A blind boy sat on the entrance of a train station with a bowl at his feet. He held up a sign which says, “I am blind, please help me.” After few hours of standing at the train Station, there were only a few coins in the bowl. A man walked up to him, took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the bowl. He took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He then put the sign back in the blind boy’s hand so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
The bowl was soon filled with money as a lot of people gave him more money on that day than he had ever received. Two hours later, the man who had changed the sign, returned to see the blind boy. The boy recognising his perfume asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning, what did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth; I wrote something similar to yours but in a different way.” The blind boy getting impatient and eager to know what was written asked the man again, "what did you write"? The man replied, “I wrote, today is a beautiful day, although I cannot see it, but I am thankful to be alive to witness it.” As you can see, both signs were right. However, the second sign reminded the people how beautiful the day was and how grateful the boy was despite the fact that he was blind.
In every situation we find ourselves, we must always give God the glory as someone else will pay anything to be in our position.
That brings us to the topic of today: Gratitude.
I am going to define what gratitude is in relation to the Bible and I am also going to give you 3 important reasons why we should always show gratitude to God.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude is more than saying thank you or delighting in a gift. You might thank someone for giving you a gift due to the fact that your custom demands it but not mean it. For example, if an adult gives an eleven-year-old boy a chocolate, he would as custom demands say “thank you” but the feeling of gratitude might not be there. Maybe he doesn’t like chocolate, or he prefers something better.
However, if you buy him a PlayStation console that he had wanted for a long time, you would see a genuine feeling of happiness that comes from his heart.
Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received from God. It is the pure, appropriate response to the saving and keeping. Grace of God.
As we cultivate a grateful attitude, we are more likely to be happy and spiritually strong. We should regularly express our gratitude to God for the blessings He gives us daily and to others for their kind acts.
People are generally happier when they have gratitude in their hearts.
Three reasons why we should always show gratitude to God
1.Gratitude glorifies God.
Our gratitude glorifies God as we exalt not the gifts, but the Giver. Gratitude helps us to realize that all we have comes not because of us, but because of God. We must recognise that we owe our life and eternal salvation to God.
Our ability to work, our intelligence, energy and lives are all gifts from God through His grace and love for us. God saved us, which was made possible through Jesus Christ who gave His life for us. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
2.Gratitude brings contentment.
Contentment means to be happy with what you have, who you are, and where you are. It is respecting the reality of the present. When we become grateful for all that we have, there will be no room for discontentment and jealousy. The Bible say; “but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:6-8).
Expressing gratitude brings contentment, and contentment brings peace. Showing gratitude to God means that we are happy and grateful for the things he has done and the things he is doing in our lives. If we aren’t grateful for what God has done for us, getting more will not satisfy us either. Being grateful is the key to contentment.
3. Gratitude leads to joy.
The more gratitude you show, the happier and joyful you would become. Everything changes when your heart is filled with thanksgiving and gratefulness. When in doubt, make a list of all the things God has done for you. Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done (Psalm 105:1).
Are you always complaining how hard life has been to you? That is why you are always moody and unapproachable. me this evening is enough to show gratitude to God.
Recap
I started with a definition of Gratitude and gave you three reasons why you should always show gratitude to God;
Gratitude glorifies God.
Gratitude brings contentment
Gratitude leads to joy.
Conclusion:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
The fact that Jesus died on the cross for you and I is enough reason to show gratitude to God because without Jesus, we can do nothing. It is a good practice to always write down the things you are grateful for; like having your family around you, being able to see, been able to speak, being able to attend this service and the fact that you can hear me is enough reason to be grateful to God.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased (Hebrews 13:15-16) Amen.
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