Cultivating a Thankful Spirit

Cultivating a Thankful Spirit

"For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to him." Romans 1:21

I don't want to be a spoiled brat. I want to be a thankful "King's Kid!" Ever stop to think how quickly we run into the presence of the Lord immediately with our list of wants, cares, problems ... and how little time we actually stop to THANK HIM.

Here is a neat little exercise. Get out a timer and start off your prayer time just thanking God for who He is without thanking Him for what He has done. I've tried it in numerous settings ... I lasts for just a couple of minutes and before you know it, we are thanking Him for all He does for us and then we quickly segue into our requests (couched with thanksgiving).

The Apostle Paul is a great role model in teaching us how to cultivate a thankful spirit. Paul Miller in his new book, A PRAYING LIFE (NavPress) says that "almost every time Paul describes HOW he prayed for people, he mentions thanksgiving ..."

• First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you. (Romans 1:8)
• I give thanks to my God always for you. (1 Corinthians 1:4)
• I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:16)
• I thank my God in all my remembrances of you, always in every prayer of mine. Philippians 1:3-4)
• We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. (Colossians 1:3)
• We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers. (1 Thessalonians 1:2)
• We also thank God constantly. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
• For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you? (1 Thessalonians 3:9)
• We ought always to give thanks to God for you. (2 Thessalonians 1:3)
• Be we ought always to give thanks to God for you. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
• I thank my God ... as I remember you constantly in my prayers. (2 Timothy 1:3)
• I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers. (Philemon 4)

That's the spirit that I want to develop THROUGH Christ ... the spirit of thanksgiving. I am thankful today for my Freedom Fighter brothers! -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 10; 2 Chronicles 34-36; John 19:1-22

Great Quote: The present is what slips by us when we are pondering the past and worrying about the future.

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