Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.
Gratitude never comes from avoiding difficulty but from finding yourself sustained through it. The degree of joy rises to the degree of gratitude, and the level of gratitude corresponds to the level of God’s grace experienced in our suffering. God’s sustaining providence brings relief, even when life becomes unspeakably difficult. Cultivating thankfulness today will allow us to cling to God’s goodness and mercy in our darkest hours.
Randy Alcorn
Why gratitude? Why grace? Perhaps the better question is, why not gratitude and grace? God knows us inside out and as our heavenly Father, he is carefully overseeing every step (every misstep) of our lives. So why does God place such importance on honing a consistently grateful, grace-filled heart? In short, because God knows how we thrive!
As we search through the Scripture, we find a common theme throughout both the Old and New Testament. That common cord is one that began in the book of Genesis and was completed in the final words in the book of Revelation. It is clear that God commands his children to be thankful and that thankful heart response in only possible when we are full of God’s empowering grace. God repeatedly speaks through biblical characters in the Old Testament instructing his beloved called out ones to be different and to be set apart.
Gratitude Is Always Possible
In the New Testament, Jesus and his apostles preach the very same message. Be grateful. Why? As we study God’s word we read over and over again this very same dynamic refrain, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Indeed, no matter what our difficulties might be, no matter how trying the circumstances or how much suffering we are enduring, God’s call for us is to respond gratefully, humbly, and with complete faith in his provision and outcome.
This is no small feat to be sure. However, when God issues a directive, he also provides the means to fulfill that same command. His promises to provide for our every need in every situation include any and every imaginable hardship we may be facing or called to face in the future. For Christians, God calls us as “his set apart children” to view all of life through the eternal lens of eternity.
God’s Grace Enables Us To Give Thanks
As we choose to make gratitude our default response, God’s supernatural grace, hope, love swoops in to sustain us. Life is hard enough without falling into the grumbling and complaining downward spiral. God knows this and if we’re honest, we know it deep down too. As we delve deeply in the principle of honoring God by humbly trusting him, the light begins to shine on our heart and upon our difficulties because in God’s economy obedience is the supernatural key that unlocks the door to sustaining faith, hope, and love.
We can learn to grow grateful despite any and all troubling circumstances, private pain and disappointment. We can. As we learn more about who God is and who he promises to be for us (our always with us heavenly Father) we can respond with gratitude and grace-filled humble trust. And be sure, as we seek to obey God every day by intentionally choosing to say, “thank you,” no matter what the circumstances, our faith grows more robust and stronger. “The more you suffer the greater your capacity to serve the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 4:17.
Learn To Give Thanks No Matter What
Learning to respond with a heart the beats with gratitude even when we are facing what we might deem the worst scenario possible sets into motion God’s supernatural grace, goodness, and constant supply of provision. God wants us to be so sure of his faithfulness that whether we are facing the good or the bad, we are confident of his sovereignty and his divine orchestration to bring about the good he wants for us and the glory that will be attributed to him in the process.
If you’re still not convinced that a faith-bolstered, grace-filled response of gratitude is the best choice we can make, then keep on reading! God has great things in store for those who take him at his word and he wants each of us to live above and beyond our ever changing circumstances. This grace-filled gratitude journey all begins and ends with a heart in tune to our heavenly Father’s perfect love for us.
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