As America prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving, a minister shared the significance of gratitude in a person's life and its impact on others.
In his article on The Christian Post, Dr. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church (PBC) in Texas, said that being grateful to God can shift negativity, pessimism and cynicism into enthusiasm, contentment and joy. He added that gratitude defies the attitudes that can damage a person physically such as unforgiveness, bitterness, fear and despair. To further highlight its importance, Graham provided three accomplishments that an attitude of gratitude can bring.
First, it magnifies the Lord Jesus Christ. The minister said that God wants His people to be fruitful with the time they are given, and thus, they ought to be grateful with the opportunity to live for His glory.
He pointed out that God, in His power and majesty, deserves to be praised, and if man fails to do such, "the stones will cry out" in his place instead, as stated in Luke 19:40.
"But praising God in gratitude changes our hearts and puts him in his rightful place as the Lord of our lives. Praising the Lord gives us power for our day-to-day life. I don't know what trial you may be facing today, but whatever it is, praise will help bring you through it," he continued.
Next, being grateful edifies others. He said that it is important for Christians to live out their faith by living a life of gratitude because it encourages people. Citing a line from the poem written by Edgar Guest, Graham stressed that though it is relevant to share the Gospel through words, believers must also preach by how they live their lives.
"I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day," Guest stated in his poem, "Sermons We See."
"That tangible "sermon" provides one of the most powerful validations of the message of the Gospel. When we give thanks, we show others that we can live in the face of conflict and crisis with an unshakeable hope in God," the pastor explained.
Moreover, he said that when Christians share God's "message of love and hope," others will be able to "see [their] joy and experience [their] peace" through their "glow of gratitude," making them "walking Gospel presentations."
"The impact of a grateful heart and a humble worshiper is impossible to measure. It is greater than all of the evangelistic methods that we could ever conceive," Graham added.
Finally, it multiplies the Church.
The minister highlighted that prayer invites the presence of God, as the Bible declares in Matthew 18:20.
"If prayer brings your heart to heaven, praise will bring heaven to your heart," Graham noted.
Further, he stated that simply thinking about what God has done for man can already ignite gratefulness.
In conclusion, he reminded about the essence of gratitude as the country approaches the day of its celebration.
"So, this Thanksgiving, let's give thanks not because all things are good, but because God is always good," the minister declared.
Aside from being a pastor of 47,000 congregants, Graham is also a televangelist that ministers to 113 countries through PBC's PowerPoint Ministries.
