Gratitude

 Gratitude

November 3, 2024

Colossians 2:6-7

6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and establishedin your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude^g2169

Gratitude. Thankfulness. In the Greek, Eucharistia:

g2169. εὐχαριστία eucharistia ; from 2170; thankfulness, giving of thanks:--

giving of thanks(3), gratefully*(1), gratitude(2), thankfulness(1), thanks(2), thanksgiving(4), thanksgivings(2).

And in another passage, thanksgiving is coupled with rejoicing:

Philippians 4:4-7

4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving^g2169 let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Last time we were talking about attitude. I once had a pastor that had us make a sign saying “Attitude of Gratitude”, and had us post in on the bathroom mirror where we would see it first thing every morning. I certainly need to be reminded of this in the morning! Thankfulness is not one of my natural attributes, but is something that I need to cultivate. As the Apostle Paul says, an attitude of gratitude is essential for our walk with Jesus, and rejoicing with thanksgiving will result in peace. We certainly need the peace of God in this day and age! 

As I write this, I am traveling, visiting family. I am certainly grateful for family. It’s pretty easy to rejoice and be grateful when you are watching a young child laugh and play. Paul says “be anxious for nothing”. It’s that anxiety over the problems of the world that rob us of the youthful attitude of joy and peace. Help us be more like little children, just taking joy in each day and being grateful for all the little things.

In the verse in Colossians , Paul tells us that walking with Jesus with an attitude of thankfulness will help establish us in the faith. We absolutely need faith to live in these times. The US elections are just a couple of days away, and we need to have faith the the Lord is with us in difficult times, and be grateful that we live in a nation where we are free to worship the Lord and to participate in our government by voting.So, be anxious for nothing, but pray and be grateful. The Lord is on His throne. Jesus is Lord!