Proverbs 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
One of the best answers from a person’s mouth is, Thank You!
We live in a time of great discontentment. Many news articles report on people living with high levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and fear. These news stories are written in wonder of what is going on with people today. There seems to be an inability to grasp contentment.
Gratefulness is a concept rather than an attribute of character. Saying thank you for what we have is no longer a normal exercise of heart, and thought. We read in Rom. 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. This verse is talking about people who ‘knew God’, not the unbelievers, but people who claim to know God. When they did not give thanks or express gratitude to God, their thinking brought them only futility. What is the opposite of futility? That would be a mind that is productive, creative, and full of peace.
He was thankful for the people in his life. 1 Cor. 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf. Paul went before the Lord giving thanks on their behalf. Phil. 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. During his daily walk when someone came to his mind, Paul would thank the Lord for that person or group. Philemon 1:4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers. During his devotional time in prayer, Paul would thank God for the people that had been given to him to receive the good news.
1 Cor. 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all. For Paul’s daily private and personal life, he was again very thankful. He said “Thank You” all the time and because of that expression of heart, Paul was able to choose contentment in all things.
A heart of gratefulness will put you in a position of choice when all the struggles come your way. If “thank you” is a natural statement from your lips, then you will have the strength to choose contentment in every situation that comes your way. When gratefulness is practiced and becomes the first thought in your heart and mind, you will have the joy of life. You will have and produce a Godly life.
Medical practitioners are aware of the healing powers of gratefulness. I was listening to a Doctor who worked with manic depressed people. He explained his healing method for these suffering patients and the simplicity was remarkable. He put one-half of the patients on the newest pills that were available and the other half, he tried an experiment in gratefulness.
Over a three-month supervised period of time, the physician asked the second group to write down five things they were grateful for every day during the program and to also do twenty minutes of physical exercises in the same day. The medical staff were able to monitor the gratitude group because they were being treated at an outdoor ranch facility.
After three months, the first group had improved to a moderate level that the pills could bring them to, but still needing pills. The gratitude members had not only improved but most were healed of their manic depression and had gone on to productive lives. They got healed by saying THANK YOU!!! Of course, there was more involved in the eventual healing, but the catalyst was gratefulness and thanksgiving.
I had heard this story over five years ago and at that time I started a project of my own. I started to write five things I was grateful for every day in a scribbler. To this day I am still writing my five thank yous in a scribbler. I have found that choosing contentment only came easier after I had developed a heart of thanksgiving. Say thank you, and your life will change for the better. Bless you, all.
so simple and yet so true.
Thank you for this word