“Gratitude and thanksgiving are central motifs in the New Testament writings of the apostle Paul. Paul begins nearly every letter with expressions of thanks to whomever he is writing. There is also a strong imperative component of gratitude in Paul’s letters where the phrases be thankful or give thanks occur multiple times in multiple contexts. Christians are called on to live lives of thanksgiving as a glad acknowledgement of God’s generosity, which then provides a model for how Christians are to deal with each other.”
Robert A. Emmons in Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007) 98.