In the book of Colossians 1:9-13, we are exhorted to “give thanks unto the Father.”
There is no question about the great need for thankfulness in our day. I firmly believe that much of society’s ills today are the result of a lack of gratitude. I am not just talking about lip service, but I am talking about an attitude of the heart from within.
What should we be grateful? First of all, we should be grateful for the wonderful cross and His work for us there.
We are compelled to depend upon the Holy Ghost every day and be led by him. We ought to be grateful for His willingness to lead us each and every day.
We give thanks because He abides with us as a present and personal Comforter and Counselor.
We give thanks because He made our heart His temple.
We give thanks because He works in us all that is gracious, virtuous, and well-pleasing in the sight of God.
God wants us to first be thankful for His Present and future Blessings.
That alone is a blessing worth celebrating! The true believer is prepared for Heaven, and to be a partaker of the inheritance, and that inheritance has its very beginning right here in our hearts and lives, and it will be fully realized when time shall be no more.
Does our current purpose for giving thanks mean that we are currently perfect? No! We all have many fault and we are sadly mistaken if we ever get the idea that we must wait for personal perfection to be thankful, giving thanks in our imperfection will in turn help us to want to be more like Christ. So in all things be thankful. If so, let us all be thankful in all things for this is pleasing to God.
Elder Joseph M Guilford