Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)

As I read this scripture text this morning I couldn’t help but notice that in each verse Paul takes the time to emphasize the importance of gratitude in our life: “be thankful”, “teach…sing…with gratitude”, “whatever you do…do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks”.

Have you ever wondered what is so good about being thankful? Sure there is the courtesy end of it - the idea of good manners in saying thank-you when we are the recipients of something good. With this understanding one could say that the value of gratitude is in the good will it communicates to the giver from the receiver. In a sense, it is a gift back to the to the giver of the gift as the appreciation is expressed.

Is that what Paul talking about here? In a very small measure maybe, but I believe that Paul is encouraging something greater, that of a gratefulness that permeates our lives. The idea that our very activity and motives should be saturated with gratitude. In this case I think this attitude of gratitude is good because of the following reasons:

• it prevents us for taking what we are blessed with for granted.
• it cultivates an awareness of the blessings in our lives and we appreciate them more.
• in the context of this verse, gratitude is a connection thread with God. It recognizes that He is ultimately the author of the blessings in our lives.
• it promotes well-being, peace, restfulness. Have you ever had a day where you complained about everything and everything “went wrong“. How did you feel at the end of the day?
• it makes you more approachable and validates your testimony. Be honest - who would you rather be around - a person who always finds something to grumble about or a person who always finds something to be thankful for? The testimony of many a believer is tarnished because they are missing gratitude in their life.
• it creates an atmosphere where Godly character can grow. Think about this for a moment, envy, jealousy, anger, malice - how easy do you think it would be for those traits to surface in a person who is saturated with gratefulness? Exactly.

Get an attitude….of gratitude!