Virtue-Gratitude
Definition

Gratitude is a feeling and expression of thankfulness and appreciation.
1. We are to thank God in all things.
 “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in
all Things.” (D&C Section 59 Verse 7)
 "In everything give thanks: for this is
the will of God. “ (1 Thes. 5:18)
 We should thank God for preserving
and sustaining our lives. There is no
way we can pay him back as our very
existence depends on him (Mosiah
2:20‐25).
2. We thank those who do us a service.
The Parable of the Leper  "And as he entered into a certain
village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and
said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves
unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
 "And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And
fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
 "And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? "There are not found
that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. "And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith
hath made thee whole." (Luke 17: 12‐19)
3. We should be grateful for trials that give us experience and are for our good.
 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death
passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce
winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up
the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my
son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. 8 The Son of Man hath
descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? (D&C 122:7‐8)
4. We should focus on what we have rather than what we lack.
 In the book of Matthew in the Bible, we have another account of gratitude, this time as an expression
from the Savior. As He traveled in the wilderness for three days, more than 4,000 people followed and
traveled with Him. He took compassion on them, for they may not have eaten during the entire three
days. His disciples, however, questioned, “Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to
fill so great a multitude?” Like many of us, the disciples saw only what was lacking.
“And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And [the disciples] said, Seven, and a few little
fishes. And [Jesus] commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves
and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the
multitude.
Notice that the Savior gave thanks for what they had—and a miracle followed: “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.” We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” Thomas S. Monson‐The Divine Gift of Gratitude Blessings
1. He who receives all things with thankfulness shall have the things of this earth added unto him a hundred
fold.  “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth
shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.” ( D&C Section 78 Verse 19)
2. Happiness, to a large extent, consists of the capacity to feel gratitude for what we already have.
 That night I understood for the first time that when gratitude fills our hearts, there is no room for
unhappiness. Happiness, I decided, does not depend on obtaining all the desires of our hearts. It does not
have to wait until we get married or become parents or acquire material goods. Happiness depends in
large measure on our ability to feel gratitude for the abundance we already have. ‐‐‐‐Carolyn Wright
3. “A grateful heart, sits at a continual feast.”
Costs of not being Grateful
1. The Wrath of God is kindled against those who confess not his hand in
all things.  “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath
kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey
not his commandments.” (D&C 59:21)
2. When we are not gracious we often become rebellious and irreverent.
 As gratitude is absent or disappears, rebellion often enters and fills the vacuum. I do not speak of
rebellion against civil oppression. I refer to rebellion against moral cleanliness, beauty, decency, honesty,
reverence, and respect for parental authority. A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an
expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage,
contentment, happiness, love, and well‐being. ‐‐‐James E. Faust
Beliefs
1. The basis of gratitude is understanding all we have comes from God. Tithing helps us show that gratitude by
giving back 1/10. 2. Pondering and writing about our experiences increases our gratitude.
 Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us
or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind
over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the
busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember
had allowed God to show me what He had done. O Remember, Remember‐ Henry B. Eyring
3. Living worthy of the Spirit will increase our perception of blessings and God’s hand.
 It won’t be easy to remember. Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was
like to be with our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the premortal world; nor can we
see with our physical eyes or with reason alone the hand of God in our lives. Seeing such things takes the
Holy Ghost. And it is not easy to be worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship in a wicked world. O Remember, Remember‐ Henry B. Eyring 4. It is often hardest for those who are blessed to remember the source of their blessings, God.
 “And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea,
we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in
him. Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people…. yea, then is the time that
they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy
One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.”
5. It is often hard for those experiencing trials to remember all the blessings God has given them as well.
 Sadly, prosperity is not the only reason people forget God. It can also be hard to remember Him when our
lives go badly. When we struggle, as so many do, in grinding poverty or when our enemies prevail against
us or when sickness is not healed, the enemy of our souls can send his evil message that there is no God
or that if He exists He does not care about us. Then it can be hard for the Holy Ghost to bring to our
remembrance the lifetime of blessings the Lord has given us from our infancy and in the midst of our
distress. O Remember, Remember‐ Henry B. Eyring
Gratitude Quotes
1. “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”‐‐‐
G.K. Chesterson 2.“Gratitude is deeper than thanks. Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” ‐‐‐David O. McKay 3. “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”—Karl Barth
Synonyms
1. Appreciation: gratitude; thankful recognition:
 “We have no right to ask when a sorrow comes, 'Why did this happen to me?' unless we ask the same
question for every joy that comes our way.”
 “We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but
rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”—Frederick Koenig
 “The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.”‐‐‐Oscar Wilde
How to measure
1. Expressions of thanks to those who do us a service.
2. Thanking God in our prayers for blessings.
3. Enjoying things we currently have rather than dwelling on what we don't.
Antonyms
1. Ungrateful: unappreciative; not displaying gratitude; not giving due return or recompense for benefits
conferred. 2. Grumbling: to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly.
3. Dissatisfied: not satisfied or pleased.
4. Murmur: to complain in a low tone or in private.
Vice-Covetousness
Definition: To covet is to envy another person’s blessings.
1. Thou shalt not covet. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor
his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. 2. Wo unto the covetous poor who steal
and won't work. 1. Wo unto you poor men, whose
hearts are not broken, whose
spirits are not contrite, and
whose bellies are not satisfied,
and whose hands are not stayed
from laying hold upon other
men’s goods, whose eyes are full
of greediness, and who will not
labor with your own hands! (D&C
56:17)
Costs
1. Wo unto you rich men, … for your riches will canker your souls. (D&C 56:16)
Beliefs
1. “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase.” (Eccl 5:10)
2. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matt 6:21)
3. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim 6:10)