Gratitude Equals Peace

‘And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful’ Col.3:15

The first thing we need to know about gratitude is that you cannot be peaceful if you are not grateful. If you find out that there is turmoil in your heart. If you find out that there are consistent storms in your life, then check your gratitude because worry and gratitude don’t live together. Worry and gratitude cannot live together; it is like light and darkness. ‘And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful’ Col.3:15. Peace and gratitude go together. That is why in God’s Favourite House it is part of our culture to set aside the first Sunday in every month just to say “Thank You” to God. Think about what God has done in your life and family and be grateful for it. That you are even still standing, really, thank Him.

Peaceful people are grateful regardless of what their eyes can see. Peaceful people are grateful regardless of the direction their feelings are stirring them. It is because they know that God is good all the time. Peaceful people are consistently grateful. The story is told of an itinerant minister [an evangelist] that goes from church to church to preach. Back in the day in the United States when an itinerant minister or a guest pastor comes to preach in a church, they collect an offering for him will doubles as his honorarium. It was a small church; the man of God came and spoke powerfully about being peaceful regardless of what comes ones way. Then it was time to collect his offering and they used the Pastor’s hat to collect the offering. So the hat passed from hand to hand, man to woman, and it went round the church. The people in that church were very mean and they made up their minds to deal with the minister because of the subject to chose to preach about. So they all danced and danced and when the hat got back to the minister and he looked inside it, it was empty. But they were watching, they wanted to see what would happen. The pastor cleared his throat and said, “Father I thank you that at least I got my hat back”. Gratitude and peace go together. Whenever you find that you are experiencing turmoil, check, you have changed your focus from God and being grateful to God.

Prayer [song]: It doesn’t matter what my feelings say. It doesn’t matter what my eyes do see. God you are so good. You are exalted, You are the Lord Most High.