Every Day GratefulNäide

A soldier who falls asleep at his post will be disciplined because a soldier must stay alert against an attack. A gymnastics coach carefully spots her gymnast so the gymnast isn’t injured. The Titanic sank because the watchers failed to see the iceberg.

Just as important as alertness, Paul tells us, is thankfulness. Pray, yes. Continually, always alert and watchful. And being thankful. Other versions of the Bible say it this way: “with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Thankfulness is not characterized by words and songs only, although that’s part of it, of course. Thankfulness is also a deep inner attitude, a way of seeing the world, a posture — and it is this posture that the world sees.

Paul prayed for his friends, and our prayer for you is that an attitude of thankfulness will flow out of you so that others will see and ask where it comes from, and you’ll have the opportunity to share the love of Christ with those who see your thankfulness.