Did you know that Gratitude is a fruit that must be cultivated?

Yesterday, we shared that the scriptures teach that true thankfulness is a worthy and willing sacrifice.

Let’s look at that verse again:
Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified version)

“Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a SACRIFICE of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name”

Today, let me share a third truth:
Scriptural gratitude is a fruit!

Fruit is not something that happens automatically. One has to prepare the ground, plant seeds, watch over the seeds to ensure that no rodents or animals come and eat the seeds. In the same way, Godly fruit that comes from our lives and glorifies God must be cultivated. It takes time and effort. Farming is really hard work. Fruit requires a special environment that includes water, sun and fertilization in order to grow in a healthy way. Think about it, it you knew what fertilizer really was, it would probably gross you out. Here are some of the items that can be included in the making of fertilizer:

• Grass Clippings. Grass clippings are rich in nitrogen. …
• Weeds. Weed tea makes great fertilizer.
• Kitchen Scraps. Compost.
• Manure. Manure is the waste that comes from a variety of sources — cows, horses, chickens, and even bats. …
• Tree Leaves.
• Coffee Grounds. …
• Eggshells. …
• Banana Peels.

All of those scraps are put into a pile, and over time they putrify, break down, and turn into fertilizer, which you can mix into your soil. This process is really beneficial to plants and help them to bear healthy fruit.

In a similar way, the fruit of thankfulness is often cultivated through difficult and sometimes stinky processes in life. There will be some life fertilizers that you will walk through that may seem nasty at the time, but the process will help your fruit of thankfulness and gratitude to fully mature! Do you happen to be in one of those “stinky” processes right now? Stand firm and continue to cultivate the fruit of thanksgiving. God is not finished with you yet. The best is yet to come!