Finding Gratitude and Joy: What the Bible Says About Gratitudeናሙና

So I am all for being more grateful, but how do you do this? How can you practically live out gratitude? There are two simple things you can do today that will help:

Make a list of 50 things you are grateful for. Seriously, it is that simple. I remember receiving this as marriage advice: write out everything you love about your spouse. I waited until my wife Linda, and I was in a particularly bad fight to do this exercise, which made it more challenging but also more effective.

Instantly, I went from seeing the enormity of this offense I was frustrated about to having a much more accurate picture of what I loved about her. It quickly dwarfed the offense.

Start a gratitude journal. If you really want to go big, buy a gratitude journal and make it a daily habit to write in it. Or simply set a reminder on your phone for 10 pm each night, reminding you to write down 3 things you are grateful for from the day. By the way, Dr. Emmons’s study also concluded "keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks results in better sleep and more energy."

Sounds like a win/win to me.

Contentment, Gratitude, and Money

I am not saying we should ignore our money or stop buying things. Instead, we should understand the role money and “stuff” plays in our lives—particularly in our contentment and happiness. It can make all the difference when we choose to enjoy the blessings in our lives.

As we shift our perspective, say no to our urges, and actively seek out gratitude, we become more in control of our finances. We no longer feel the urge to buy that new phone but are content with what we have for the moment. Those new-phone funds could then be moved to further paying off debt or a ministry close to our hearts.

Does it mean we shouldn't buy that new phone? No. But, by finding contentment with our current phone and intentionally being grateful for it, the new phone loses its influence. It's no longer an urgent matter, and, as a result, it no longer controls our finances. We become the masters of our money, not its servants - and that's what we're after, right?

So your gratitude homework for today is to make a list of 50 things you are grateful for and consider creating a gratitude journal and begin writing in it each day.

This has been an excerpt from my book Simple Money, Rich Life. I wrote it for Christians who are wanting to grow their income, find contentment in their finances, and truly master their money so they can use their increased income to advance God’s Kingdom. I’d love to give you the first couple of chapters, a 5-week study guide, and even more devotions. You can get it all here:

https://seedtime.com/joy