1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that thankfulness is a command from God: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  

Naturally, saying "thank you" for our blessings is a part of God's design for our lives. Staying thankful will help you:

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• Enjoy your life more
• Appreciate your blessings 
• Connect with God intimately 
• Appreciate the actions of your friends and family more 
• Stay dutiful to God through times of trouble
• Cultivate optimism for the future 

Thankfulness also has many positive psychological and physiological health benefits.

In a famous study by Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael E. McCullough, three groups of people practiced daily journaling. One group wrote about things that irritated them, the second wrote about the positive and negative events from their life, and the third wrote about the things they were thankful for. 

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After nine weeks, the third group felt more optimistic, exercised more, and reported fewer symptoms of illness.

Optimism is a powerful thing. Research from the U.K. on more than 8,000 people found that optimistic people were 30% less likely to develop heart disease.

God commands us to be thankful in two ways: through gratitude and by giving thanks.  

Gratitude comes from the Latin root "gratia," meaning grace, gratefulness, or graciousness. Gratitude is the feeling of thankfulness you cultivate during everyday life. Alternatively, the act of "giving thanks" (or "thanksgiving") means to praise God for His kindness toward you.  

Gratitude is a feeling we cultivate while giving thanks is an action we use to display our gratitude.

One of the best examples of giving thanks in the Bible comes from Jabez's prayer. Jabez is a minor Bible character descended from David (who you might remember from the story of David and Goliath). 

Jabez's prayer appears in 1 Chronicle 4:10, and in it, Jabez thanks God and completely gives himself over to the Lord. Jabez's prayer is a perfect example of giving thanks because his prayer is sincere and from the heart, and Jabez appreciates God's power over him.

The Bible is the perfect place to turn for inspiration to be thankful. During times of high stress, the word of God can remind you of all the things you have to be thankful for.  

Here are some of our favorite thankfulness quotes from the Bible:

• Colossians 3:15: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful."
• Corinthians 9:15: "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!"
• Psalm 107:1: "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever."
• Colossians 4:2: "Continue in prayer and watch therein with thanksgiving,"
• Ephesians 5:18-20: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
• Psalm 100:4: "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name."
• Psalm 69:30: "I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving."
• Psalm 95:1-3: "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."
• 1 Corinthians 15:57: "But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"
• Psalm 118:1: "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever!"
• Psalm 106:1 "Praise ye the Lord! O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever."
• Psalm 7:17: "I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High."
• Psalm 9:2: "I will be glad and rejoice in Thee; I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High."
• Ephesians 1:16: "Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers."

Psalm 103:1: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy name!"

Many Bible verses also discuss gratitude. For example, Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us that gratitude endures in all circumstances — good and bad: 

‍"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 4:6 tells us that gratitude stands in opposition to anxiety. When we fret, it's a sign we need to pray to God and give ourselves over to him: 

"Fret not about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."

Hebrews 13:15 tells us that gratitude is something we need to continually offer up and that we must address our gratitude to God through prayer. 

"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name."

And Colossians 2:6-7 tells us that gratitude is something we cultivate through faith: 

‍"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

It's one thing to want to live a grateful life, but it's another to do it. But fret not. There are many small (and easy) things you can do to embrace gratitude daily. Here are four of them. 

1. Notice the small blessings 

You may already say "thank you" for your house, family, and job, but do you also say "thank you" for the little things? Though we only tend to remember the big things we do in life, we do hundreds of small things every day. 

Trying to notice the small blessings of your day will help you realize that your life is full of joy. Small blessings can be anything: delicious food, a good joke, or a nice moment. Anything that makes you happy.  

If you struggle to appreciate the little things, try documenting them in a gratitude journal or collage. 

2. Say "thank you" for the bad and the good 

If we lived in a perfect world where everything always went our way, we'd soon forget how happiness felt.

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 While the bad things in life are painful, many of them are also important. We learn through the challenges we face, and thus, we should acknowledge and accept their role. Specifically, we should keep them in our thoughts as we practice gratitude and work to appreciate the ups and downs of life. 

3. Give thanks through scripture 

Inevitably, there will be times in your life when you struggle to cultivate gratitude and thankfulness. You should turn to the Bible during these periods. Reading scripture will ground you and remind you of all the things you have to stay grateful for.  

Additionally, you can listen to Christian meditations like our "Grace and Gratitude" meditative prayer.

4. Say "thank you" in your morning prayers

Morning prayers are mighty. When you say a morning prayer, you immerse yourself in the Holy Spirit and set the tone for the rest of the day. Naturally, starting your day by saying "thank you" will help you stay thankful.