Fostering an Attitude of Thanksgiving

(Image courtesy of http://afoodloversdelight.com.)

 "Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things" (Psalm 107:8-9). 

"Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: 'Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
'But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own'" (1 Chronicles 29:10-16). 

Sometimes our thankfulness can be dry and routine, lacking authenticity.

"Thank you, God, for food and family.  Amen."

How can a Christian foster an attitude of thankfulness?  We can begin by having a high view of God.

Having a high view of God is essential to being thankful.  God is holy, completely distinct from all created, lesser things.  God is self-existent; all other beings have their existence from Him.  Humans enter into the world with nothing, and God gives us all things that we need.  He knits us together in our mother's womb, bringing life out of nothing.  When we are born, He gives us food, drink, and shelter.  From the hand of God we receive life, breath, and being (Acts 17:28).  When we understand this reality, we begin to foster an attitude of true gratefulness.

Secondly, having a realistic view of ourselves is helpful in developing a disposition of gratitude.  We bring to God only our empty hands - no, worse than that: we contribute only our sin to our relationship, yet He continually gives us what we don't deserve.  We create things out of things that God has made.  To bring something to God with pride and boasting is as foolish of an idea as me breaking into your house and stealing your wallet, then giving you some cash as a gift!  I have given you that which was already yours!  Everything we have, we have received from the throne of grace.

Furthermore, when we have a correct view of ourselves, we understand what we truly deserve from the hand of God: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).  As a result of our sin, we are deserving of only two things: death and judgement.  Adam and Eve did not receive this immediate effect of death, as God had said; instead, because of His grace, He withheld His wrath and instead clothed them.  Anytime we receive things other than death and judgement, we have cause for thanksgiving!

In light of these two realities, and seeing all that we have - this is cause for thanksgiving.

Look around you today, even now.  If you have anything but death and judgement, you have great cause for rejoicing!  King David understood this when he wrote, "But who am I...?  For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You.  ... O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have... comes from Your hand and is all Your own."  Great is the Lord's grace to us, His creation, for whom He cares.  Not even in death does He abandon His own.


"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  His love endures forever!" (Psalm 118).