'Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.' 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG

Have you ever thought about what a grateful heart does for you? What's the benefit to cultivating grateful? How does gratefulness affect us and our relationships? Most especially, how does cultivating grateful affect our relationship with God.

In his book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God Pastor Tim Keller contemplates the most familiar prayer of all time as a model for building our communication with God. He considers what we call "The Lord's Prayer" as a structure for approaching our Heavenly Father. As I read Pastor Keller's thoughts it seemed to me that cultivating grateful is a key to opening the door to experiencing God's presence.

Keller says, "Adoration and thanksgiving - God-centeredness- comes first. Because it heals the heart of self-centeredness, which curves us in on ourselves and distorts all our vision."(p.114)

When I cultivate a grateful heart I am more able to recognize God's majesty and goodness. A grateful heart can glimpse God's great love and longs to honor and obey Him in response. A grateful heart opens the door to closeness with God.

When I am grateful toward God, my focus is on God. Whereas, if I am ungrateful toward anyone —God especially —then my focus is on me, what I want and didn't get or what I got and didn't want. My me-focused self is unable to lovingly call on "Our Father". My me-focused self is unable to meditate on the holiness and majesty of God. With that limited vision, how can I even begin to think about doing God's will or expanding His kingdom, the heart of a YES-life?

Cultivating grateful helps me to be satisfied with "daily bread" rather than always wanting more. It helps me to recognize my own need for the gift of forgiveness and makes me more able to give it. When I am ungrateful — self-focused —I'm less likely to recognize temptation and evil in my own heart because I am more focused on getting my way than giving God His way. Through gratefulness, I open myself to the formation of Christ-like character. Gratefulness invites God's presence into my character and allows God to teach me His ways. I give God access to having His way in me.

Cultivating grateful helps you and me to get God-centered. A God-centered life is a life full of God's presence. Are you ready to begin to experience the benefit of cultivating grateful?

How about starting small? For the next 24 hours be intentional about cultivating grateful. As you are choosing to be grateful, be intentional about noticing what happens. Notice what happens in your situation. Notice what happens to the people around you. How does it affect your experience of God's presence with you on a moment-by-moment basis?

When you get to the end of your twenty-four hours, prayerfully look back on your day. If you notice a benefit, then make a commitment to try it again the next day. And so on. And so on.

Cultivate grateful and cultivate a God-centered, God-filled life.

Key Thought: Cultivate grateful and cultivate a God-centered, God-filled life.

A Scripture to Consider: 'Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.' 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG

A YES Challenge: Be intentional about cultivating grateful for the next 24 hours and notice what happens in you.

Prayer: Father, I want to experience Your presence more regularly. Help me to cultivate grateful as a way to cultivate a life that is centered on You instead of on me. I choose to be grateful for what I have without complaining about what I don't have. I choose to accept what You have given me, my life as it is, rather than longing for more. I want to honor You in everything and give You my YES. Amen.