It goes all the way back before mankind, to the fall of Lucifer. The Bible describes him as a spectacular, creative being (Ezekiel 28:12-15). All God gifted him with was not enough and his ungratefulness got him cast down to hell (Isaiah 14:12-15).

In the Garden of Eden, Satan sank his venom into the hearts of Adam and Eve. They had beauty, provision and companionship, but gave in to temptation, taking a bite of the apple in search of something other than what God had given. Ingratitude got them kicked out of paradise.

The consequences of ingratitude were cataclysmic.

All the pain and suffering inflicted on our world has its roots in ingratitude. Greed, lust, lying and addiction are an attempt to fill the emptiness of dissatisfaction. In this futile quest for more, we lose sight of the good, good life around us.

If paradise is lost with ingratitude, there is a way to regain the joy and fulfillment we long for—GRATITUDE!

Becoming a grateful person is one of the most emotionally satisfying, spiritually energizing things you can do.

We discover a new way of living in the words Jesus spoke at the last meal He shared with His followers:

In the original language the word for “gave thanks” is the Greek word “eucharisteo.” It comes from two other Greek words, “charis” which means grace or gift and “chara” which means deep satisfying joy.

So in the original language, that small phrase would sound more like this: He took the bread and knew it to be a gift from God and He gave thanks and it produced deep, satisfying joy.

There is a rhythm in “eucharisteo” that can transform our lives:

• See the gifts of God’s grace.

• Give thanks.

• Experience deep, soul-satisfying joy.

To sum up all the research—grateful people are happy people. It’s just that simple.

Last week we talked about the rhythm of finding joy:

• Embrace life as a gift

• Express gratitude

• Experience joy

Developing an attitude of gratitude will absolutely increase the joy level in your life. But that’s not all. It does more than produce joy. Gratitude destroys joy killers.

Maybe you’ve experienced some of these joy killers in your life:

ANGER - Why do we think complaining, frustration and exasperation will get us where we need to be? We choose anger because we seek control.

FEAR - Fear keeps us looking at the circumstances around us with foreboding, waiting for the next thing to go wrong. We are overwhelmed and paralyzed by fear. We give up.

RESENTMENT - When we are easily offended, life becomes a melancholy done-me-wrong song. Resentment festers in our heart and bitterness grows.

PERFECTIONISM - One of the biggest misconceptions in life is that joy comes from perfect circumstances. But it’s impossible to reach perfection because the bar keeps moving just beyond our reach.

ENVY - Envy is an ugly green monster that destroys everything in its path—the ultimate dissatisfaction with life and everything in it.

Kinda makes you grumpy just reading about these joy killers doesn’t it?

We can’t just dismiss negative feelings, but we can replace them with a positive feeling. Gratitude reaches in, sweeps away the junk and makes room for joy to move in. Gratitude recognizes that God is in control and we can trust Him with our lives. It causes us to look up and reminds us of the things in our lives that do work. Gratitude helps us to let go of bitterness and hold on to our faithful God. Gratitude displaces the fantasy of perfection and souring envy. It opens our eyes to the good, good life around us.

Gratitude produces joy AND it diminishes the dysfunctional attitudes that rob us of our joy.

Devotional: youtu.be/HGHqu9-DtXk

Devotional: youtu.be/OVRixfameGY