“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful” (Colossians 3:15 NLT).
It is often difficult to feel thankful in a world filled with annoyances, inconveniences, trouble, suffering, pain, and loss. One approach that can help us maintain an attitude of thankfulness is to prayerfully recognize the good things we have received as gifts from the Lord that merit our appreciation.
You see, we possess nothing that God has not allowed us to have. Once we recognize that every good thing we possess has been granted to us by God, it becomes much easier to maintain an attitude of thankfulness. Jesus once had an experience that illustrated this idea…
“As Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin disease. They stood at a distance and shouted, ‘Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!’ Jesus saw them and said to them, ‘Go and let the priests examine you.’
On the way they were made clean. When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. Jesus spoke up, ‘There were ten who were healed; where are the other nine? Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Get up and go; your faith has made you well'” (Luke 17:11-19 GNB).
Consider how Jesus took note of those who received His blessing but neglected to express their appreciation. It’s clear that Jesus missed those individuals and He wondered why they failed to convey their gratitude for what He had done for them. This reminds us that God notices when we neglect to thank Him for the good things He has done, just as we would look for an expression of appreciation from someone we have helped.
Therefore, we should not neglect to be thankful and express our gratitude to God for the good things we possess. As we’re told in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy…
“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NIV).