Thankable

I say thank you a lot. Every time I’m in a checkout line I purposely look at the person’s name so that when they hand me my receipt I can say “thank you, Gertrude.”

About two weeks ago Angela and I went to Chili’s and I must have said thank you to the waitress no less than 15 times in the 35min we were there. I even say thank you when I get pulled over by the police and given a ticket.

While being polite is great, Jesus tells us that real thankfulness should be in response to something extraordinary.

Luke 17:9 (The Message) Does the servant get special thanks for doing what’s expected of him?

Luke 17:9 (New Living Translation)  And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not.

To receive a “Thank you”, you must do something Thankable!

When was the last time you did something thankable? Jesus tells us that we need to do more than what is required of us.

Matthew 5:40-41 (New Living Translation)  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

When we live a life of doing more than is required, when we act out of kindness and not obligation, people will respond with thankfulness and gratitude.

Are you a thankful person? Do you recognize those times in your life when someone gave more or did more than was required? Did you thank them?