The Benefits of a Thankful HeartSample

Thanksgiving is defined as the expression of gratitude. When gratefulness springs up in our hearts towards the Lord, we express it in word or in deed through thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is not a stationary act, meaning it leads us to something. This brings us to the next benefit: a thankful heart leads us into praise.

Psalm 100 says that we enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. It would be very difficult to get into the courts without first going through the gates. In His wisdom, God put thanks as the first form of worship because it awakens our spirits once again to who He is and all that He has done. Gratitude draws us to the remembrance of how good our God is and all that He has done for us, producing a song of praise from our spirit (Psalm 107:8; 1 Chronicles 29:13; Ephesians 5:19-20). We can’t help but overflow with worship when we begin to give thanks and remember the Father’s goodness!

As you spend time with the Lord today, give thanks for all that He has done in your life and for all the ways He has revealed Himself to you. Draw on your history with Him and allow that to lead you into a place of worship and praise. A thankful heart will take you places in the Lord that you have never been before.