Positively Good Productions
Sowinig blessings and life lessons to encourage, refresh, and benefit our lives.
Where there is a grateful heart,
there is courtesy and concern for others.
Without it...
there is arrogance and haughtiness.
The evidence of greatness is demonstrated by
our ability to see and acknowledge causes for
thankfulness in our lives. Being grateful is a sign
of one's closeness and love of God.
Many enjoy the blessings of life, shelter, food,
and good health and never even say
"Thank You"
to God.
How this lack of appreciation
must grieve our heavenly
Father!
Whenever we fail to give adequate gratitude
for the blessings we have received from God...
we become ingrates.
Without gratefulness, one can become arrogant,
vain, and self-centered, with an excessive sense
of self-importance. They tend to take blessings for
granted and embrace an attitude of entitlement.
They tend to believe they have achieved
everything... on their own.
Entitlement is at the core of narcissism.
Entitlement and self-absorption are major
impediments to gratefulness.
Thankfulness keeps our hearts in right
relationship/alignment to
the Giver of all good gifts.
When we open our eyes and give thanks
for the bountiful beauty of this life,
we live in thanksgiving, daily.
Giving thanks to God is not just an occasional
thing to do, but it is to be a way of life.
Everyone can live in thanksgiving...
daily!
When we live with a spirit of thanksgiving
we can rejoice in the midst of tribulation.
Thankfulness allows us to be grateful to...
the Giver of all good gifts
in any circumstance.
Gratefulness keeps our hearts in
right relationship to
the Giver of all good gifts.
A thankful heart of praise
removes mountains of concerns.
The more grateful we are...
the more power we acquire to press on
to greater heights.
Every day is a new canvas... each moment
of every day is a new opportunity to reflect
upon, to live in thanksgiving, and be grateful.
Gratitude is the recognition that life owes us
nothing, and all the good we have is a gift.
Let us be grateful each day for the gift of life.
We are richly blessed by God, Who fills each
and every day with blessings.
Each day offers us authentic and beautiful
moments to experience and embrace.
The more we focus on our blessings and the
many things we have to be thankful for...the
less fear, negativity, and anxiety we will nurse.
When trouble comes or if it never does...
let us think about all we have to thank God for.
Who, but the Creator gives to all men life and
breath and everything else?
Acts 17:25
A grateful heart can become one of the most
powerful ways to change our lives for the better.
Life can be difficult at times.
Sometimes we feel that we don’t have much;
however, there are some people out there who
would love to trade places with us.
Preservation from hurt, harm, and danger...
are blessings from God. Our health and well being
are blessings from the hand of God. Our liberty...
is a blessing from God. The ability to see, hear,
walk, talk, think, and to imagine... all comes
straight from the hand of God. Our capacity to
love is a wonderful gift from the hand of God.
Our lives are blessed exceedingly, abundantly,
beyond all we can ask or think, by God.
Diligently giving thanks to God
for everything in our lives, daily...
helps us to realize that nothing in our
lives should be taken for granted or
looked upon as anything short of
extraordinary.
God has showered us with blessings upon blessings
that we don't deserve.
The humble thankful heart recognizes that the world
doesn't owe them anything. They understand that
anything they have is better than they deserve.
Everywhere we look... there are so many
beautiful things to be grateful for,
and as we practice being grateful... we will
notice our cup running over with more and
more blessings.
God is the Source of all good gifts.
It is God alone... Who deserves praise.
An attitude of gratitude is the affirmation and
expression of appreciation, unpremeditatedly
generated from within, for what we have
and/or what we have experienced.
Gratitude is the recognition and appreciation
of the good in our lives. It is that inner warmth
that emanates and makes the heart smile. It
gives meaning to our existence.
The Scriptures are filled with commands to...
give thanks to
God.
“Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto
the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy
endures for ever.”
Psalm 106:1;
O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good:
for His mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 107:1;
O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good:
because His mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 118:1;
So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the
midst of the tent that David had pitched for it:
and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace
offerings before God.
1 Chronicles 16:34;
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Thessalonians 5:18
Most verses go on to list reasons why
we should thank God, such as
“His love endures forever”.
Psalm 136:3
“God is good”.
Psalm 118:29
“God's mercy is everlasting”.
Psalm 100:5
Thanksgiving and praise always go together!
We cannot adequately praise and worship God...
without also being thankful.
One of the most beautiful Psalms
of Thanksgiving is the
100th Psalm.
Cultivating gratitude
is one of the most beautiful
and spiritually enriching journeys
we can take in life.
Gratitude is when we acknowledge the
goodness in our lives. It is being grateful
to live another day, to feel the air in our
lungs, and the beating of our
hearts.
A thankful heart is a happy heart. Gratitude
leads to happiness. Cultivating gratefulness
increases our joy and helps us be a better
person. Being grateful is associated with
and is a necessary part of any joyful,
healthy and happy existence.
When we praise and thank God we come
to realize a gladness of heart. Those old
burdens seem to roll away... when we
bless and thank God.
Murmuring and complaining seemed to have been the
dominant theme of Israel’s life in the wilderness.
In Exodus 16, we find Israel began to complain and
murmur against Moses and Aaron about the lack of food,
which in reality they were complaining and murmuring to
God. Moses made this point very clear in Exodus 16:8:
“You will know that it was the Lord when He gives you
meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in
the morning because He has heard your grumbling against
Him. Who are we? Why are we growing impatient,
disgruntled and outright offensive towards God? You are
not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”
At one time or another, especially in times of crisis, we
have all grumbled, groaned, whined, complained,
whispered, murmured, held pity parties, been victimized
or played the role of the victim.
Murmuring is how one expresses their discontent at others
or situations they find themselves in; although,
ultimately, if the truth be told, murmuring expresses our
displeasure with God's direction for our lives.
When people grumble, murmur, sputter rumors, lies, and
make baseless claims... their hearts can become darkened
and twisted.
God is not fooled when our murmuring is directed at
others. We see this in God’s response when the Israelites
grumbled against Moses and Aaron in Numbers 14: “The
Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will these people treat Me
with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in
Me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed
among them?'” (v. 11).
All murmuring is against God. It is treating God with
contempt, saying that somehow God failed to make us
happy.
While in Egypt, the people of Israel were slaves to
Pharaoh and the Egyptians. When they complained,
Pharaoh made their conditions even harder. Then they
cried out to God, Who delivered them. He brought them
out of their cruel, suppression and crushing slavery to
lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey.
In keeping with His covenant with Abraham, the Lord
came to their rescue, redeeming them to worship and obey
Him only as their God and King. So in Exodus 15:26, God
told them, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord
your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay
attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will
not bring on you any of the afflictions I brought on the
Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Jesus refused to murmur and yield to the devil. Instead
Jesus prayed,
"Thy Will be done."
This is a vital point that each of us needs to be aware of.
Being grateful is good for us.
We should deliberately
cultivate gratitude.
Every breath, every moment, and every experience
is a precious gift from God.
Thankfulness cultivates humility.
Cultivating gratitude helps us to realize a greater
sense of spiritual and emotional well-being.
Gratitude is a beautiful quality
that individuals can successfully cultivate further.
Cultivating a spirit of thankfulness honors God
and strengthens our faith.
Gratefulness provides a perspective from which
we can view life and not become overwhelmed
by worldly circumstances.
Our giving becomes receiving
when we live a life filled with thankfulness.
When gratitude comes from
a pure heart... it blossoms.
May we appreciate all God has blessed us with
like... breathing in fresh air. Every breath we
take is a gift from God. Every breath we take
is an undeserved miracle... a blessing, and a
wonderful gift from God.
We have not earned, nor do we deserve all
that God has given; nevertheless, the Giver
of all good gifts...
just keeps on giving.
We should be thankful that we are able to speak,
hear, do and be. Our life, our breath, and all that
is seen or unseen... are gifts from God.
Thank You, God, for giving us the breath of life.
Thank You, for Christ Jesus.
We know that it is You Who has made our
lives worth living.
Thank You, God, for all You have done,
for all You have planned, and for all You
are doing.
We know that everything we have or will
ever be... are gifts from You.
To God be the glory for every blessing, abundantly and
unceasingly, bestowed upon us.
When we concentrate on finding the good in every
situation, we discover that our lives are filled with
an ocean of reasons to praise God!
The practice of giving thanks to God
acknowledges the benevolence
of God.
Sincere gratitude, and thanksgiving, are born of humility.
These are the healthiest of all human emotions. People
who give thanks count their blessings rather than listing
their grievances and misfortunes.
Counting our Blessings...
PRODUCES CONTENTMENT!
We believe God wants us to learn to be thankful... and it is
in our best interest to be reminded:
Every good and perfect gift is from God.
James 1:17
In our greatest distress... let us praise and thank God.
Let us bless the Lord at all times... even when trouble
seems to overwhelm us. Let us praise and thank God...
even before we cry.
Let us never ignore the countless blessings that God
freely and lovingly gives, daily. They are not asked
for nor deserved, but freely given.
Let us seize each day and understand that it is
God's grace and mercy which fuels us. It allows
us to see the sunrise and the sunset.
By giving thanks continually we are reminded of
how much we do have.
When we focus on blessings...
rather than wants,
we are happier.
When we are grateful...
focusing on all we have to be thankful for,
it is easier to keep our problems, wants, and
concerns in the right perspective.
God is constantly giving us overflowing
reasons to be thankful...
in good measure....
pressed down, shaken together,
and running over!
When we begin to realize the many causes
for thankfulness... the more grateful
we begin to feel.
The more grateful we are...
the nearer we will draw to
God, our Source.
In everything...
we are asked to give thanks... because...
everything is working together
for our good!
Let us search... until we find
causes for thankfulness.
Let us go from a complaining life
to one which cultivates
and is grounded in a spirit of Thanksgiving.
Trust...
there are always causes for
thankfulness.
With the blessing of God we can be rich...
even when we are poor.
To God be the glory for every blessing abundantly
and unceasingly bestowed upon us.
Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul
and a refined character.
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