Gratitude

Psalm 30 [12] To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Psalm 92 [1] It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

Psalm 100 - Thanksgiving Psalm [1] Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. [2] Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. [3] Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. [4] Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. [5] For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Luke 17 - Parable of the Ten Lepers [11] And it came to pass, as he (Jesus) went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. [12] And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: [13] And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. [14] And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. [15] And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, [16] And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. [17] And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? [18] There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. [19] And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

[6] As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: [7] Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Colossians 2 [15] And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3

[17] Pray without ceasing. [18] In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5

[23] And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. Alma 7

[37] Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. Alma 37

[32] And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with. Doctrine & Covenants 46

[7] Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things. Doctrine & Covenants 59

“Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion.” Talmud, Ethics Of The Fathers, Mishnah Tractate Avot, 4:1

When Leah, wife of the patriarch Jacob, had her fourth child, she named him "Yehudah," which means "I am grateful," to reflect her gratitude to God for the gift of another son. Yehudah is the source of the name of the Jewish people (Yehudim), revealing the very direct tie between Judaism and gratitude. An examination of the Jewish prayer book shows it to be primarily concerned with expressions of gratitude. Dr. Alan Morinis

Whatever your God has blessed you with, take it with a grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that, in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily. ~Horace (Quoted by President Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, 2008.)

Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings. Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health , family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.” Sarah Ban Breathnach, in John Cook, comp., The Book of Positive Quotations, 2nd ed. (2007), 342 (Quoted by President Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, 2008.)

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus

Thomas S. Monson Robert W. Woodruff, a prominent business leader of a former time said that the two most important words in the English language are these: Thank you. Gracias, danke, merci whatever language is spoken, thank you frequently expressed will cheer your spirit, broaden your friendships, and lift your lives to a higher pathway as you journey toward perfection. There is a simplicity even a sincerity when thank you is spoken. The beauty and eloquence of an expression of gratitude is reflected in a newspaper story of some years ago: The District of Columbia police auctioned off about 100 unclaimed bicycles Friday. One dollar, said an 11-year-old boy as the bidding opened on the first bike. The bidding, however, went much higher. One dollar, the boy repeated hopefully each time another bike came up. The auctioneer, who had been auctioning stolen or lost bikes for 43 years, noticed that the boy's hopes seemed to soar higher whenever a racer-type bicycle was put up. Then there was just one racer left. The bidding went to eight dollars. Sold to that boy over there for nine dollars! said the auctioneer. He took eight dollars from his own pocket and asked the boy for his dollar. The youngster turned it over in pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters took his bike, and started to leave. But he went only a few feet. Carefully parking his new possession, he went back, gratefully threw his arms around the auctioneer's neck, and cried. When was the last time we felt gratitude as deeply as did this boy? The deeds others perform in our behalf might not be as poignant, but certainly there are kind acts that warrant our expressions of gratitude. (Think to Thank, Ensign, Nov. 1998, 17-18)

Gratitude is a divine principle. The Lord has declared through revelation: "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things. … "And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things." (D&C 59:7, 21.) Our society is afflicted by a spirit of thoughtless arrogance unbecoming those who have been so magnificently blessed. How grateful we should be for the bounties we enjoy. Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief. We have seen our beaches, our parks, our forests littered with ugly refuse by those who evidently have no appreciation for their beauty. I have driven through thousands of acres of blackened land scourged by a fire evidently set by a careless smoker whose only concern had been the selfish pleasure gained from a cigarette. Where there is appreciation, there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without appreciation, there is arrogance and evil. Where there is gratitude, there is humility, as opposed to pride. How magnificently we are blessed! How thankful we ought to be! A bulletin of some years ago of the Royal Bank of Canada dealt with underprivileged people of the world: "It is difficult for [most] North Americans to understand the plight of people in underdeveloped countries, because [most of us] have never been hungry. No one dies here of starvation. Elsewhere more than 1,500 million people go to bed hungry every night. … The fact is that not more than one in a hundred of the people in underdeveloped countries will ever, in all his life, have what a North American family would consider a good, square meal." Cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving for the blessing of life and for the marvelous gifts and privileges each of us enjoy. The Lord has said that the meek shall inherit the earth. (See Matt. 5:5.) I cannot escape the interpretation that meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgment of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments. This is the beginning of wisdom. Walk with gratitude before him who is the giver of life and every good gift.  President Gordon B. Hinckley, "With All Thy Getting Get Understanding," 1988.

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