An Attitude of Gratitude
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 5:18-19)
I read these verses this morning and they reminded me of what Nancy Leigh DeMoss shared this week on "Revive Our Hearts." She talked about an "attitude of gratitude." Certainly appropriate with Thanksgiving approaching! BTW, I love Thanksgiving. Such a great time for stuffing the tummy with wonderful food and sharing fun times with family and friends!
Anyway, Nancy said something yesterday that has stuck with me. She shared these verses out of Ephesians 5: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." She pointed out that a sure sign that we are filled with the Spirit is a thankful heart. If you're filled with the Spirit and thanking God in every circumstance and worshipping Him, there is simply no room for carnal attitudes like self-pity, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, depression, or complaining. Wow! I mean, ouch! Pretty hard to be thankful and whining at the same time!
So going back to the 1 Thessalonians verses, if we're not being thankful, then we're actually quenching the Spirit. Nancy shared how we tend to think of the will of God in regards to an action, like where to go on a trip, who to marry, where to go to school, what job to take, etc. But it's actually pretty simple in God's Word: it's His will that we give thanks in everything. That's pretty straightforward. Doesn't mean it's easy, though! But it's something I want to aim for, to cultivate an "attitude of gratitude" and be filled with the Spirit.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
I read these verses this morning and they reminded me of what Nancy Leigh DeMoss shared this week on "Revive Our Hearts." She talked about an "attitude of gratitude." Certainly appropriate with Thanksgiving approaching! BTW, I love Thanksgiving. Such a great time for stuffing the tummy with wonderful food and sharing fun times with family and friends!
Anyway, Nancy said something yesterday that has stuck with me. She shared these verses out of Ephesians 5: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." She pointed out that a sure sign that we are filled with the Spirit is a thankful heart. If you're filled with the Spirit and thanking God in every circumstance and worshipping Him, there is simply no room for carnal attitudes like self-pity, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, depression, or complaining. Wow! I mean, ouch! Pretty hard to be thankful and whining at the same time!
So going back to the 1 Thessalonians verses, if we're not being thankful, then we're actually quenching the Spirit. Nancy shared how we tend to think of the will of God in regards to an action, like where to go on a trip, who to marry, where to go to school, what job to take, etc. But it's actually pretty simple in God's Word: it's His will that we give thanks in everything. That's pretty straightforward. Doesn't mean it's easy, though! But it's something I want to aim for, to cultivate an "attitude of gratitude" and be filled with the Spirit.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
posted by Kristi | 9:16 AM
3 Comments:
That makes it simple, doesn't it? (I didn't say "easy"!) Thanks for the reminder.
Wow, that's good. Once again, Miss DeMoss hits the nail right on the head. Thanks for sharing that.
Good points...
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