As a new organic gardener, I desire that my garden is healthy and fruitful. I’m learning that for plants to grow and thrive, they require faithful maintenance. If there is a period of time that I don’t maintain the garden by weeding, pruning, watering, and controlling pests and disease, plants suffer. On the other hand, as I maintain the best conditions for growth by keeping my garden weeded, pruned, watered, and disease and pest free, the plants flourish. I’m experiencing that a big benefit to maintaining proper conditions for growth is that the plants produce delicious and nutritious fruit.
While not everyone maintains a garden, we can all apply the principle of faithful maintenance to our lives, which helps us to have fruitful lives. Since we are interested in yielding good fruit in our lives, one thing we can faithfully maintain is an attitude of gratitude. When we do, we will enjoy the benefits. As we maintain an attitude of gratitude, we are setting up all areas of our lives to be benefitted.
One of the benefits of maintaining an attitude of gratitude is that it builds our believing to expect God’s deliverance, for we are thankful not only for what we have received, but for future victories that await us as we stand. Gratitude takes our minds off challenging situations and allows us to focus on God, the Source of our deliverance and victory. A man who maintained an attitude of gratitude and experienced the benefits was the Prophet Daniel.
Daniel 6:10:
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
In this record, a newly signed law of the land prohibited subjects from asking a petition of any god or man except the king. In effect, this prohibited Daniel from giving thanks to and worshipping the one true God. The consequence for breaking this law was that the perpetrator would be thrown into a den of lions, which meant certain death. But this law of man did not deter Daniel’s attitude of gratitude. Daniel maintained that attitude and continued to express his thanks to God in prayer openly as he had done before the law was signed. That’s maintaining an attitude of gratitude!
Because Daniel maintained his attitude of gratitude and trusted in God even in this dire situation, there were great benefits that resulted. Although Daniel was found praying and was thrown into the den of lions, he did not die. He was delivered, and those that threatened him were destroyed. As he maintained his attitude of gratitude this challenging situation did not sway Daniel from his trust in God.
Another benefit of gratitude is the peace of God in our lives. We can see this recorded in the Church Epistles concerning the prayer life of a born-again believer.
Philippians 4:6,7:
Be careful [Be anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
We can weed out our anxieties and give them to God regularly in prayer, replacing them with thankfulness. These are the proper conditions to experience the benefit of God’s peace.
The benefits of maintaining an attitude of gratitude are even recognized in the medical field. There are observable benefits that have been documented by mental health professionals. One study observed that grateful people tended to be more generous and helpful. They placed less emphasis on material goods, were less envious of others, and were more likely to help someone with a personal problem or offer emotional support. They were more alert, enthusiastic, determined, and attentive. As a part of God’s design, maintaining an attitude of gratitude will help anyone who puts this Biblical principle into practice to develop positive benefits like these.
The fruit of a rich life can be grown with an attitude of gratitude. By faithfully maintaining an attitude of gratitude, we help provide the right conditions for an abundant harvest of benefits in our lives. With an attitude of gratitude, we can faithfully maintain the right mental conditions and enjoy the benefits.