by A. A. Neale

Excuse the cliché, but gratitude and gladness are two peas in a pod. You can be a partygoer and whoop it up all night long, but only the thankful heart knows real joy.

To get a thankful heart, you have to know certain things:

1. The Lord presented to us in the Bible is the only true and living God. All the rest of them are just idols, man-made gods.
2. He is the creator of all that exists, including the whole human race. He also created the church, formed his people to do his bidding.
3. That means we are not the determiners of our own fate, no independence here. No do-it-yourselfers.
4. Everything about God is good. Even the kiddos learn this one early on. "God is great, God is good, ..." No tragedy, no trial ought to blind us to his mercies.
5. You can butt your head against God's truth and faitfulness all you want, but it isn't going away. Better to accept it, live by it, and put it out in the public square for everybody to consider.

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100, NKJV