The Power of a Gratitude, Thankfulness and Appreciation pt. 1

First 6 Benefits

The difference between Thankfulness and gratitude

Gratitude is an emotion expressing an appreciation for what one has as opposed to what one wants

a. You might be driving down the road and see someone who has been in a wreck and be overcome with an emotion of gratitude that it wasn’t you or someone you know.

b. You see someone grieving the loss of a loved one and feel more appreciative of the ones you have.

c. You might not be feeling well and go to the doctor only to see someone who is struggling with something much more difficult than you are. You may realize that you don’t have it nearly as badly as you thought you did.

That is gratitude!

Thankfulness though is an outward expression of that gratitude!

Now at first you may think that Thankfulness is more important than gratitude because it is expressed, but we need both!

Acts of thankfulness are often forgotten:

A waitress serves you well and you say thank you or leave a tip. Do you remember all of the thank you’s and tips?

You may give a child a high five because of how respectful or polite he or she was. Maybe they opened a door for you.

Thankfulness is often forgotten.

Gratitude, however, is a mindset. True thankfulness flows out of a grateful heart!

Gratitude without thankfulness though becomes a problem.

How many of you had parents or spouses that loved you, but they never expressed it? How many of you start getting resentful and bitter if you feel unappreciated ?

If we live with a grateful heart, we should choose to express that in an outward way! We need both!

Benefits of thankfulness

Thankfulness glorifies God! 2 Corinthians 4:15 “For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.”

Thankfulness is a way to share our testimony! Psalm 105:1 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!”

Thankfulness Reminds of God’s goodness and faithfulness! James 1:16-17 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Psalm 136:1 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Thankfulness is the will of God for us! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Thankfulness changes our mindset/attitude/atmosphere! Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” The word praise there means to give thankful praise with extended hands! It also means to something like a stone or to shoot an arrow! When we are thankful in outward praise we are fighting in the spirit and attacking our enemy which will most definitely change our atmosphere!

Thankfulness brings a breakthrough! Jonah 2

Jonah 2 NKJV

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Acts 16:25–34 NKJV

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Paul and Silas could have been bitter and angry at God! Instead, they chose to praise and worship!

You can’t always control your circumstances, but you can control your attitude no matter what your circumstances are! You can always control your attitude in how you respond to your circumstances!

Not only did Paul and Silas receive their breakthrough, but the jailer did too!

What would have happened to the jailer if they had chosen to sulk and feel sorry for themselves?

The doors and the chains of the other prisoners came off too! When we allow the Lord to break off our chains, He will use us to help get the chains off of others and to help get them out of prison!

Someone else’s breakthrough may be dependent upon your attitude! God wants to use you…are you willing to let Him even when things are tough?!

Some of us need a breakthrough. Some of us have been waiting for a long time in certain areas. The enemy wants to make us think God has forgotten us or He doesn’t care. He wants us to blame God for our circumstances! We are often wanting God to change our circumstances, yet sometimes our own behavior has placed us there! It is God’s mercy that He isn’t leaving us there! Without the fish, Jonah dies. If Jonah stays in the fish…he dies. God swallowed him up, but He also gave Him his breakthrough and it came through THANKFULNESS!