We tend to look at gratitude the way we look at honesty, you either have it or you don’t. However, neither of these virtues works this way. As with all the fruit and characteristics of the Spirit, thanksgiving grows in us through dedicated focus and pursuit. Appreciation for God’s goodness to us is a learned spiritual art.

Psalm 133 is dedicated to this theme: “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (v. 1 NLT). Having declared unity’s power to soothe and refresh, this short song of David ends with the assurance: “And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting” (v. 3 NLT).

Wherever God’s blessing is, that’s where I want to be. Too often now, in our country, our congregations, and across generations, we are experiencing the exact opposite. Examples of disunity, ingratitude, and downright hate abound in all the screens we peer into daily.

Our best gratitude requires reflection and humility, which is fundamental to good relationships and unity. Romans 12 offers us a plan for grateful unity. Reminding us of the mercy of God we receive in Christ and the grace-filled gifts we are given to use in partnership with God, Paul challenges us, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them” (v. 9 NLT).

What follows is a doable prescription. The game plan includes hungering for what’s right, showing affection and appreciation, hanging onto your hope, dropping your drop-dead list, releasing vengeance and your need for vindication to God, and removing the venom of evil by doing good everywhere and to everyone you can.

Soul Development

Christians learn about spiritual disciplines from God’s word and from the long history of the church. I heard it said long ago, “salvation is the miracle of the moment; sanctification is the miracle of the marathon.” Holiness should be the daily, delightful pursuit of every believer through partnership with the Holy Spirit, anchored in God’s word, and lived out in the context of a local church.

The list of training tools for soul development is well known and includes intentional prayer, corporate worship, engagement with the Bible, solitude and fellowship, generosity and fasting. Less well known, I think, is the discipline of thanksgiving.

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