The Way of Gratitude

The Lord has made it clear to me that we are to teach what true happiness really is, but we can’t do that until we first establish a foundation upon which to build that teaching, and that foundation is GRATITUDE or being THANKFUL.

Memorial Day is a day set aside in May to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to keep America free. It is also an excellent time to remember all those the Lord sent into our lives to whom we personally owe a debt of gratitude for all the contributions and sacrifices they have made to make us who and what we are today.

In Numbers 11, the Children of Israel, who were on what should have been an eleven-day trip from Egypt to the Promised Land, began to complain about the food. Rather than being thankful for the manna the Lord provided them every day, they began to crave real meat and became quite vocal about it, openly complaining so the Lord and everyone else could hear them. The Lord was displeased, but sent a wind to blow quail from the sea to cover the camp and the ground for a distance of a day’s journey around the camp and piled them two cubits (a yard) deep. Moses said there were six-hundred thousand footmen, not counting other men, women and children in the camp. The Lord said He was sending enough to feed them all for a month. The Bible said, the person who gathered the least, harvested ten homers or over forty bushels of quail. But, in the midst of this incredible miracle, there is no report of anyone saying, “Thank you” to the Lord or to Moses. The Bible reports that while they were busy chewing the meat, the Lord smote the people with “a very great plague.” I’m reminded of Proverbs 14:12; 16:25: There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (NKJV)

It’s so easy to allow our fleshly thoughts, emotions and lusts to override our relationship with the Lord and replace our faith with folly. That’s why “our way,” if not corrected, always leads to death. But Jesus said that He is “THE WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE!” (Jn.14:6) But, where is He, “The WAY” leading us? Not to Himself, but to One greater than Himself—to His Father! “My way” is about ME, what I want, what I crave, but ultimately leads to death, but “THE WAY” always leads to LIFE eternal.

“Like children playing”

Matthew 11:16–17 16 “Don’t you understand? How could I describe the people of this generation? You’re like children playing games on the playground, yelling at their playmates, 17 ‘You don’t like it when we want to play Wedding! And you don’t like it when we want to play Funeral! You will neither dance nor mourn.’ (TPT)

The fallen human condition sees life as a game about ME in which I can choose to play along or not. It’s interesting that Jesus highlights two major aspects of life which mankind tries to deal with by play acting or ignoring: marriage and death.

The fallen human nature, since it can’t change itself, is left with two alternatives: trying to control inward thoughts and outward behavior or learning to ignore them. The reality is, the natural man can say, “Thank you” and not be grateful; he can say, “I love you” and not be loving; he can have money, position and admiration from peers and family and not be happy. And you can be a professing Christian, greatly admired by everyone and even lead worship or pastor a church and be miserable.

Hope Deferred

I believe some of the Christian doctrines that we universally embrace have been used against us by the enemy. One example is our doctrine of heaven. Heaven is real, but for many its promise has subtlety moved our hope and expectation now for real peace and true fulfillment to some future far-off place.

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (NKJV)

We counsel so many people whose hearts have become sick as they have waited and now lost hope of seeing the vision and promises the Lord has given them for themselves, their family and their ministry. A favorite trick of the enemy is to cause us to think that until those things come to pass, we can’t go forward. The result is to become so fixated on what we don’t have, that we lose sight of all that God has done and is doing in the meantime. Paul understood that Christians, if we lose our hope, can become more miserable than people in the world (1 Cor.15:19). But that is where GRATITUDE becomes a powerful tool and weapon, but not as something we do on occasion, but as a key part of Whom we have become. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation! (2 Cor.5:17) The old me is dead, the new me has come! Gratitude isn’t what I do, GRATITUDE is who I am in Christ!

Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (NKJV)

There is a way to combat negativity, fear, and uncertainty—THE WAY. And it all begins with a heart of gratitude.

Gratitude Is God’s Will for You!

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV)

Paul revealed a powerful secret to the Philippians: happiness is not as much in reaching our destination, as it is in our journey to get there. Remember, Jesus didn’t recruit His disciples by promising heaven, but by inviting them to follow Him on His journey.

Philippians 3:12–16 12 I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover. 13 I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however, I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. 14 I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus. 15 So let all who are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires, God will reveal it to them. 16 And let us all advance together to reach this victory-prize, following one path with one passion. (TPT)

The Power of Gratitude

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie