Living with an Attitude of Gratitude

‘Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted (Psalm 89:15-16 NKJV).

A joyful and fulfilled life is one that is lived with an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’. Everyone’s attitude determines his altitude in life. Your attitude definitely determines how high you go in every field of endeavor. Gratitude is one of the primary keys to living in abundance and until you acknowledge and appreciate what you have in your hands, you don’t qualify to ask God for more. No wonder the Psalmist says, we enter into God’s gates with thanksgiving in our heart and into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4).

On your journey to your promised land you should learn to celebrate your victories even though you have not arrived yet. Many are living miserable lives regardless of their abundance. Their craving for more blinds them from the blessings they already have. Right after they receive a blessing or a breakthrough, their focus shifts to the next need they have, without even saying thank you. They totally forget about what God has given them or done in the past.

The NIV of Psalm 89:15 says ‘blessed are those who have learned to acclaim…’ the Lord. This means that your ability to live a blessed life is dependent on your ability to thank God and celebrate your little blessings. This wisdom teaches soccer players to celebrate after they score each goal even though the game has not ended.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:164 that ‘seven times a day I will praise you’. This means that it is needful to bless the Lord at all times regardless of your circumstances.

HORATIO G. SPAFFORD, a forty-three-year-old Chicago businessman, who lived in the 19^th Century, lost his son. He and his wife were still grieving over the death of their son shortly before he suffered a financial disaster in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He realized they needed to get away for a vacation so he took the entire family to England for a Dwight L. Moody evangelistic campaign. He ended up losing all his four daughters on the Atlantic Ocean. Instead of blaming God for all the losses and giving up on his faith, he penned the words “…when sorrows like sea billows roll…it is well, it is well with my soul.” These words became the popular hymn ‘It is well with my soul’.

Take sometime today to reflect on God’s goodness and mercies to you in the past, thank and praise Him from the depths of your heart and you will receive strength to carry on your journey. Enjoy your blessings.