Oh, To Develop a Grateful Heart!

A lawyer had successfully handled a difficult law case for a wealthy friend. Following the happy outcome of the case, the friend and client called on the lawyer, expressed his appreciation of his work and handed him a handsome Moroccan leather wallet.

The lawyer looked at the wallet in astonishment and handed it back with a sharp reminder that a wallet could not possibly compensate him for his services. "My fee for that work," acidly snapped the attorney, "is five hundred dollars."

The client opened the wallet, removed a one-thousand dollar bill, replaced it with a five-hundred dollar bill and handed it back to the lawyer with a smile.

Some people pray only when they are in trouble. Even fewer pray a prayer of thanksgiving. There's an interesting paradox in our culture: the more we have, the less thankful we are. The more we have, the more we want. The more we have, the more we are aware of what we do not have. And, if we should happen to forget, the advertising world is ready to remind us. A grateful heart brings about an expectant heart. You can't be hopeful about the future, without being thankful for the past, and grateful for the present.

How do we develop a grateful heart? Great question! I am convinced that this is the work of God that only happens through prayer. So, let's look at this a little more closely. We need to pray for three things. The first, is we need to pray that God would move our hearts: from complaints to praise. Can you imagine how different the world would be, if starting today, people would not complain about anything? The world would be a completely different place! A new joy would begin to take over the world just because of that one minor change.

But now, try to imagine how different you would be if you would stop complaining today? There would be a whole new you. A new joy would begin to take over your life, and you would have a whole new outlook on the world. Think about this carefully, now.  If you would just stop complaining your relationships would be different, your job would be different, your home would be different, and your church would be different (Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Chronicles 29:11-13).

Secondly, we need to pray that God would move our hearts: from criticism to encouragement. Haven’t we been beaten up enough out there in the world? Do we need to be beaten up by our friends, and at home as well? Shouldn't our Christian family be the place where we find understanding and encouragement? We really need to be careful in the things we say to each other.

The Bible says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:29-32). The command of God is that we build one another up, not tear each other down. It grieves the Holy Spirit when our words hurt instead of heal.

The third thing we need to pray for, is that God would move our hearts: from cynicism to faith. All of us have questions. We learn by questioning things. But there is a difference between questioning something and expecting that there is a reasonable answer and questioning for the sake of questioning — not expecting or wanting there to be an answer. You can question because you want to know, or you can question as an excuse for not wanting to know. A skeptic is a person who doubts something is true, but is willing to investigate the facts in order to know whether it is true or not. A cynic is one who assumes something is not true and is not willing to look at the evidence or take is seriously.

I have known many people who are stuck in life because they have allowed a cynical spirit to grow in their hearts. Any time you present the truth of Christ to them they always want to ask a question. And before you can complete the answer they move to another question, and another. Their conversations are full of “Yes, but. . .”, or “What about this. . .”, and “Other people believe. . . .” Some people question because they are on a journey to discover truth. The cynic isn't even interested in the journey. They assume that all roads lead nowhere and you can’t know anything for sure.

The problem with a cynical spirit is that you never get anywhere. It robs you of confidence in life. The cynic asks, “How can you know there is a God?” “How can you be sure there is a heaven?” “How do you know that you are a Christian?” The message of the Bible is that God wants us to have confidence and know some things for certain (1 John 5:13). Faith is not something that just comes over you — it is a decision. There are not some who are predisposed to believe and some who are predisposed to doubt. All of us have a choice. You must decide to have faith. But this is not just a blind faith with no evidence. There is evidence all around you (Romans 1:19-20).

In regards to developing a grateful heart, let me leave you with this...for those who move from complaints to praise, from criticism to encouragement, and from cynicism to faith; there is the reward of joy. For those who ask God to change the negative spirit within them; the Lord gives the gift of praise even in the worst of circumstances.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7; Galatians 3:26; 1 John 4:2; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 1:11; John 5:15-17

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the love you give me. Your love gives me strength and courage to love others in return. Please help me to show love to those who are in need of it most. Amen

Have a blessed day!

Elizabeth