25 Be thankful (Colossians 3:15).
A grateful heart adds sparkle to everything in life. We often fail to express our gratitude. The Lord Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one returned to give thanks, and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:17). We learn two lessons from this incident: gratitude is rare in the fallen human world, and when it appears, it always comes from an unexpected source.
It is easy for us to feel sad when we show kindness to others and they don't even have the courtesy to say thank you. Similarly, we must recognize how others feel when we fail to express our gratitude for the favors we receive from them.
A quick examination of the Bible reveals advice and examples for giving thanks to God, and we have many things to be thankful to God for, which we cannot count, as our lives should be a psalm of praise to the Lord.
For thousands and tens of thousands of precious gifts, I employ my daily gratitude, with no less than a heart rejoicing in the taste of these gifts.
We should cultivate in ourselves a habit of learning how to express gratitude to each other as well, like a warm handshake, a phone call, or a message. What encouragement does all this bring?
We should be quick to express our gratitude for gifts and hospitality, borrowing some tools and equipment, or for help with a project we are working on, and for every form of kindness and service shown to us.
The problem is that we often take these favors for granted, or we don't discipline ourselves to sit down and write a thank-you note. In this case, we must work on developing the habit of gratitude and awareness of all we have and what we should be thankful for, then train ourselves to express gratitude for these things immediately. Promptness in expression doubles the gratitude.