The Power of a Thankful HeartSýnishorn

  Thankfulness, a Testimony to Our Treasure, a Revelation of Our Heart

  The issue of thankfulness is the issue of value! We are not thankful for things that have no value to us, they must mean something for us to be thankful for them — we are thankful for our treasures, not our temptations, our assets not our liabilities. And I don’t mean money here, that is an earthly treasure and thus, at the bottom of the food chain. I am referring primarily to treasures in heaven — those facets of life that have an eternal value that we are thankful for.

Didn’t Christ warn us not to “lay up treasures on earth,” but instead, to “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” (Matthew 6:19-20, NKJV) and that is where our treasures and thus, our hearts are. You can tell a lot about a person from the things that they place value on — treasures tell us much. And because of that, you can also tell a lot about a person’s treasures by the things that they are thankful for. 

For example, if someone is thankful for their expensive new car or suit, a bulging bank account, or some other status symbol because of the way it elevates other people’s perception of them — it is very telling. You can see that their treasure lies in this world, and they’re placing value on what men think of them rather than what God thinks of them. Consequently, their hearts will be firmly moored to this world as well as their treasures (Matthew 6:21). 

Conversely, if someone is thankful for heavenly things rather than earthly such as their relationship with God, His calling on their life, His blessings, and His Word (just to name a few), it is easy to see that their treasures are anchored in heaven and that is where their heart is as well. What we are thankful for is true, a testimony to our treasure, and a revelation of our heart.