Sunday, November 15, 2009

A Heart Exam

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I think a heart exam seems appropriate :) (no...not a warning about fat & cholesterol piled up during Thanksgiving feasts). What is our heart condition?  Do we have a thankful heart? Truly thankful? Not thankful only for material things...for worldly pleasures, but truly thankful to God for everything in all circumstances (or in spite of circumstances)... Do we daily thank God for who He is and what He has done? Or do we only thank Him when He answers our prayers the way we want, or only when we have been blessed with something big?

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

"Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" Hebrews 12:28-29

"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15

"Thankfulness is the soil in which joy thrives." ~Unknown

"When thou hast thanked thy God for every blessing sent,
What time will then remain for murmurs or lament?" ~Unknown

A thankful heart not only produces a joyful heart but also gives us a right/pleasant attitude. The attitude of awe, admiration, reverence, and gratitude for the Almighty God! Other benefits include contentment, peace, complaint-free atmosphere, no envy, no covetousness, desire/eagerness to give and share, etc., besides doing God's will.

I will never forget what a dear friend of mine said when I visited her and her daughter at the hospital after a car accident that took her son's life and left her daughter in critical condition. I went there to encourage and comfort her but instead, her words touched me deeply. She said, "I'm so thankful that the Lord gave me all those years to homeschool my kids. I thank Him for all the time we spent together." She retained a thankful heart throughout the whole ordeal. Wow...isn't that a wonderful example of "giving thanks in all circumstances"?

A Simple Prayer of Thanksgiving by Helen Steiner Rice

I come not to ask, to plead or implore You,
I just come to tell You how much I adore You,
For to kneel in Your Presence makes me feel blest
For I know that You know all my needs best...

And it fills me with joy just to linger with You
As my soul You replenish and my heart You renew,
For prayer is much more than just asking for things--
It's the peace and contentment that quietness brings...

So thank You again for Your mercy and love
And for making me heir to YOUR KINGDOM ABOVE!

Father, We Thank Thee by Grenville Kleiser

Father, we thank Thee:
For peace within our favored land,
For plenty from Thy bounteous hand,
For means to give to those in need,
For grace to help in thought and deed,
For faith to walk, our hands in Thine,
For truth to know Thy law divine,
For strength to work with voice and pen,
For love to serve our fellow men,
For light to goal ahead to see,
For life to use alone for Thee,
Father, we thank Thee.

*I'm hosting 'Tis the Season to Be Thankful Giveaway.  Please click here to enter.
~Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts.  Thanks so much to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays every week.

15 comments:

Debbie said...

I can't express how much this blessed me this morning. Everything you said was soo true and the scriptures really touched my heart. It has been a hard lesson for me to learn. To know God's peace and contentment in WHATSOEVER circumstance that life has give us. To let His joy fill our hearts and souls in the MIDST of great trials and sadness, is to really KNOW God. Thanks for sharing this and have a wonderful week in Him. Blessings to you, Debbie

Diva Kreszl said...

such a beautiful post!!!

Saleslady371 said...

It's true. My whole attitude toward everything changes when I thank God continually!

RCUBEs said...

There is just no excuse not to be thankful to the One Who is always there for us, loving us unconditionally and is ever faithful. To God be the glory! God bless and have a great week ahead!

Charlotte said...

This post has certainly blessed me this morning. I love how you pointed out we need to be thankful and praise and give thanks to God in every circumstance.
Thank you so much for sharing with us on Spiritual Sundays.
Charlotte

nannykim said...

good post; it is God's amazing grace that enabled the mom to respond this way. It is his grace that enables our hearts to be full of thankfulness and what a joy it is to have thankful hearts. It is fun, even, to meditate on all the rich blessings we have every day in Him.

Shirley said...

It is so easy to get caught up in this fast paced and uncertain life and forget all the many blessings from God! We have everything to thank Him for. God Bless you, thank you for the reminder!

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

What a perfect post for this time of years. We all need to be thankful and have a good heart.
God Bless,
Ginger

Denise said...

Such an amazingly awesome post.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Happy Spiritual Sunday!! This is a wonderful post! Thank you for reminding us how a thankful heart can bless us with a heart full of joy! Have a beautiful week.

Blessings,
Sandi

Cathy said...

Thank you for that wonderful post on Thanksgiving.

Melanie said...

Such a great post! I just had a conversation earlier today with my son (8 yrs old) about how important it is to give thanks each and everyday. It makes such a huge difference in all things!

April McGowan said...

When I think of thankfulness, I also take to heart thanking God in every circumstance--and how honoring to God our doing so is. Not out of a debt, or obligation, or fear but true thankfulness growing from our love for Him. It is easy to thank Him when things are good and going our way, but to trust him and thank Him when life seems against us--how that must please our God.
Thanks for sharing this!

Renee said...

what a wonderful post especially as we prepare for Thanksgiving...
God bless..

Mimi N said...

I love giving thanks for the small things. It's so easy to remember and see the big stuff, but it's the small, meaningful things that I love to give thanks for.

My favorite part of Moms In Touch is when we give thanks!

Found you through the Mom Link Round Up.

Blessings,
Mimi

A Must-See Video for Every Christian