Rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. —Colossians 2:7
We show God gratitude by not only telling Him, but we show gratitude also by living a holy life. Never forget that we are not saved by being holy; we are holy because we have been saved. But because we are still sinners, we easily forget and become careless.
Gratitude is demonstrated furthermore by our giving Him one-tenth of our income. Now tithing was made legal under the law. We, however, are not under the law but under grace. We are not required to tithe as a condition to salvation. But God promises to bless those who do.
We show our thanks to God for saving us by sharing our faith with others. What if our gratitude to God were summed up entirely by our witnessing to others? What gratitude to God would you have manifested until now?
We thank God by the amount of time we spend alone with God. We reveal how important another person is to us by the actual amount of time we give to them. How much time do you give solely to God by being utterly alone with Him and talking only to Him?
We thank the Lord by discovering what pleases the Lord. This comes by experiencing two things: (1) walking in the light (1 John 1:7) and (2) becoming acquainted with the ungrieved Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30). When we discern what pleases Him, we know better how to please Him!
We show gratitude also by our church attendance. It is no small insult to God's name when His people are not found regularly meeting together. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:25).
Excerpted from Just Say Thanks! (Charisma House, 2005).
