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

Thanksgiving is almost a synonym for the Christian life. It is the response of gratitude to God s saving activity in creation and redemption, and thus a recognition that he is the ultimate source of every blessing. Peter O'Brien

The Gift of Gratitude

The Gift of Gratitude The Bible and thanksgiving The discipline of gratitude

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good Psalm 103:1-5

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The great difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and it is His blessings that make it difficult. Troubles nearly always make us look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere. Oswald Chambers

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? Daniel 4:28-30

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:21

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God knows how often we fail to recognize the ways that he's caring for us, how often we even mistake his care for neglect, wrath, or rejection. Like the Israelites, we misinterpret his gracious provision of manna and water not as help for those being rescued, but as bread and water slid beneath the cell door to those he's imprisoned. When we fail to locate God's love and care in the details of our lives, our hearts begin to get hard. We begin to misinterpret our circumstances, our lives, and God himself. Before long, we're accusing the Good Shepherd of being a nasty tyrant. Unchecked we risk losing sight of God's love altogether. Winston Smith

The Gift of Gratitude The Bible and thanksgiving The discipline of gratitude

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17

Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed. Matthew Henry

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

I have always thought it would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life. Darkness would make him appreciate sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound. Helen Keller

I believe that the real difference in the American church is not between conservatives and liberals, fundamentalists and charismatics, nor between Republicans and Democrats. The real difference is between the aware and the unaware. When somebody is aware of the love God has for us the same love that the Father has for Jesus that person is just spontaneously grateful. Cries of thankfulness become the dominant characteristic of the interior life, and the byproduct of gratitude is joy. We're not joyful and then become grateful we're grateful, and that makes us joyful. Brennan Manning