"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
In her classic autobiography, The Hiding Place , Corrie ten Boom tells of the time she and her sister went through Nazi inspections at a death camp. They were forced to suffer the humiliation of taking off their clothes. Corrie stood in line feeling forsaken, defiled, and desperate for answers. Suddenly she remembered that when He hung on the cross, Jesus too was naked.
During that seemingly degrading moment, Corrie was struck with a great sense of awe and worship to God. In her amazement of His holiness, she leaned forward and whispered to her sister, "Betsie, they took His clothes, too."
Betsie gasped and said, "Oh, Corrie, I never thanked Him for that."
Thanksgiving does not require any re-payment, but instead requires recognition of what our Savior has already done for us. Some people are appreciative by nature and others aren't. It is the latter who especially need God's power to express thanksgiving. Thankfulness is the opposite of selfishness. The selfish person believes they deserve what comes to them, but the unselfish person realizes that everything is a gift from God.
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/thanksgiving-devotionals/recognitio...
