Gratitude.

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29

Here the Greek word for the translated English word gratitude in this letter to the Hebrews is the word is χάρις / charis / khar’-ece which answers directly to the Hebrew (OT) term / Kaná (“grace, extension-toward”). Both refer to God freely extending Himself (His favor, grace), reaching (inclining) to people because He is disposed to bless (be near) them.

Here God the Father is our example in that His heart was to give us … Jesus. What is it that we can give that is from God’s heart to others? What can we give back to God from our true heart in pure gratitude?

Here in the letters to the Colossians and Timothy the Greek word for the translated English word gratitude is εὐχαριστία / eucharistia / yoo-khar-is-TEE-ah / embraces the disposition and expression of heartfelt gratitude toward God. Far from a mere polite acknowledgment, it is a covenantal response that recognizes His character, works, and gifts, and it functions as both an attitude and an act of worship. Thanksgiving in Scripture is never detached from faith; it is the grateful proclamation that God is worthy of glory and that His providence is good.

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Real gratitude comes from very depths of our inner most heart and soul. It is never performance. It is never forced. It is our true expression of our core heart. To express true gratitude, one has to personally experience the real grace and heart of God. It is from this place that we give God our true and complete humble thankfulness realizing that it is nothing we did ourselves but that it is ONLY by His grace towards us … that we live and have our being. When is the last time you truly expressed your real and deep gratitude towards God?

Have you ever really felt His grace poured out towards you? It will bring a powerful strong warrior to their knees. Our God is a consuming fire. Real gratitude is possibly one of deepest core emotions one can experience. It is rich and complex and comes only by the deep penetrating heartfelt revelation from God.

Ask God to show you His heart of love towards you, and the Holy Spirit will point you to Jesus. Truly experience the risen Lord and He will change you forever. Do you truly want to meet Him? Ask.

It is good to bring our remembrance to those times He has ‘touched’ your heart at the center of your soul. To give Him thanks for being your Lord AND Savior. Not out of religious ‘service’ but from a real depth of soul knowing Him … from those personal experiences you and Him have had together.

Father – we worship YOU with our true gratitude, realizing without YOU we have nothing! Jesus – YOU did it all just for us. Holy Spirit – teach us the heart of God! Holy Spirit help us experience YOUR love in greater and greater ways and depths.