“They” have been on your case for a while now, haven’t “they”?
They’ve had a problem with you learning about prosperity Scriptures, Christ-centered billionaires, or the fact that Christ-preneurs are on the rise. So if they had a problem with that you KNOW they’ll have a problem with this.
But who cares.
Who are “they” anyway?! “They” really don’t matter when you think about it.
But no matter what…be thankful for “them.” They’re are a part of your success; in fact…be thankful for everything.
Scriptural Benefits of Gratitude
Truly great people (leaders, entrepreneurs, change agents, and etc) show gratitude freely and genuinely. And why not? The benefits are immense! Biblically speaking, gratitude promises:
1. Increase and Abundance
The Bible says,
“Let the peoples praise You [turn away from their idols] and give thanks to You, O God; let all the peoples praise and give thanks to You! The earth has yielded its harvest [in evidence of God’s approval].” (Psalms 67:5-6 AMP)
In other words, as we give thanks to Him He turn increases us.
That’s pretty cool!
When Jesus had 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread and was ready to feed 5,000 men, not to mention women and children, He gave thanks and fed the multitude. It was not enough but when He gave thanks for it it became more than enough.
True wealth begins with a wealthy state of mind; and gratitude is one of the elements to cultivating that mind. Increase ALWAYS begins when you are grateful for what you already have!
2. Breakthrough and Deliverance
When Paul and Silas were beaten and jailed they could have been depressed, murmured, and complained. Instead, at midnight, they praised God (or gave Him thanks) and God sent an earthquake to free them.
Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead before He “lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’” (John 11:41 KJV)
Being grateful causes God to move on your behalf in a mighty way!
3. Greater Closeness to Him
The Bible says,
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” (Psalms 100:4 KJV)
God can’t stand to be around murmuring, complaining, belly-aching people!
He can’t.
But those people who are continually grateful He can’t stand to do without.
Physical Benefits of Gratitude
Being a grateful person doesn’t always mean when everything is going well–quite the contrary– it means being grateful in rainy days, bad times, and through inconvenience.
It’s a lifestyle.
A lifestyle that has many physical benefits scientifically speaking.
Sometime ago two professors did a systematic study on the benefits of a grateful life, what they found was astonishing! The subjects who were consciously grateful:
- Felt better about their lives as a whole
- Were more optimistic
- Were more energetic
- Were more enthusiastic
- Were more determined
- Were more interested
- Were more joyful
- Felt stronger about handling challenges
- Exercised more (nearly an hour and a half more per week!).
- Had fewer illnesses
- Got more sleep
- Made progress toward important goals
- Were more likely to have helped someone else
- Were perceived by others as more generous and helpful
- Were less envious of those with more possessions
- Were less cluttered
Wow! And you’re not thankful because…?
Business Benefits
“Alright that’s good…but let’s get to the real stuff! How will gratitude help me professionally?”
Well…
- In one study by the Journal of Marketing (subscription only) it was found that customers of a jewelry store who were called and thanked showed a subsequent 70% increase in purchases. In comparison, customers who were thanked and told about a sale showed only a 30% increase in purchases, and customers who were not called at all showed no increase.
- In another, waitresses who simply wrote “thank you” on the check before handing it to customers received on average 11% more tips than those who didn’t.
“Well Mike that doesn’t sound like much?”
Oh. Well…I guess you don’t need your customers to make a %70 increase in purchases. What was I thinking?? 
But what do you think? What are some benefits of gratitude that I missed? What do you do to show appreciation.
Your thoughts…
Images by Optimal Functioning and Ultim.at
This post was written by...
Michael – who has written 77 posts on The Simple Strategies for Startups Blog.
Michael is the an author, blogger, and speaker, Why not give me a shout on Google
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