3 Truths to Make Every Day Thanksgiving by Greg Laurie for Charisma News
Sometimes gratitude comes easily, and sometimes it requires discipline. Giving thanks is easy when a new baby is born. It’s not as easy to give thanks when we lose a loved one. It’s one thing to give thanks when the bills are paid, the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Giving thanks is another thing when you’re sick and facing financial troubles.
But the Bible says that we should “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever,” (Ps. 136:1). We give thanks to the Lord because He is good. If God ceases to be good, then I suppose we could stop giving thanks, but because He will never cease to be good, we can continue to give Him thanks.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. And again. I say rejoice”. When Paul wrote those words, he was in prison. Job is another biblical example. He lost everything dear to him, including his seven sons and three daughters. Yet the Bible tells us that despite these horrific circumstances, Job gave thanks, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).
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It all comes down to gratitude, not just because the Bible tells us we should have it, but because thankful people are happy people. Research shows that grateful people have fewer aches and pains than ungrateful people. They also report feeling healthier than other people.
Robert Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, found that “gratitude blocks toxic emotions, such as envy, resentment, regret and depression, which can destroy our happiness. It’s impossible to feel envious and grateful at the same time.”
You may ask, “But, Greg, what if I don’t feel grateful.”
I can assure you Job did not feel like praising God after such tremendous losses. But he offered what the Bible calls “a sacrifice of praise” (Heb. 13:15).
