Cultivating GratitudeSample

Day 4: Expressions of Gratitude

An attitude of gratitude lifts up the grateful person, but until gratitude is expressed, no one else is blessed. Just as confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead establishes our salvation and blesses us (Romans 10:9), being grateful and expressing gratitude, establishes our gratefulness and blesses others. 

There are many ways described in Scripture to express gratitude. Let us look at a few:

Singing - has a very unique benefit, because it utilizes both hemispheres of the brain, while speaking mainly uses just the right or left brain. Therefore, singing tends to enhance the entire health of the body. 

Jeremiah 30:18, 19: “Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; . . and out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate.”

Psalm 100:2: “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing.”

And oh, the thousands of wonderful hymns and worship songs that gratefully lift up the name of our awesome God, such as “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”, “How Great Thou Art”, and “Count Your Blessings”.

Giving - Does God keep His blessing of gratitude at arm’s length from us so that we can’t quite reach it? We learn in 2 Corinthians 9:11, and so many other places in scripture, “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” When we are generous, we teach our children and others watching us to have the same attitude, and hearts respond in gratefulness to God. 

Jonah 2:9: “But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you…Salvation belongs to the Lord!” In this era, we don’t offer live sacrifices, but we do offer our hearts, souls and minds to the Lord in love. We give ourselves to Him, believing in His work on the cross, and we are blessed with His mercy and salvation. 

As we examine our lives, let’s consider these ways that we might use to express gratitude to God: giving and singing. Be blessed in your own heart as you bless others in their expression.