When I taught seminary it was always important to my supervisors that I had principles prepared for the students to hang onto that were easy to understand and of course, true. Here are my 31 principles pulled from my study of the Book of Mormon.
Gratitude is both a gift from God and arises in us because of God’s gifts.
We are free to choose gratitude.
Gratitude allows for God and goodness to be at the center of every trial and affliction.
Gratitude can be cultivated with the help of others who are grateful.
Giving back to God is a natural desire, his gifts always come more abundantly to us than we can give to him.
God compels none to partake of his goodness, our gratitude can be all our own.
If we look, see, behold, and give thanks, God can expand our vision.
We live in the day that caused prophets to give thanks for thousands of years.
We all suffer, gratitude separates the happy from those who might have been.
Christ, his life, death, and mission are the source for our most lasting gratitude.
The scriptures are the gratitude journals of the prophets.
We can be grateful for things that are past, present, and future if our expectations are based on scripture.
For joy to reach our soul it must come from Jesus Christ and his gospel.
Admitting that God is the reason for all our success may hurt our pride but it will enhance our joy.
Millennium - rough translation “a time to give thanks for all God has done”
Gratitude that comes out of love will reach someone better than gratitude for is own sake.
Our gratitude manifests in our talk, our rejoicings, our preaching, our prophecy, and in all we do with our might, mind, and strength, and our whole soul.
God does nothing except it be to our benefit.
Gratitude may start at the lips but must eventually grow in the heart.
Our blessings never cease, should our gratitude?
If it is a promise from God, even if it has not yet been fulfilled you can be grateful. God is perfect in honoring his promises.
Our heart is known by us and God only. The heart is the fertile ground on which gratitude can grow.
Between feasting upon the words of Christ and praying always there is not much room for complaint.
Looking for more people to thank will increase our circle of love.
Forgiveness of my sins is my favorite gift from God, paid for at a heavy price.
The best servant in God’s kingdom will feel the most gratitude for the humble calling.
God does not expect much in return for the infinite blessings he bestows, just keep the commandments.
Charity and gratitude are siblings, one is the what, the other is the why.
Commandments: Our opportunity to show gratitude.
Everything that is good, even that which is hard to recognize as good, is from God.
Ours is to reason why not just to blessed then die.