Colossians 3:16
Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
THANKFULNESS (Strong's): grace, gratitude; 'that which affords joy, delight'
To have a THANKFUL heart is to have a heart filled with gratitude towards God, from Whom all Blessings flow.
Psalm 56:10 "In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word."
Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Ephesians 5:20-21 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips."
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
It is impossible to have a Gratitude Attitude towards God if we do not have a personal relationship with His only begotten Son Jesus Christ living in our hearts, Whose Holy Spirit leads us through God's written Word that we might become the people He has called us to be.
Do we have THANKFUL hearts? We must respond to this question. Where there is no thankfulness, no gratitude, no praise to God, there is no blessing of any kind. No peace, no hope, no grace, no mercy.
Psalm 136 describes perfectly why we should have thankfulness in our hearts.
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.
His loving devotion endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His loving devotion endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His loving devotion endures forever.
4 He alone does great wonders.
His loving devotion endures forever.
5 By His insight He made the heavens.
His loving devotion endures forever.
6 He spread out the earth upon the waters.
His loving devotion endures forever.
7 He made the great lights—
His loving devotion endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day,
His loving devotion endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night.
His loving devotion endures forever.
10 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His loving devotion endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His loving devotion endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
His loving devotion endures forever.
13 He divided the Red Seaa in two
His loving devotion endures forever.
14 and led Israel through the midst,
His loving devotion endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His loving devotion endures forever.
16 He led His people through the wilderness.
His loving devotion endures forever.
17 He struck down great kings
His loving devotion endures forever.
18 and slaughtered mighty kings—
His loving devotion endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His loving devotion endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His loving devotion endures forever.
21 and He gave their land as an inheritance,
His loving devotion endures forever.
22 a heritage to His servant Israel.
His loving devotion endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His loving devotion endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His loving devotion endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His loving devotion endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!
His loving devotion endures forever.
And above all this: JESUS DIED FOR US. For this alone, if for no other reason, THIS is why we should have THANKFULNESS in our hearts!
1 Chronicles 16:34 "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
Psalm 100:5 "
For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations."
Psalm 105:1 "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations."
Psalm 106:47 "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise."
Psalm 118:25 "O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!"
See that? Prosperity is not in finances. Prosperity is salvation from God. Prosperity is knowing Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We must be saved on an individual basis: each of us must fall on our knees before God in this life we have been given and acknowledge that He is God and there is no other. We must repent of our wicked ways (disobedience to God's Word) and seek His forgiveness. We must ask Christ into our hearts, to come and live there permanently; to change us from the inside out and wash away the sins from our hearts, making us clean and whole.
What He did in the books of the New Testament He is still doing today! That's something to be thankful for! He still saves! He still heals! He still pours out His Holy Spirit on those who seek to walk in the power of God and speak boldly the Truth of the Word of God.
The words "thank, thanked, thankful, thankfulness, thanking, thanksgiving, thanksgivings" when referring to thanking God are mentioned 129 times. This gives me the understanding that thanking God for everything is very important. But a thankful heart requires a thankful attitude. The Bible calls it being a 'cheerful giver', though this verse in 2 Corinthians 9:7 refers to the offerings, or donations, we give above and beyond the tithe we are required to give. Cheerfully, and with joy at being able to give at all.
However, if we are not thanking God with a cheerful heart, then our thanks is not sincere and it won't be received. When the life we live in Christ and He lives in us is sincere and true, we can't help but be joyful in the thanks we render to God for every blessing He has given us.
Let's be thankful people of God and nourish a Gratitude Attitude with the love of God through Jesus Christ that any and all who are around us can't help but notice there's something different in us. Let's be salt and light in a flavorless dark world.
