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I find November is a particular time of year time to reflect upon what the Bible has to say about gratitude. It is a busy season for ministry and business leaders because we’re preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and even preparing for the following year. Our calendars are full. 

Also, as we enter the year’s final weeks, it’s an important time to reflect upon the past year while preparing for the upcoming year. And gratitude is an essential part of that process.

Reading through Scripture will reveal how vital gratitude is to God. I read that over 400 Bible verses reference Thanksgiving or gratitude. From them came two major themes. 

First, God wants gratitude to be the leading motivation behind everything in our lives. Paul tells us this in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NKJV).

Next, God rewards gratitude with blessings and benefits. Even scientific studies have shown in recent years the many benefits and blessings. Here are a few and some new ones.

What are some of those benefits?

1. Gratitude can improve brain and physical health.
   
   Doctors and, most important, Scripture says that gratitude is a healthy human emotion. It improves your brain and your physical health. “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV).
   
2. Gratitude can increase happiness.
   
   Some of the happiest people are those who are the most grateful. Focusing on the good things God has done in your life will bring you joy. David wrote, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad” (Psalm 126:3 NKJV).
   
3. Gratitude can be the remedy for toxic emotions.
   
   Gratitude defeats emotions such as worry, depression, anger, and fear. It is impossible to be grateful and worried at the same time. 
   
   Here is what Paul says about gratitude and the kind of peace that overcomes negative emotions: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV).
   
4. Gratitude can improve relationships.
   
   Whether it’s your relationship with your spouse, children, coworkers, or neighbors, gratitude will improve it. You’ll likely have fewer arguments when you express more genuine thankfulness for the people in your life.
   
5. Gratitude can provide more opportunities.
   
   When you express gratitude, you receive new opportunities you may not have otherwise. People respond to appreciation. 
   
6. Gratitude indicates spiritual maturity.
   
   It is easy to know someone is growing spiritually when you see them express gratitude. Colossians 2:6, 7 says, “As you, therefore, have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (NKJV).
   
7. Gratitude will please the Lord and bring his blessings.
   
   God says in Psalm 50:23, “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;” (NKJV). Praising and thanking God often go together in the Bible. It has always baffled me that we spend very little time giving thanks to the Lord on Thanksgiving Day. We spend hours planning for the day with decorations, preparing meals, watching football, and hanging out with family. Then we may spend a couple of minutes thanking God before dinner.
   
   We enjoy hearing our children say, “thank you,” the Lord wants us to express gratitude when we stop our busy lives (or Thanksgiving celebrations).

Let’s make Thanksgiving Day all year long.