Graditude

Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.

John Henry Jowett a British protestant preacher one hundred years ago

Draper’s Book of Quotations for the Christian World

Thankfulness is a flower which will never bloom well excepting upon a root of deep humility.

J. C. Ryle A British Protestant bishop one hundred twenty years ago

THE COMPLETE GATHERED GOLD

Another affection often mentioned, as that in the exercise of which much of true religion appears, is gratitude; especially as exercised in thankfulness and praise to God.

Jonathan Edwards

--Let us pray--

It came to mind while giving the ‘Giving Thanks’ sermon a while ago That along with prayer and acting like a christian that one big component of acting like a Christian is Gratitude. Like Brian said earlier - we need to live a thankful life. When you thank someone in a restaurant or store you notice and validate them doing their jobs. A small gesture on your part can lead to a better day for them or, maybe, a chance to talk to them about Jesus. Of Course it is alway good to Thank the Lord for nearly everything.

If you are in a gratitudinal mind it will cause you to look at the bright side of most things. You will smile more too. Then everyone can guess what your are up to.

Thankfulness is a good test of our spiritual state.

R. Kent Hughes 81 year old Senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois

A good test. Why do I get a lot of bad tests. I mean that i find no joy in tests I mean why should I thank God for tests.

Next, notice, that the blessedness of thankfulness is that it receives the largest blessing, for the Saviour said to this man what he had not said to the others, “thy faith hath made thee whole.

Charles Spurgeon

The largest blessing, wow. They must be thinking of those 10 that were healed when only one came back

How many places in the Bible can you think of where gratitude or thankfulness is explicitly made the motive of moral behavior?

John Piper Future Grace

27 times. Here are three examples

Ps 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

1 Thess 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Col 3:15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

“In some ways, ingratitude is the worst of all sins. For it is selfishness sinning against the light of unselfishness.”

H. Wheeler Robinson British theologian ‘Suffering Human and Divine’

That is big sinning against the light of unselfishness

Ultimately being thankful IS the opposite of selfish. Is unselfish and thankful related? a selfish thankful person would be one that rarely thanked anyone while a unselfish person could easily be thankful to God and other people. Gees most of the time I hear humble. We should live humbly. OK a humble person would be unselfish - no? So if a thankful would be unselfish they would also be humble then. Humble = friendly