Apicontent

The sign in front of a small country church caught my eye: “It’s not happy people who are the most thankful. Rather it’s thankful people who are the most happy.”

The power of giving thanks to transform any situation is still something of a mystery. When someone gave thanks in the Bible, a miracle often followed. Jesus gave thanks before He broke the five loaves and two fish to feed the five thousand (Mat 18:19-21). He lifted His eyes to heaven and gave thanks to His Father before calling the four-day-dead Lazarus to come forth from his tomb (John 11:38-44).

But gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Just ask any parent. We have to teach our children to be thankful. In much the same way, God trains His children. We see in the Old Testament that He created rituals and celebrations to teach thankfulness.

When we give thanks to God, we experience something even more powerful—His grace. Our word “grateful” comes from an old English word “grate,” which means “thanks.” “Grateful” is also related to the word grace.

The Greek word commonly translated “grace” in the Bible is charis. Grace describes God’s unmerited favor to us through Jesus Christ. Charis, or grace, can also mean gratitude. “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly…with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude [charis] in your hearts” (Col 3:16 NIV).

Charis is the very substance of our salvation. “For it is by grace [charis] you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…(Ephesians 2:8 AMP). How exciting to think that as we practice gratitude, we breathe new life into our understanding of God’s amazing grace!

However, it requires something of a fight to remain thankful when life is hard. To walk in God’s grace in our broken, and sometimes hostile world. Peter reminded a church that was being heavily persecuted to hold onto “the true grace of God” and “to stand firm” in this wonderful, gratitude-infused grace (1 Peter 5:12).

I believe that as we become more and more thankful, we just might discover that we’re also becoming happier!

[by Marilynn Chadwick, founder, SEEDS of Hope, Charlotte, NC]

Can practicing thankfulness actually improve your health? Some seem to think so. I read about a study in which participants were asked to list the things for which they were thankful. They were instructed to time the writing of their gratitude list and sustain this exercise for exactly five minutes. Sounds a little like weightlifting, doesn’t it?

The results of the study showed that those who practiced sustained gratitude for just five minutes experienced a sharp rise in their disease-fighting antibodies. These antibodies remained elevated for several hours!

Being thankful can improve our mental health as well. The Bible teaches us that a thankful heart is also a joyful heart. Joy comes when we spend time with Jesus: “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” (Acts 2:28 NIV).

The Greek word for “joy” in this particular verse, euphrosune, comes from two words that mean “good” and “mind.” In other words, a sound mind. Joy springs from a healthy mind when we’re connected to Jesus. Just spending time in His presence can be healing. Such good news!

When we practice being thankful, we also become more aware of Jesus and all His blessings. This naturally (and supernaturally) increases our joy. And who doesn’t want more joy? It’s a language anyone can understand.

The story is told of missionaries who went to a tiny village in a faraway place. Even before they became fluent in the native language, some villagers approached them wanting to hear more about “this Jesus” after hearing the sounds of joyful laughter coming from the missionaries’ tent.

So today, let’s exercise our “thank you muscles.” This, in turn, will help us be filled with joy. Let’s pray now that thirsty people—especially those who may not even know what they’re thirsty for—will be drawn to our joy.

Above all, let’s pray they are drawn to our Jesus who gives us this joy!

[by Marilynn Chadwick, founder, SEEDS of Hope, Charlotte, NC]

I remember an old Tarzan movie in which the famed ape man was peering at a droplet of water through a microscope. Tarzan was shocked to see the water was teeming with microorganisms invisible to the naked eye.

What if we could peer into the spiritual world? Like Tarzan, I imagine we’d be shocked to see the real source of our battles. The Bible tells of an atmosphere filled with invisible enemies.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood…but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT)

Scripture doesn’t describe this realm in great detail. It does, however, tell us how to fight. We’re told to put on our “spiritual armor” (Ephesians 6:10-20). To “submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee” (James 4:7).

Giving thanks can be a strategic weapon in our spiritual battles. We see Paul and Silas singing and praising God in a Philippian jail after being severely beaten and chained. Their chains fell off, the jailer accepted Jesus, and his whole family became believers! (Acts 16:19-24).

The children of Israel sang praises right in the middle of a huge battle: “Give thanks to the Lord; His faithful love endures forever!” The Lord caused the enemy to fight among themselves and God’s people won an astounding victory! (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).

Perhaps you’re facing a spiritual battle today. You’ve resisted, prayed, and fought the good fight. But you’re weary. Maybe this is your strategic moment to thank God.

Let God fight this battle for you. Rest in His power. Remember, the devil and his minions hate childlike trust. If you stand firm in your faith and continue to thank God, the devil will eventually have to flee. After all, he is allergic to praise.

[by Marilynn Chadwick, founder, SEEDS of Hope, Charlotte, NC]

Thankful. One simple word—thankful—emblazoned across the front of a woman’s t-shirt, caught my eye. There was a period at the end of what wasn’t even a sentence. Thankful. So, I guess you could read it this way: “Thankful, period.” I would like that to describe me. I’m thankful. Period.

But I have to confess. Sometimes I’m less than thankful. Maybe I am not paying enough attention to my blessings or perhaps I’m taking God’s benefits for granted.

David and I have a dear friend from Africa, one of the most joyful believers I’ve ever known. He once spoke words that jolted me out of my spiritual lethargy. A survivor of Rwanda’s genocide, he had seen more death and destruction than I could possibly imagine.

“Do you have all your arms and legs—your limbs?” he asked us. “Then you are blessed!” “Do you have your eyes, your sense of hearing, your ability to speak? Then praise God and give Him thanks. Rejoice and count your amazing blessings!” he exclaimed. From his perspective, it was incredible simply to be alive. Healthy. Not maimed by war. Reason to rejoice!

Stop for a minute and reflect on the many benefits you enjoy simply because you don’t live in an area ravaged by war. Do you have all your limbs? Can you walk? Are you able to see and hear and talk? Then, as our friend would say, “Rejoice at your great blessings!”

His words challenged me to become more intentional about giving thanks to the Lord for my blessings. And to resist complaining about petty annoyances.

Next time you’re tempted to grumble, pause, and take a look at your hands and feet—and be thankful. Reflect upon the ability to walk and see and hear. Count the ways God has poured His grace upon you.

Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits. (Psalm 103:2 ESV)

[by Marilynn Chadwick, founder, SEEDS of Hope, Charlotte, NC]