Sharing the Gospel Every Day

The Bible commands us to be grateful. But why is that? Can God command us to feel a certain way?

Well, at the end of the day, gratitude really isn’t a feeling. It’s an action. It’s glorifying Jesus by acknowledging, to ourselves and to those around us, that every good thing comes from Him who reigns over all the Earth. Gratitude is not “Have a positive attitude!†or “You’d better feel grateful or else you’ll be in trouble!†Gratitude shouts from the mountaintops, “JESUS IS KING! AND HE IS GOOD!â€

We can see that in today’s passage in Luke. While ten people were healed, only one expressed gratitude to Jesus. He ran around the city shouting praise to God, telling everyone that God is good. He didn’t say, “Look how great my life is!†Instead, he said, “Look how great God is!†While the other nine people probably felt grateful, they didn’t act in gratitude. Gratitude acknowledges all the good in our lives comes from God, not our own efforts.

As the Holy Spirit helps us practice gratitude, let us always point ourselves and each other to the One who deserves all of our gratitude: Jesus, the resurrected King who is coming back to make all things new so that we may someday live in perfect gratitude to Him (Revelation 21:1-5). • Taylor Eising

• How does expressing gratitude show others who Jesus is?

• Can you practice gratitude even when you aren’t feeling grateful?

• What are some things in your life you want to thank God for?

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 (NLT)

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James 2