The horizon of thankfulness.
Posted by appolus on November 13, 2019
For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (2 Cor 4: 15-16)
Lord I pray that my heart would be forever fixed upon the horizon of Thankfulness. I can see how love and joy and peace and contentment and life are all attached to a heart that is fixed and focused upon thankfulness to God. When we take our eyes off of this horizon, when we deviate to the left or to the right from this perspective then the floodgates crack open and into the fields of our hearts bitter waters waters begin to seep. Discontentment begins to rise, roots of bitterness begin to break through the surface. All this begins to happen when our horizon changes, when thankfulness and gratefulness are no longer our dominant state of mind. We all know folks whose hearts have been flooded with bitterness. They have no peace. They have no joy. They are quick to anger. They cannot appreciate anything they have, they are consumed with the things that they do not have, the things that they have missed out on or lost in life.
And they begin to die, spiritually. The bitterness that seeped into the innermost fields of their hearts begin to seep out to the surface. What was once hidden away in the heart begins to manifest itself on the outside. Family are the first to suffer, then co-workers and friends. They do not see someone who is filled with the love of God and the light of His life, but someone who is embittered and filled with darkness. Unless thier eyes are drawn back again to the horizon of thankfulness then there can be no hope. Those afflicted with this malady, this disease, lets call it what it is, this high crime, will wander in the wilderness and they will die there.
The antidote to all of this is a life of thankfulness and a heart that always leans towards being grateful in every situation. Give thanks to God in all things. No matter the darkness of your surroundings you give thanks to God. As a saint you have the greatest gifts of all, you have the treasures of heaven, you have eternal life in heaven bought for you at a terrible cost. We could live a thousand lives and never be able to repay the cost of the cross. Run to thankfulness when you are hard pressed on every side. Run to thankfulness when you have been crushed by circumstances. Focus on the light when darkness presses in all around you. With your dying breath give thanks to God. This decision of the heart, this deliberate act of the will, is the power of God in your life. This is overcoming. This is enduring to the end. This is the fire. This is your sanctification, this is your narrow path that leads to life. Find it, walk in it and keep your eyes fixed upon its horizon.
A Call To The Remnant 
Exploring Alura said
This is absolutely wonderful. I find absolute agreement that gratefulness and appreciation for the blessings the moment holds are the key that unlocks the bounty of Heaven to be found in every moment.
For since God is in every micospec of the moment we are in, what is better – to give your moment to thinking of God appreciatively or spending your moment complaining how God should have done something differently for you?
I chose to spend my every thought giving thanks to the wonder and beauty that is abundant in the life we share. And in giving my every thought towards being grateful and appreciative, I find my every moment is filled with the Light of God’s Love. For God’s Love makes one happy and not enjoying the moment makes people unhappy. I chose Love and Happiness before I will ever cave to Unappreciation and Ungratefulness.
I think ultimately appreciation and gratitude come down to knowing how you approach taking in your moments. Do you think first to thank and be happy? Or do you first think how things could be different and you would be happier if they were that way?
appolus said
Amen sister. I think wasting time thinking about how things could have been or should have been is total futility born out of a world of melancholy. Self pity and at best, grayness rule in these worlds, but mostly blackness as it pulls its victims down in something akin to spiritual quicksand. It keeps your eyes firmly fixed on what has past and what shall never be as opposed to what was and is and is to come. The ever present glory of God…………..bro Frank
Exploring Alura said
A lot of people get stuck dwelling on the past for often without realizing they are making the active choice to carry the baggage of past experiences in a negative fashion. All too often, this negativity is so everpresent that the person doesn’t realize their negativity is cutting them off from the wealth and beauty and splendor of God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
I quite literally believe that we are living in an active Realm of Hell working to bring forth all those that are able to be saved before the final purging Existence of those wishing to walk apart from God. In these final hours, I feel that the Perfection of Heaven has been made available en masse to help the broken and devious to see how beautiful life can be when you but choose to do things a better way.
And that better way is and was and always will be following the Light of Perfect Love that is God’s Will. In all ways, God has a better way that hurts none and heals all. If we but give our hearts in his direction, all will be made better.
It just takes true belief that God is the one responsible for all the magnificent splendor of the world as we know and the sincere submission to doing things a better way on behalf of the love of God.
Much love to you in this blessed day. I hope you are finding your blessings aplenty and reveling in the wonder of being so fortunate to know God’s Love and Blessings.
Kimberly Mcbride said
Thank you Frank