Why Choose Gratitude?

There are a million reasons to be thankful - my husband, my boy, my Leo, a warm shower, hot coffee, etc., but the biggest reason is because I have made been right with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her book, Choosing Gratitude gives her readers eight other reasons to be thankful:

1. Because we are commanded to!

Colossians 3:17: Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2. It draws us close to the Lord.

Psalm 1:4: Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!

3. It's a sure path to peace.

Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Nancy's equation: prayer + thanksgiving = peace

4. "Gratitude is a gauge of the heart" (p. 67).

Psalm 140:13: Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name.

Righteous people are thankful people!  Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic, has disciplined herself for so many years to give thanks, that it's now her "reflex reaction," (p. 68).  Oh, may it be mine too!  All too often I am the whiner - giving in to discouragement and/or expressing negative thoughts about pressures and problems.  Nancy writes that a grateful heart is the "fruit of a thousand choices" (p. 68) - may I make the choice a thousand times each day not to whine, but to give thanks.

5. Gratitude is God's will!

I Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I love what Nancy writes, "God's will is not so much a place, a job, or a specific mate, as it is a heart and a lifestyle," (p. 69).

6. It's evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Evidences of a Spirit-filled life are found in Ephesians 5:19 & 5:21-6:18.  We can't complain and be filled with the Spirit at the same time.

7. "Gratitude reflects Jesus' heart" (p. 72).

For example, after telling Lazarus to "come forth", Jesus said to God, "I thank you that you have heard me," (John 11:41).  Jesus even gave thanks during times of suffering.

8. It gets us ready for heaven.

Revelation 11:17: We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

Whew - so many reasons to be thankful today and every day.  I'm loving this Choosing Gratitude book; I recommend that you put it on your Amazon Wish List!

I'm really thankful for this guy, even if his hat is a wee bit small*:

*At his 16 month check up last week, he weighed 25 pounds, 4 ounces (50th percentile), was 33 inches tall (25th percentile - oh, Lord, please give him height!) and has a head circumference that's near the 90th percentile - which is why the hat may pop off.  ;)