Psalms 116:12, 17: “What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me......I will sacrifice a thank offering to you …..”
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| GRATITUDE IS THE MEMORY OF THE HEART |
What does the term Gratitude actually mean? It means being thankful or valuing a kindness or benefit received.
Bible tells us that “In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Have we recently taken an Inventory of all the blessings in our everyday life? A good New Year Resolution would be to start a Gratitude list/Journal so that every time we feel discouraged in life we could take our Journal out to remind ourselves of how often we take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. You might say, “I am grateful in my heart but I just don’t think there is the need to express it.”Well, in that case, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”-William Arthur Ward.
The truth is that when we actually start listing our blessings, we only then realize how much we have and that becomes the beginning of Gratitude. Acc to Eric Hoffer, “The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”
We must make it our life’s mission to look for things to be thankful in the least expected places & to be grateful for the smallest of things. As the saying goes, “I complained that I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” Often being in touch with those less fortunate than ourselves will open our eyes to the many blessings we already possess!
Gratefulness can be expressed in different ways and at different moments. They should be expressed to all those who are kind to us; our neighbors, friends, family members and above all OUR GOD.
And for those who say they don’t have the time to express Gratitude, let me leave you with a thought provoking quote:
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward
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| THINGS TO ADD IN OUR GRATITUDE JOURNAL |
PRAYER FOR A GRATEFUL HEART:
Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
- George Herbert
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
- George Herbert
Take Care, God Bless,
Sparky Laurie
PS: Just adding a Poem written by me many years back ....which seems suitable to the topic.Its called Sparky Laurie
TOKENS OF HIS LOVE.....Enjoy!
Tokens of His Love!
This life of ours,
How often taken for granted by us….
After all, that which is got free,
We don’t really know the value of …
But some things in life, free though they are,
Are of untold value; invaluable they are.
This breath that we take in and leave out,
So many times a day, without ever realizing;
But what when one is gasping for breath and put on Artificial Respiration?
Then this breath that otherwise got free, suddenly has a price.
Children are a gift from God, but how many are aborted?
That which is got free, doesn’t have a value for us…
But consider childless couples spending money for treatments-
Yet more couples yearning for adoption.
To them, holding a little babe in their arms is heaven on earth!
They are willing to pay the price!
Fussing about food is so common today
But consider the little infant-
rummaging through the garbage for some morsel of food.
How many unused dresses in our wardrobes lie?
Consider the old man shivering in the cold with nothing to cover himself.
How often we take for granted our family,
never showing them the real love we have for them in our hearts;
Consider the orphan who cries herself to sleep-
wishing she had someone to call her own!
The job that we always complain about?
Consider the well qualified fresher-
knocking on many a door for a job.
So, Remember!
This very life that we call ours,
Is a wonderful gift from above,
and the many priceless gifts with it,
Are all tokens of His love!
-Sparky Laurie
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