"When ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer it at your own will." - Leviticus 22:29 KJV
I went up to thank the cooks and the workers after we had finished a wonderful Thanksgiving meal prepared by the good folks in the All-Star Movie Food Court at Disney World yesterday. After fighting crowds for 3 1/2 days and some very rude people, I wanted to make sure I expressed my gratitude for a job well done by these workers on what should have been a holiday for them. They seemed to be so appreciative that I just took the time to tell them thanks for a job well done.
It's a challenge to grow up with a thankful heart. From an early age we are exposed to a culture of complainers, gripers, grumblers, and critics. We complain about the weather, traffic, food, work, neighbors, bills, the government, church, and life in general. Worst of all, we are ungrateful toward God. It would be hard to count the number of complaints and criticisms that are daily spoken before Him and against Him. How can we, who have received so much, be thankful for so little?
One of the great indicators of true spirituality is not measured by how many times we go to church, how big our Bibles are, or how long we pray, but it is measured by the level of gratitude that is in our hearts. When we are ungrateful, the heart of God is saddened, the Holy Spirit is grieved, and the joy of the Lord is quenched within us.
Being thankful sweetens you, grumbling sours you; being thankful brings sunshine to your countenance, being ungrateful casts a shadow; being thankful brings a melody to your words, criticism makes you sound like a clanging cymbal; being thankful keeps your feet on the pathway of celebration, complaint takes you down the road of despair.
When our hearts are filled with gratefulness we may feel like our thanksgiving is inadequate, but we can be certain that our thanksgiving is always appropriate. It will gladden the heart of God to hear your heartfelt thanks being freely offered to Him today.
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