“Thank you.”

It’s a simple statement. Brief and to the point. It’s so meaningful because it expresses acknowledgement and a feeling of appreciation in exchange for an act of kindness or help, a receiving of a gift or favor, or responding to generosity. It conveys the heart-felt message of sincerity and the giving of honor where it’s due.

One important element of the act of being thankful: it cannot be done in a vacuum. You can’t sincerely be thankful without directing it toward a recipient; you must give thanks to someone for it to be purposeful and valid.

The Bible is replete with examples of, and exhortations to show, gratitude—to each other and to God. And when thanking God for bestowing his love and grace and redemption and blessings on us, a natural outgrowth of our gratefulness to him is the outpouring of our praise to him.

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