THE HOLY HABIT OF THANKFULNESS IS SO BENEFICIAL - FOR HEALTH!
I never wanna forget and be a part of those other nine!
You remember. Jesus asked, 'Were not ten of you cleansed? Where are the other nine?
Am thinkin' about Thanksgiving.
You and I Can Express Thanks All Year Long! Q: How'd It Go; How Was Your Holiday? Next up, thanks at Christmas!
What's that day remind me of? This: Psalm 63. Of all the psalms that flowed from David’s heart and harp, this psalm always feels like a sunrise over my soul no matter the time of year.
“Your unfailing love is better than life… I will lift my hands to You… You satisfy me more than the richest feast” (vv. 3–5 nlt).
These words should’ve been written on a day when every prayer was answered and every burden was lifted. But they weren’t.
David expressed.. yep, penned this gratitude of worship while hurting and wandering in exile, an old man chased from his throne by his own son. His kingdom was shaken, his family splintered, his heart aching, such brokenness was felt—yet his lips were still blessing the Lord. Somehow, thanks and praise rose from his desert time.
How could he do it or continue on? David had learned that sincere gratitude isn’t anchored to any earthly circumstances; it’s anchored to God Himself.
A thankful spirit isn’t born from calm seas but from trusting the Captain of the entire ship so to speak.
We often misread our own moments. When we’re young, we assume that what the world calls success is always good and struggle is always bad. But with time—and with Jesus (God) as our leading Lord—we begin to see things differently.
You know that's true! Sometimes prosperity robs the soul while hardship helps to restore it. Where do you run when hurting or blessed? Do you get closer or farther away when hurting.. or when blessed with good things? Please run to God, and run to a healthy church as well no matter what happens in your life. Get closer to Jesus. Life in Him is God the Father's will for you.
What we once labeled “blessing” can prove to be a curse.. or empty, especially if we start to live for the blessings instead of for the Blesser, and what we feared would break us apart. And that can become what God uses to make us whole. The Bible says...
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33 nlt
Believer, through every season, we can still give thanks to God and to people—not because every circumstance is so nice and pleasant, not because we feel so good, but because every circumstance is held by a faithful, kind, sovereign God. Our emotions shift like the sand at Salt Creek in Dana Point; situations turn, but Jesus remains the same: steadfast, loyal, unchanging God. As A.W. Tozer said, “What God is, He is eternally.”
Romans 8:28 reminds us that the Lord weaves not some.. but all things—the joyful and the jagged—into good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Corrie ten Boom who went to my Costa Mesa church for a time, said: “Every experience God gives us.. is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see.”
Man, that’s why gratitude is always fitting and appropriate. There is always something God is shaping, redeeming, strengthening, or restoring. He is the only one who saves. We witness, tell our story, and do our best.. as we commit the rest..
..to Him who changes lives.
So where are you at today spiritually?
If you’re tasting answered prayer, give thanks to God—His kindness is real.
If you’re carrying heavy burdens or waiting in silence, give thanks to God—He’s at work in the unseen. There is only One (a trinity).
Scripture doesn’t tell us to celebrate every circumstance, but to give thanks in every circumstance, because nothing is to get wasted in the hands of a sovereign God. Don't even waste your sorrows.
And so we echo the apostle Paul: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
In every season of the year, at ever holiday—when in the desert or at a feast, during triumph or trial—there is always a reason to lift our hands and whisper, “Thank You, Lord Jesus.”
Gratitude is not merely a polite gesture—it can be worship. In fact, it is like the oxygen of acceptable Christian worship. Scripture repeats the command like a holy drumbeat: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; 136:3; 1 Chronicles 16:34). Thanksgiving is the way the redeemed choose to breathe. We appropriate His grace by faith, and then we wholeheartedly praise Him. Without gratitude in your praise.. It's like an icy cold heart with no heartbeat.
Every good gift—from breath in your lungs to mercy on your soul—comes “from above, from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Even Jesus, God the Father's greatest blessing to us came from above. Jesus is 100% Good. He's been the Father's caring missionary to us.
Gratitude keeps us from the lie that we are self-made persons. Ingrates tend to drift toward arrogance more and more if they don't repent, but thankful hearts drift toward God.
George Barna reports that believers who practice daily sincere gratitude experience 40% higher joy and long-term resilience compared to those who don’t. Science merely confirms what Scripture has preached to us for centuries: thanksgiving really does renew the soul (Philippians 4:6–7). God does that inside.
Thank and seek the Lord first, then thank the people around you. Expressed Thanks Changes Things.
Sincere thanksgiving turns our eyes from what we lack to what God has or is about to lavish upon us.. as we believe. That old fleshly human nature inside leans toward coveting (not good), but thanksgiving redirects us toward contentment in Christ.
"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth." 1 Timothy 6:6 nlt
When gratitude fills the heart up, then bitterness cannot. A thankful Christian may hurt, grieve, or struggle—but they can never be poisoned by despair.
And Scripture pushes deeper: “Give thanks in everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not for everything, but in everything. Even pain. Even mystery. Even loss.
Job proved it when his world collapsed: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
David proved it when he said, “You turned my wailing into dancing… I will give thanks forever” (Psalm 30).
Paul proved it while bruised and hunted: “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Peter proved it by calling fiery trials the furnace that makes faith shine.
"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 1 Peter 1:6–7 nlt
And that day will soon be here. Let's be grateful realists--I like solid facts, but feel like an optimist cuz of the Cross and the empty tomb. I don't feel like a pessimist--His resurrection and abundant life can be experienced daily!
Hey, thankfulness is not denial. It is a good defiance—it is a holy refusal to believe that darkness gets the last word.
A missionary once spoke of a weary widow in a village they met.. who had lost nearly everything. She wasn't all alone! When asked what she was thankful for, the hurting, grieving widow still smiled and whispered, “For Jesus—and for the strength to praise Him until the morning.” That night, revival broke out in her tiny chapel. Why? Because gratitude—real gratitude—draws God near (Psalm 22:3). Gratitude won! Jesus is the best Friend who sticks closer than a brother. His strong grace is sufficient.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good” — Psalm 107:1
Gratitude is more than good etiquette and manners—it’s about this spiritual discipline that shapes our soul and character. Scripture calls us again and again to give thanks to God (Psalm 106:1; 118:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:18), not because God feels insecure and needs to hear it, but because we need to say it. God doesn't need us or anything, but He delights to see His kids blessed.
1. Thankfulness Turns Our Eyes Back to the Living Word of God
Every blessing in our lives—large and small—is a gift from His hand:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).
Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Gratitude is the perfume of the heart when the grace of God has crushed the selfishness within.”
Without thanksgiving in our hearts, we will drift toward pride and forgetfulness. The Isralites did that before. With thanksgiving, we remember who is truly helping and sustaining our lives.
Mr. George Barna reports that Christians who practice daily gratitude experience higher joy (40% increase) and lower chronic stress than those who don’t. Gratitude literally rewires the brain toward peace—just as God in Philippians 4:6–7 promises believers.
2. Gratitude in All Circumstances
Scripture doesn’t say “Give thanks for everything”—it says, “Give thanks in everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
God doesn’t ask us to celebrate tragedy. He asks us to trust Him in it.
David declared,
“You turned my wailing into dancing… I will give thanks forever” (Psalm 30:11–12).
Job whispered through tears,
“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
Paul, beaten and weary, still proclaimed,
“Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Gratitude does not deny pain—it anchors us to God’s character in the middle of it.
3. Gratitude Changes Us from the Inside Out
When we focus on blessings, we become more joyful and less anxious. Studies from UC Davis show that people who record daily gratitude sleep better, stress less, and show 25% stronger resilience in adversity.
The Bible said it long before research confirmed it:
“In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving… the peace of God will guard your hearts” (Philippians 4:6–7).
Amy Carmichael once said, “We must give thanks with our lives, not just our lips.”
Gratitude shapes inner character as we allow the Spirit to work, and that's important. It turns us from gripey grumbling to biblical worship, from entitlement to humility, and from fear to sound faith.
4. Thanking Others Honors God Too
Thankfulness isn’t only vertical—Scripture encourages it horizontally too. People need to hear it.
Paul constantly thanked people by name (Romans 16).
He opened letters by expressing appreciation for believers:
“I thank my God every time I remember you” (Philippians 1:3).
A simple “thank you” builds unity, strengthens relationships, and reflects God’s love.
Research confirms this: According to Harvard studies, people who are thanked and receive another's genuine appreciation experience increased motivation, belonging, and emotional well-being—and the one expressing gratitude experiences a boost too. Everyone is lifted.
Remember the hymn line?:
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow,”
but also,
“Bless the people He uses to show those blessings.”
5. Gratitude Expressed Can Be Worship To God
The writer of Hebrews makes it simple:
“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful” (Hebrews 12:28).
Thankfulness to Jesus is indeed heart-to-heart worship. It’s obedience. It’s the mark of a believer whose eyes are dead-bolt-fixed upon Christ. And it’s one of the clearest signs of spiritual health.
Do you attend a healthy local church that's grateful? You can! It will rub off on you too.
Paul warned that the last days would be characterized by people who are “ungrateful” (2 Timothy 3:2). Gratitude sets God’s people apart.
6. Lord, I love You. Thanks for bringing me this far. What am I to learn and go do today? Please lead me onward.. all the way Home. Help me bring my friends and theirs with! Even others as well.
Lord God, help me see Your goodness in both the big and small.
Teach me to live all in with Christ. Teach me to give all of me to You.. to give thanks to You and to others in all kinds of circumstances.
Make me quick to praise You, to encourage people, and quick to express appreciation to others. They need that. Let thanksgiving soften my heart today, deepen my faith today, and draw me closer to You today.
Amen.
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NEED A WISE APPLICATION OF THE WORD?
I dare ya to. Before the day ends, do two things:
1. Thank God for five blessings you usually overlook.
Your breath. Your salvation. Your Bible. Your friendships. Your future hope.
2. Thank one person who has blessed your life in a practical way.
A text, a note, a call, a verse, and a word of encouragement.
Your gratitude could be the encouragement they quietly prayed for. Many feel desperate for that.
