Thankfulness – A Vital Tool for Surviving the Last Days

Recently, I heard the voice of God in my heart saying, ‘Be Thankful’. I immediately began to feel He was calling for a thanksgiving service or asking me to do something to thank Him for something He had done for me. But He repeated it again, saying I want a Thankful People. Then it dawned on me that what God was looking for was not a thanksgiving event or service, but a heart that is always thankful and grateful. It is what is popularly referred to as “an attitude of gratitude”.

Today, we are living in an increasingly entitled world. People are always grumbling, complaining and mostly ungrateful for life. This is a dangerous state of being and totally against the will of God for us and inconsistent with how we are designed to function.

Just have a look at what the scriptures say about being unthankful and thankfulness.

2Tim 3:1-3, 3 But know this, that in the last days ^[a]perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, ^[b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

Rom 1:21, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

1Thes 5:18, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 Php 4:6, ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Col 3:17, ¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

To Survive and thrive in these days, we must develop THANKFULNESS or an Attitude of Gratitude!

What Is Thankfulness?

It is a state of our heart. A state where you have so trained your inner man to appreciate the goodness of God, always, in every circumstance, in every situation!!!

Let’s break this down further. If you are to be thankful, you must have an understanding that whatever comes your way, God is fully in charge and God will work it out ultimately for your good. This is why the bible commands us in 1Thes 5:18, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

To fully grasp thankfulness, you must understand what the opposite of it is. Ungrateful, Grumbler, Complainer, Quibbler. These are people who find fault in everything and have a negative view of life. They refuse to focus on the good or even acknowledge it. They complain, grumble and quibble. The feel very entitled. God has a word for these kind of people.

^{Numbers 14:26} And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²⁷ “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. ²⁸ Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: ²⁹ The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

1Cor10:10               – ¹⁰ nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

Notice that God took it personally. Notice that it says complainers attract the destroyer. We will deal with this in another post.

So, I am sure your big question is how do we develop thankfulness?

1. Look Up – Psalm 100:3 – ³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
   It is He who has made us, and ^[a]not we ourselves;
   We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Recognising that God created you and that you belong to Him, removes the entitlement mindset. Acknowledging God as your creator, the owner of your life and days, the shepherd of your soul. The one who determines how your life will go and the one who is able to help you. Recognising His goodness, His mercy, His faithfulness, His peace, His joy, His provision. His majesty. His glory. His unlimited, eternal power. His omniscience. His omnipresence. His immanence. His love. His care. His generosity. All these and more. When we learn to look-up, yes look up and acknowledge God, it causes our faces to shine and our hearts to warm up.

They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed. Psalm 34:6

So, look up today and be thankful to the Lord for who He is and for His beautiful creation.

Tomorrow we will look at another place to look to develop thankfulness.

Let us Pray: Father God forgive me for all the times I have been ungrateful, complained and grumbled. Please help me to develop thankfulness. Help me to always look up and acknowledge that you are God, and you have my life in Your loving hands. I thank you today for who You are. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen