This is the final installment of the 70 days Grateful Vibes Challenge.

There is much to be grateful for and this is certainly not the last #gratefulvibe post, but the 70 day challenge is completed. It's been a wonderful experience and I'm very thankful to everyone who has been participating and interacting here. I'm also thankful to @paradise-found who initiated this challenge. He has been supportive and encouraging throughout this entire challenge.

Ultimately, I am grateful for the Creator of the Universe, the Most High God, the sustainer of our souls.

How is being grateful a challenge?

It really is! It's unnatural. The natural impulse is to take the good things in life and the benefits we enjoy everyday completely for granted. We are accustomed to these positive and good things, so we tend to presume we will always have them. But this should not be so! If (God-forbid) these things were taken away, should we not still be grateful? So the challenge is to remember and acknowledge what we are grateful for everyday and develop a mindset of thankfulness for what we've been given. Even if something were taken away, we must still be grateful everyday.

The wisdom of this world.

It's no secret that it is in our nature to take advantage of situations to benefit ourselves. When some good fortune comes to a person, it's natural to think that its deserved in some way, from an unseen force, call it "Karma" or "the will of the Universe" whatever. It's natural to believe that all favor is somehow deserved. But how can anyone be grateful for something that has been coming all along? Living a life where everything happens according to your works, leads to an ungrateful existence. In the end, that ungratefulness will lead to misery and sadness. But it is the way of the natural man, our flesh operates in that manner.

The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he understand. 1 Corinthians 2:14

If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 1 Corinthians 3:18

Gratefulness: A Secret of the Reign of God.

I believe that gratefulness is one of the secrets of the Reign of God. Gratefulness is supernatural. When the life of a person has been rescued from the vain wisdom of this world, having received the undeserved favor of their sins being forgiven, would that person have a single day where he's not grateful? No mater the circumstances, that man would be grateful.

The Reign of Heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. Matthew 18:23-27

This is where the parable should end, right? The compassionate king who forgives debts and rescued the life of the servant. This is the happily ever after moment. But the parable is not about King forgiving the servant, but about the servant's decision on whether or not he will emulate the compassion of the King that forgave him.

But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You ungrateful servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. Matthew 18:28-34

This is where we say "Ut oh." Here is a servant of the king who was forgiven his debt, but because he would not forgive the debt of his fellow, the debt was placed upon him again! How can we forgive the debts of others if we are ungrateful for the debts we've been forgiven of.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12

We should be grateful everyday!

Everyone is grateful for different things, but there is one thing to be grateful for no matter the circumstances, no matter the situation, regardless of being sick or well, wealthy or poor, in fortune or misfortune:

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a Reign that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:24

A great debt has been forgiven and for that we should be grateful everyday. We should also extend our gratefulness to others. It's a challenge. It's unnatural. But if we walk according to the Spirit of God and practice gratefulness everyday, then it becomes a part of our everyday life.

And that is why I am grateful for gratefulness. This is one way we can all bless the Most High!

@ironshield

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This is 70 of 70 of the #gratefulvibes challenge by @paradise-found.

https://steemit.com/gratefulvibes/@paradise-found/gratefulvibes-community-challenge-day-70-attitude-of-gratitude

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Check out my previous Grateful Vibe: I'm Grateful for 2017

https://steemit.com/gratefulvibes/@ironshield/grateful-vibe-69-i-m-grateful-for-2017

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