Have a Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for friends.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Though the recession has hit some very deeply, there is still much for which to be grateful.

In the past several years, I’ve been challenged , especially by the Bible and then the prompting of the Holy Spirit to, “Give thanks for all things. Give thanks in all things. Always be joyful.” (Ephesians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Philippians 4:4)

J.H.Jewett suggests, "Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road."

Developing a grateful spirit reaps so many positive results, one of which is spiritual formation (becoming more like Christ, as directed in Romans 8:9) Michael Zigarelli tells in Regent Business Review of his study of 5000 Christians worldwide, studying their beliefs, behaviors and, character. He used a methodology applied regularly in the social sciences: comparing the "gold medalists" to the "silver medalists" seeing what really distinguishes the champions. In other words, he compared a group of what he called "high-virtue Christians" (i.e., people who consistently display "fruit of the Spirit" virtues) to a group of "average-virtue Christians" to see what makes the high-virtue Christian different. He found that one explanation—one characteristic—clearly stood out above the rest: gratitude.

He found that a mindset of gratitude dwarfed the practice of any or all the disciplines of the Christian life as an explanation for how Christians go from average in virtue to consistently high in virtue.

From his study, Zigarelli labeled gratitude as a powerful disposition that provides us with a very efficient, very effective mechanism for developing myriad character traits. Our view of the entire world is different and we are suddenly empowered to be the people God calls us to be—to more deeply love God, to love neighbor, and to love our own lives.

How is a grateful spirit developed? Zigarelli found that the mind of the high-virtue Christian is a disciplined mind, a pure and godly mind. A mind that is adept at immediately clearing away sinful thoughts. It is a mind that is focused on what one has rather than what one does not have. A mind that refuses to think in terms of what's missing from life—in terms of how much better life could be "if only … " Instead, the high-virtue Christians want what they have. They are fully content with what's been conferred upon them, and they frequently thank God for their blessings.

The most fertile ground for growing gratitude is a thought life that purges sinful thoughts before they fester, that eradicates envy, and that replaces these thoughts with reminders of how richly blessed one really is. The Apostle Paul apparently had the same answer, but stated it more succinctly and more powerfully: "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). Indeed, perpetual gratitude begins with a renewed mind.

Another method in the development of a thankful spirit is keeping a "gratitude journal." This is a daily diary that focuses exclusively on the blessings in your life thereby re-centering you on God's providence. Beyond that, a journal permits you to look back over several days, weeks, and months to review the numerous blessings that you might have forgotten had you not written them down. The standard journaling recommendation is to log five blessings per day, more or less.

There also appears to be a link between fasting, confession of sin and praying for the poor in the growth of a grateful attitude. In my opinion there is one major development factor in the growth and sustaining of gratitude – that being knowing God. AS we spend time with God, in prayer, Bible reading, memorizing Scripture, viewing God work in our lives and in others, our focus becomes “You fathers being evil love to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Father wants to do for you.”

A final thought from Albert Schwietzer: At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."

What will be your focus – not only on this special day, but the rest of the days of the week – the month – the year? Thanks Abba Papa.