Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
5 29 2026
Gratitude: The Gift That Completes Every Gift – Part 1 of 2
C.S. Lewis once described gratitude as “inner health made audible.” I love that and the statement has been rattling around in my spirit. Paul tells us that people refuse to honor God “or give thanks to Him” (Romans 1:21). In the business world, men are the worst about praising their employees at large. It is proven women do a much better job here. Ingratitude, it seems, is also one of the defining marks of those who drift from God. But maybe your response is the same one that initially came to my mind.
“I don’t refuse. I just don’t.”
There is a difference, isn’t there? I am not saying no. I am not shaking my fist at heaven. I go to church. I try to treat people respectfully. I care about others. I try to be thoughtful. I wouldn’t say I lack gratitude… or at least that’s my logic.
But what do you say about you? Better yet, what are your excuses?
Can I ask whether your definition of honoring God has become more of an idea than an intentional part of your daily life? What has been your gift to God today? This week? Could you name it? Could you identify the moments where your heart intentionally stopped and acknowledged His goodness? Isn’t that how we identify real gratitude?
Gratitude has been defined this way: “Gratitude is joy in the goodwill of a giver occasioned by a gift. Gratitude is a kind of happiness that begins with a gift and ends with a giver.” Think about that for a moment. Gratitude was never meant to stop at the gift. It was always intended to travel back to the hands that gave it.
Clinton Manley from Desiring God, paints a remarkable picture. He says every gift God gives is like a firework. It sits on the ground until gratitude lights the fuse. Gratitude launches it heavenward. Gratitude makes the gift what the Father intended it to be. Think about that! Without gratitude, both the gift and our joy remain inert. Dormant. Motionless. Passive. The gift is still there. The blessing is still there. But the joy never reaches its intended destination because we never follow it back to God. If you saw that happening in a movie you would recognize it immediately. But in our lives, we are as blind as a bat.
Isn’t it amazing the things we become accustomed to? The air in our lungs. The people around us. The roof over our heads. Another sunrise. Another meal. Another opportunity to open God’s Word. What once felt miraculous becomes ordinary simply because it has become familiar. Our spouse, children, friends, and yes, God.
Lewis said that we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise doesn’t merely express enjoyment…it completes it. Gratitude completes the enjoyment. Thanksgiving consummates delight. In other words, gratitude is not the caboose on the train. It is part of the engine itself. Help me here. I know you’re ready to bail on me right now, but I struggle with the same disease. The same left of self as you do. But we can be, who God calls us to be. But only as we empty ourselves and leave room for the Holy Spirit to fill us to overflowing.
Paul tells us to give “thanks always and for everything to God the Father” (Ephesians 5:20). Always? … Really? For everything? Manley uses Captain Ahab as an example. No matter the storm, the obstacle, or the cost, Ahab’s compass pointed toward Moby Dick. Paul says believers should be every bit as locked in on gratitude. Imagine that. A life so fixed upon God’s goodness that gratitude becomes our default direction.
I purposely delayed listing some of God’s gifts because I wanted you to think first. To search your own heart. To discover what immediately came to mind. But now let me ask you this:
Can anything surpass salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ?
Can anything compare to the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives within us? The fruit of the Spirit that transforms us? The grace that covers us? The mercy that follows us?
But how often do we dwell on them, polish them…appreciate them?
These gifts are not like Christmas presents that wear out. They do not go out of style. They do not become obsolete. They are more like a diamond ring, signifying an eternal covenant, enduring devotion, and everlasting love. They are part of your inheritance. Sacred treasures entrusted to you…by the one and only the King of Kings.
And yet, what if some of God’s greatest gifts are not merely the blessings He gives to you…
but the gifts He intends to give through you?
What if there are treasures already placed within you that you have never fully discovered, developed, or deployed? I think for too many of us, we are just blind to them. Until we see them and open our eyes, they will remain dormant and of no real value to you, your family, or the giver himself.
Next time, I want us to look at spiritual gifts, stewardship, and why God’s grace often arrives in someone else’s life
wrapped in you.
Three Questions to get you thinking
- Have I become so familiar with God’s blessings that I rarely stop to thank Him for them?
- Am I enjoying God’s gifts more than I am pursuing the Giver?
- If gratitude completes joy, what gifts from God have I left incomplete through neglect or forgetfulness?
“What part of this hit home for you this morning? What are you carrying today that needs prayer? If you’d like, send me a prayer request here. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit in together. (where two are gathered.) You are not walking alone. Just hit reply…
I read every response.”
If you know someone who needs to hear this? Pass this lesson and future devotions, with this Signup link: http://eepurl.com/i_nlb2 . My website to view past devotions is https://fearlesslycourageous.com. This post is public, so feel free to share it.
Just a note on June 2nd, I continue to host a Discovering Jesus ONLINE 6-week course to dive deeper into our faith and empower you with true tenets of our faith to stand on. Tuesday nights, 7pm to 8:30. It is open to you, your spouse, your family, or your neighbors. Here is a link and I can send you the necessary materials. It is FREE of charge.
To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/zkb-dxcq-iau
Marvin Sapp Thank you for it all
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