive what he has promised, I can say, “Thank you, God. I know that what you promised will happen and you’ll do what you say you will do. There’s a great example of this in God’s “Faith Hall of Fame” in Hebrews. Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell”. God promised he was going to let the Israelites into the city and then gave them his plan. He told them to go and march around Jericho for seven days. On the seventh day, I want you to march around the city seven times, thanking me for the victory that’s going to come.” And when they did that, the walls just fell. God did what he’d promised!  What if I’d been one of those people marching around for seven days?  I’m sure some I might have been looking at the walls, getting more and more worried and wondering how God could ever bring the walls down. But a lot of those people had faith instead. And every day they looked at the wall and thought about what God could do and thanked him in advance. This is the kind of life that God wants me to live, the thanking-God-in-advance kind of life. When I ask God for something, why even ask if I don’t believe? It’s an empty exercise. Jesus said that if I pray and ask God for something, I should believe he’s going to do it. Thank him in advance for what only he can do. And then look for how he answers your prayer.

My prayers are often motivated by my own interests and desires. I like hearing that I can have anything. But Jesus prayed with God's interests in mind. When I pray, I can express my desires, but I should want his will above my own. Check to be sure my prayers are focused on my interests or on God's. 

What Does It Mean to Have Radical Gratitude?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 I read, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

The more deeply I understand God’s love, the more grateful I will become.

In fact, the Bible says that gratitude should saturate my life: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV).

Notice that the Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There is a big difference!

I do not have to be thankful for the bad things that happen in life. Not everything that happens in the world is God’s will. In fact, most of the time, God’s will is not done here on Earth; instead, people’s will is done.

There’s a lot of evil in the world, and I don’t need to thank God for that. But I can thank God in the midst of it.

In my own life, I’ve learned that I can thank God in every circumstance. Here are some reasons why:

God is in control.

God can bring good out of evil.

God can turn even my mistakes into something that works out well; he can bring good out of them.

I won’t live on Earth forever; I’m going to heaven one day.

I can’t lose my salvation.

No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving me.

The truth is that I could think of a hundred reasons to be thankful in any circumstance, even circumstances that seem horrible.

Look again at 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV). It says I should give thanks to God “in all circumstances.” The Greek word used is the word pos, which means any, all, everything, anyone, all the time, anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing. It means no exceptions, no excuses, and no exemptions.

That seems pretty radical, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s radical gratitude.

It doesn’t take any effort to be grateful for the nice present someone just gave me. Anyone can do that. But being grateful in all circumstances takes radical gratitude.

People say they want to know God’s will. They want to know what God wants them to do with their lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God makes that very clear: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Giving thanks in all situations is God’s will for me. And the more thankful I am, the closer I’ll get to God!

In summary, the more deeply I understand God’s love, the more grateful I will become.

In fact, God’s Word tells me that gratitude should saturate my life. God’s Word says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There is a big difference! I do not have to be thankful for the bad things that happen. Not everything that happens in the world is God’s will. In fact, most of the time, God’s will is not done here on Earth; instead, people’s will is done. There’s a lot of evil in the world, and I don’t need to thank God for that. But I can thank God in the midst of it. I can thank God in every circumstance. Here are some reasons: 1). God is in control. 2). God can bring good out of evil. 3). God can turn even my mistakes into something that works out well; he can bring good out of them. 4). I won’t live on Earth forever; I’m going to heaven one day. 5). I can’t lose my salvation. 6). No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving me. Looking again at 1 Thessalonians 5:18, It says I should give thanks to God “in all circumstances.” The Greek word used is the word pos, which means any, all, everything, anyone, all the time, anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing. It means no exceptions, no excuses, and no exemptions. That seems pretty radical and that’s why it’s radical gratitude. It doesn’t take any effort to be grateful for the nice present someone just gave me. But being grateful in all circumstances takes radical gratitude. People say they want to know God’s will. They want to know what God wants them to do with their lives. Giving thanks in all situations is God’s will for me. And the more thankful I am, the closer I’ll get to God!

My joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with my circumstances or feelings. Obeying three commands, to be joyful, never stop praying, and to be thankful, often go against my natural inclinations. However, when I make a conscious decision to do what God says, I will begin to see people in a new perspective. Doing God's will makes it easier to be joyful and thankful.  

The Power of Grateful Prayers

In Philippians 4:6-7 I read, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace.” (NLT)

In Philippians 4:6-7 is one of the most difficult teachings to obey in the entire Bible: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace” (NLT).

It’s not easy to stop worrying about the often-scary, everyday parts of life, but God tells me how. He says I should pray about everything and thank him for all he has done. Grateful prayer brings peace. God says that, when I start to worry, I should pray. 

Parents understand the power of grateful prayers. Most parents wouldn’t appreciate their children always making requests and never saying “thank you” for the things they’ve received.  

God sees it the same way. He is waiting for me to ask him for what I need and want. More than 20 times in the New Testament, I’m told to “ask” him. But he wants me to ask with gratefulness.

The Bible urges me to be specific in my requests—and in my praises. Instead of a simple “thank you for everything,” God wants me to tell him what I’m grateful for.

Something that can require an even bigger step of faith is when I thank God in advance. When I have the faith to thank God ahead of time—before I can see how he’s working—miracles happen.

The more thankful I am, the more God will work in my life. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his people. He uses my thanksgiving as an instrument of power in my life.

So, take a moment, and tell God everything I’m grateful for.

In summary, one of the most difficult teachings to obey is: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what I need, and thank him for all he has done. It’s not easy to stop worrying about the often-scary, everyday parts of life, but God tells me how. He says I should pray about everything and thank him for all he has done. Grateful prayer brings peace. When I start to worry, I should pray. He is waiting for me to ask him for what I need and want. But he wants me to ask with gratefulness. The Bible urges me to be specific in my requests, and in my praises. Instead of a simple “thank you for everything,” God wants me to tell him what I’m grateful for. Something that can require an even bigger step of faith is when I thank God in advance. When I have the faith to thank God ahead of time, before I can see how he’s working, miracles happen. The more thankful I am, the more God will work in my life. He uses my thanksgiving as an instrument of power in my life. So, take a moment, and tell God everything I’m grateful for.

Imagine never worrying about anything! It seems like an impossibility; we all have worries on the job, in our homes, but Paul’s advice is to turn worries into prayers. If I want to worry less, then I need to pray more!. Whenever I start to worry, stop and pray. God's peace is different from the world's peace. True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence  of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from knowing that God is in control. My citizenship in Christ's Kingdom is sure, my destiny is set, and I can have victory over sin. Let God's peace guard my heart against anxiety.