The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40
Every day you have the chance to express thanks. Telling people why you’re grateful for them and finding little things you’re thankful for every day—a good cup of coffee at work, a warm meal at home or even a driver letting you cut in during busy traffic—are all good opportunities to express gratitude.
But what about your gratitude for God? How can you show God how thankful you are for him?
One way to express thanks to God is simply to say it. You can talk to God anytime to tell him what he means to you. You can also tell others how much you appreciate him. We all love to hear that others appreciate us, and God is no different!
While expressing thanks verbally is important, there’s an even more powerful way to show your gratitude: through action. A great way to express gratitude toward God is by helping others and being generous.
All throughout the Word we find evidence that God receives our acts of love and compassion toward others as though they’re being done to him. Today’s verse makes this clear, and in John 21:17, when Jesus asked Peter if he loved him and Peter assured Jesus that he did, Jesus told Peter to express it by helping others. He said, “Feed my sheep.”
The truth is that expressing this gratitude through generosity isn’t difficult. Just tune in to the needs around you, giving and helping whenever you can, knowing that your generosity makes God smile.