Genuine thankfulness is the byproduct of a heart that is properly aligned with God. When your thankfulness begins to slip, that’s the first warning sign that something in your heart needs attention. So even though it is nowhere close to Thanksgiving, here’s a simple exercise to see how thankful you are. Ready?

For the next 24 hours, be mindful of all the things you have and all the relationships you have. And as you force yourself to be aware of those things, be thankful only for that which you don’t deserve.

Once you make a list of all the things you deserve, think twice about them. These are the things that are putting your heart out of alignment. Truth be told, this world doesn’t owe you a thing, and neither does God.

The good news is that God does not give us what we deserve. Jesus took what you deserve, and it cost him his life. But here’s what’s amazing: God did not stop when he took care of your eternity; he takes care of you every day until you enter eternity.

Are there things that your heart thinks it deserves? Pay attention to those things today. Let Jesus take control of them to bring your heart back into the right focus with the result of genuine thankfulness.

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19,20).