Thursday, April 4, 2013

April 4 - Grateful or Thankful

…in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
…having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:7

So is there a difference between being grateful and being thankful?
Grateful - feeling or expressing thanks: having or showing the desire or reason to thank somebody.
Thankful - feeling gratitude: feeling or expressing gratitude.
So these words are synonyms. 

In her book, One Thousand Gifts—A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, Ann Voskamp expresses gratitude for simple everyday things—like light streaming in through a window and giggling children. On the dare of friend she started a gratitude journal writing down everything for which she was grateful—and she suggests doing the same. I started a list…and it was amazing how the things I was grateful for just came tumbling out of me and onto the paper…beginning with “Freedom to worship God”. I am so totally grateful for that ability—not everyone in the world has that.   

Training Tip – Start a Gratitude Journal with your family today. You can do it as a group or have a separate page for each person. See how many blessings God shows you for which you are grateful—and dare to live fully right where you are. Don’t wait for tomorrow or Sunday to express your gratefulness to the Lord. You may want to express your gratitude to those in your life who have influenced you to live in a way that pleases God. 

Lord Jesus, I am so eternally grateful to You for dying on the cross for my sin and for promising to never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). Thank you also for showing me how important it is to be grateful for even the small things in my life. I am overflowing with gratitude.  

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.
© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

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