At an evening networking event some time ago, it had rained a bit just before the event, but it stopped. The restaurant hosting it planned to have it out in their patio. The staff wiped the chairs and tables down and lit the fire and colorful outdoor lights and it was a nice setting. The manager stands up to greet everyone and says, “Thank Gosh that it stopped raining!”
“Gosh”? Really? “Gosh”? Had it not been a business event, I would have taken her aside and asked, “Who is ‘Gosh’ that you’re thanking?” Which brings me to another question. If an atheist sits down to Thanksgiving dinner with his/her family, who exactly are they grateful to? Whoever made the dinner? That’s it?
One thing that I am grateful for in my Catholic upbringing is that I know God exists and I’ve never doubted that. I know that Jesus is His Son and that He died on the cross and rose to heaven in 3 days. And I know that the Holy Spirit is part of the Holy Trinity, though, I really didn’t know what the Holy Spirit did until I became a saved, born-again Christian. And, I thank Jesus for that Gift of Grace!
I can’t fathom anyone one not looking around at this great world and not seeing that there had to be a Creator God. But, this isn’t a post on apologetics. What I’m getting at is that God is the source of all that is good in this world. All good gifts, blessings, promises, everything! Furthermore, when we realize that, and become grateful to HIM, our attitude changes for the better.
Good Gifts, Blessings, and Being Blessed
Jesus told us…
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:1-11 NIV
In previous posts, I wrote about living every day with gratitude as well as praying with an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude makes all the difference! It’s acknowledging that everything you have comes from God.
James told us…
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17 NIV
Even King David acknowledged it…
I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
Psalm 16:2 NLT
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
How to be Blessed…
In Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, He started by telling us how to be blessed. I’ve included both the NIV version and the Amplified version. The Amplified version is interesting because it adds words and phrases explaining the deeper meaning of certain words. Here is the NIV…
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 7:3-16 NIV
Now the Amplified Version — read it carefully…
3 “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].
4 “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].
5 “Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the gentle (meek) [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.
7 “Blessed [content, sheltered by God’s promises] are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.
9 “Blessed [spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor] are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they will [express His character and] be called the sons of God.
10 “Blessed [comforted by inner peace and God’s love] are those who are persecuted for doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].
11 “Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me. 12 Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:3-16 AMP
If you have the free YouVersion bible app, go to this chapter and look at the 2 versions side by side to compare them. This is an important message, so I suggest that you study it carefully.
Gratitude and Truth
Here’s a quote from one of the study plans in the Bible app…
Everything written in the Word of God is truth. Gratitude doesn’t always come easily because our flesh doesn’t like to line up with truth. But as we bring our flesh into alignment with truth, the practice of gratitude will change our perspective. We get to express our gratitude towards God.
Think about it for a moment, the very breath you have was given by Him. If He is the source of every good gift in our lives, it’s safe to say every award we’ve been presented, compliment we’ve received, promotion we’ve gotten or acknowledgments for our service is all because of Him.
How we respond to the gifts becomes the most important part. The giver of every good and perfect gift deserves the praise. Yes, it is worth celebrating your accomplishments, but, in the celebrating, we turn our attention to the Giver. Because of His perfect love for us and because we are His creation, we get to celebrate Him as our source.
REFLECT: Think about the most recent accomplishment, compliment or kind word you’ve received. Why do you think you received it? What led up to that moment?
RESPOND: In your Gratitude Journal or notebook, jot down a few of those things that happened that led up to the moment where you felt honored and celebrated.
Megan Lacefield, https://elevatehim.com/
In your prayer time, give those things to Him and thank Him for being the source of every good and perfect gift in your life.
This is something you should do every night. Thank God for the blessings of the day. Even if it was a tough day — and we all have them — think of the good things that came out of it.
As I started this series on gratitude, I recalled a song form one of my favorite musicals, Godspell. Here’s the video and the lyrics are below…
We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land..
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand..
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain…
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain…All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above
So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love…We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest, our life, our health, our food,
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest, our humble thankful hearts!All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above..
So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love..I really wanna thank you Lord!
And he quotes Matthew 6…
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Matthew 6:28-30 NLT
And like Paul said in his many letters, I thank God for you, visitor, subscriber, and seeker of the Gospel Truth!
Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone Be the Glory!
Light of the World – Godspell
You are the light of the world!
You are the light of the world!
But if that light is under a bushel,
It’s lost something kind of crucial
You’ve got to stay bright to be the light of the world
You are the salt of the earth
You are the salt of the earth
But if that salt has lost it’s flavor
It ain’t got much in its favor
You can’t have that fault and be the salt of the earth!
(chorus)
So let your light so shine before men
Let your light so shine
So that they might know some kindness again
We all need help to feel fine (let’s have some wine!)
You are the city of God
You are the city of God
But if that city’s on a hill
It’s kinda hard to hide it well
You’ve got to stay pretty in the city of God
(chorus)
So let your light so shine before men
Let your light so shine
So that they might know some kindness again
We all need help to feel fine (let’s have some wine!)
You are the light of the world
You are the light of the world
But the tallest candlestick
Ain’t much good without a wick
You’ve got to live right to be the light of the world.
