Plain Old 'Gratitude'




Being thankful is not telling God you appreciate the fact that your life is not in shambles. If that is the basis of your gratitude, you are on slippery ground. Every day of your life you face the possibility that a blessing in your life may be taken away. But blessings are only signs of God's love. The real blessing, of course, is the love itself. Whenever we get too attached to the sign, we lose our grasp on the God who gave it to us. Churches are filled with widows who can explain this to you. We are not ultimately grateful that we are still holding our blessings. We are grateful that we are held by God even when the blessings are slipping through our fingers.  Craig Barnes

You think, 'If I had more, I would be very grateful.' You make a mistake. If you are not grateful with what you now have, more would be wasted on the same ungrateful heart.

For This Our Bounty...

Ecclesiastes 3:13


We thank You for this smiling land of ours,

For all the beauty and the grandeur here;

We thank You most for freedom, dearly bought

By Pilgrim band and sturdy pioneer.

Had they not bravely lived and so endured,

This priceless gift could never have been gained.


In thanks and solemn praise we raise our hearts,

And vow to keep our honor still sustained.

For this our bounty, Lord, we give You thanks

With grateful hearts as brimming as our store.

Our flocks are fed, our fields have yielded well.


Dear Lord, we could not rightly ask for more.

Pray, make us humble for our harvest's yield

And mindful of our neighbors in distress;

Unless in our abundance he may share,

Then empty is our show of thankfulness.




Visit these websites for many Gratitude ideas and topics.

www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/thanksgiving-echoing-the-grace-of-god; www.firstumclex.org/2006-11-19--a%20grateful%20heart.htm; www.bethankful.com/articles/emmons2.htm; www.quotegarden.com/gratitude.html; www.about-personal-growth.com/appreciation-and-gratitude.html; www.inspirationpeak.com(gratitude); dailychristianquote.com/dcqgratitude.html; ezinearticles.com/(Gratitude-Journal); www.reviveourhearts.com/pdf/uploads/AttitudeGratitude.pdf; www.soundoflife.net/gratitude-quotes/ www.associatedcontent.com/article/