By Michael Haldas, November 23, 2017
“The chief purpose of life, for any one of us is to increase according to our capacity our knowledge of God by all the means we have, and to be moved by it to praise and thanks.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)
“We must continually nurture the grace of gratitude in our hearts…A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart.” (Rev. Andrew Demotses, Charles Finney)
“During the Thanksgiving holiday, we focus on our blessings and express our gratitude to God for them. But thanks should be expressed every day…for the Christian, every single day is Thanksgiving Day, a day to celebrate what God is doing in your life and to reflect on His goodness and grace…” (Life Application Study Bible, 1Corinthians 1:4-6, NIV Men’s Devotional Bible)
“We must remain mindful of the fact that to be thankful is not merely a state of mind and a feeling of heart. Indeed, it is meaningful only when it is a call to action! Almighty God has not asked us merely to be thankful, He has asked us to act thankful.” (Rev. Andrew Demotses)
“A sign that we are growing in Christ’s love is an increasing appreciation and thankfulness in our hearts for all that we have been given by God, despite any trials we may be facing. When we have moments when we really feel this in our hearts, we are shifting our thought and focus from ourselves to something outside of ourselves – God. This shift in thought is the beginning of our spiritual growth and that is why nothing is more acceptable to God as our thankfulness for His grace.” (Sacramental Living)
~Michael Haldas, https://www.ancientfaith.com/contributors/michael_haldas.
Michael Haldas is an author, a religious educator and a speaker. He wrote Sacramental Living: Understanding Christianity as a Way of Life (published by Eastern Christian Publications), a book which he presented special editions of as gifts to Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in private audiences. Michael is also published monthly in Theosis Magazine and he has authored several Orthodox Christian themed articles for various publications. Additionally, he has recorded and contributed to multiple YouTube, DVD and CD educational projects. He teaches adult religious education and high school Sunday school at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, Maryland and has worked with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Religious Education Department to create educational lessons and materials.
***
