Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 (NLT)
Let’s pretend you have two friends who always ask to borrow your car. One is always complaining. He lets you and everyone else who will listen know about all the problems and issues he had with your car the last time you loaned it to him. He complains that it wasn’t washed, the windows were streaked and the tank was only half full.
The other friend also borrows your car, but he always brags about you. He tells everyone what a great friend you are, and he always tells you how grateful he is for your help.
Which of these two best represents how you are with God?
I’m not saying that God won’t answer your prayers or that He loves you less if you aren’t thankful, but the way you experience your relationship with Him will be stronger if you are grateful.
The same is true of any relationship. If all I can think about are my wife’s flaws and the things she fails to do, I’m not going to create intimacy in my relationship with her. On the other hand, if I think and talk about all of her many wonderful characteristics all the time, I magnify the positive instead of the negative. I’m constantly reminded of why I love her so much, and I draw closer to her.
Thinking of, talking about and telling God how amazing He is, magnifies all of the reasons why you love Him, and it causes you to draw closer to Him.
So…what are you going to focus on today?