Practical ways to demonstrate gratitude daily

At Thanksgiving dinner, many families have a tradition of going around the table and sharing what they are thankful for. But once the plates are cleaned—and guests have gone home—it’s easy to return to our routines and let busyness, worry, and everyday concerns crowd out our gratitude.

Colossians 2:7 says our lives ought to be “overflowing with gratitude.” We ought to be so full of thanksgiving that it splashes onto everyone around us.

Is gratitude a regular part of your life? Would people use the word grateful to describe you? When you pray, are your first words “Give me” . . . or “Thank You”?

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, I’d like to give you three suggestions for developing an attitude of gratitude.

1. Begin and end every day expressing gratitude to God. David wrote, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy” (Psalm 63:6–7). David’s bed had been the site of his greatest failure against God—his sin with Bathsheba. But after he found God’s forgiveness, David transformed his bed from a place of sin into an altar of praise. 

I encourage you, too, to begin and end every day giving thanks to God. When you spend the first minute of your day thanking God for His blessings in your life, it will color your attitude for the rest of the day. In the same way, you’ll sleep better at night when you drift off praising God for what He’s done that day.

2. Take an inventory of God’s blessings in your life. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, Paul said, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” Paul was saying, “Take an inventory of every good thing in your life. Then ask yourself, Which of these things is not ultimately a gift from God? ” James 1:17 says that every good thing comes from God.

What good things has God given you? Thank Him for your material blessings, your family, your church, and even the problems in your life that have drawn you closer to God. Most importantly, thank God for leading you to faith in Christ.

3. Demonstrate gratitude in practical ways. In the Old Testament, the Israelites gave extra financial offerings to God out of gratitude for what He had done. Similarly, there are things we can do in addition to prayer to express our gratitude:

• Are you grateful for the material blessings God has given you? Consider giving an extra gift to God’s work.
• Are you grateful for the family God has provided for you? Do something unexpected for your parents, your mate, or your children.
• Are you grateful for a friend or mentor God has placed in your life? Send a message or call that person to express how much they mean to you.

Learning to demonstrate gratitude in practical ways will go a long way in making gratitude a consistent part of your life.

I encourage you to put these biblical suggestions into practice now. After all, what better time than Thanksgiving to begin cultivating the habit of thankfulness? 

In the busyness of this holiday season, practicing gratitude will help fix your hope and affections on God, the giver of every good gift.  From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Sharing the Truth of God’s Word,

Dr. Robert Jeffress