Bible Verses on Appreciation

1 Chronicles 16:33-35 

³³ Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. 

³⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

³⁵ Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.” 

Psalm 9:1-2 

¹ I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 

² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. 

Psalm 100:1-5 

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 

³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name. 

⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 118:28-29 

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

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AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE 

When was the last time you stopped to really acknowledge the things you’re thankful for? 

Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. 

People tend to take for granted the good that is already present in their lives. There’s a gratitude exercise that instructs that you should imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted,

such as your ability to see, hear, walk, etc. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for every one. 

Gratitude may be one of the most overlooked tools that we all have access to every day. Cultivating gratitude doesn’t cost any money and it certainly doesn’t take much time, but the benefits are enormous. God states in 27:40: ... When he saw it settled in front of him, he said, “This is a blessing from my Lord, whereby He tests me, to show whether I am appreciative or unappreciative. Whoever is appreciative is appreciative for his own good, and if one turns unappreciative, then my Lord is in no need for him, Most Honorable.” 

Research reveals gratitude can have many benefits including: opening the door to more relationships, improving physical and psychological health, enhancing empathy, reducing aggression, improving sleep and mental strength, helping teens’ mental health and helping students get better grades. 

So, when God says in 27:40 “...whoever is appreciative is appreciative for his own good,” it is not just for reasons of faith; it REALLY IS for our own good—physically and mentally. God willing, let’s all try to be more appreciative on a daily basis. 

Moe 

[condensed and reprinted from Nov. 2017]