Cultivating a Thankful HeartSampel

Our Greatest Reason for Thanks Whenever I allow results or circumstances to overshadow my gratitude for salvation, my heart veers toward dangerous terrain. Though at first, my reaction feels harmless, this subtle shift of focus invites pride, comparison, and a performance-based mentality in. When I remember my life before Christ’s intervention, however, and contemplate where I’d be now without Him, this humble truth not only provides an internal safeguard, but it elevates my praise as well. One day, a group of seventy-two Christ followers returned from a God-ordained mission. Jesus had sent them out in pairs to heal the sick and tell those they encountered that the “kingdom of God [had] come near” (v. 9). They did, with astonishing results. They “returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name’” (v. 17). Jesus responded saying, in essence, “I know, and this doesn’t surprise me, nor should it you. But don’t focus on results. Instead, celebrate all you have and are proclaiming in Me.” Jesus wanted them to remember, always, the greatest gift He’d given to mankind—salvation. This was to be their greatest motivator and reason for praise. This was also their greatest and most enduring assurance. They belonged to God, had been reconciled to Him, and adopted into His family. This meant they could dwell with Him, the Creator of the universe, their Sustainer and the Provider of everything right and good and true. The works He wrought through them, as awesome as they were, weren’t nearly as glorious as all they had in Christ.