The Challenge of Gratitude
The New Testament Challenge
The Challenge of Gratitude
We are fortunate to live in a country that celebrates and makes a holiday to focus on Thankfulness. But do we live grateful lives, what are we thankful for?
Jesus teaches his disciples the importance of gratitude and how to build it into their lives. Gratitude is a life pattern of Jesus that he demonstrates in front of his disciples.
Gratitude is something different from a polite ‘thank you’
We often say “thank you” and mean very little by it. It is part of our culture to be polite and say “thank you” but gratitude is something much more. Gratitude is an attitude that happens inside our hearts that causes our Thank You to be more than a polite sentiment.
Col 3:15-17
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Here gratitude is surrounded by thankfulness and it gives our thankfulness meaning and significance. The word gratitude in this passage actually means in the Greek ‘grace singing’ you are singing words of grace to another person. Not that you are literally singing but like a song that comes from your heart that has beauty and emotion fueling the words. You are saying words that are revealing your heart.
The difference between the politeness of ‘thank you’ and gratitude is the attitude of our hearts. Gratitude is an attitude that begins to grow in and flow out of our hearts and opens our lives to God and others
The Challenge: We think we can “do it on our own” which leads to ingratitude towards others and God. This increases our stress, distrust of others, alienation and isolation
So how do we face this challenge of Gratitude and let Gratitude begin to grow?
Text:
Matt 14:17-21
17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.
18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
- It Starts by Stopping – “he directed the people to sit down on the grass”
Jesus was getting their attention, no more milling around, no more ‘chatting it up’ but Jesus was about to say or do something important.
He was going to feed them, but first he was going to thank God for the food and for what God was about to do.
Jesus knew that apart from his father, he could do nothing – (Jn 5:19)
Gratitude requires us to stop doing other “important” things.
One time Jesus healed 10 men with leprosy, but only 1 stopped and returned to praise Jesus with a grateful heart (Lk 17)
To be grateful we have to slow life down a bit, We can get into a hurry but we have to stop.
How many of us have needed to send someone a Thank You note or call them but we just never got around to it, it wasn’t that we weren’t grateful, we just let life keep rolling and we never took time to think about what to say or do.
When we stop we are able to recognize we need to be grateful.
Meal times are a good time to develop a thankful pattern into your life, to stop and thank God for the food that you are about to enjoy. We are more likely to thank God at other times if we are Thanking him on a regular basis – we eat regularly.
Pray your heart not your mind – your mind is going to look for some efficient way to do this and so we develop a pattern of saying the same thing over and over and our hearts are not engaged and soon we grow cold. Stop and pray the words that are on your heart – Thank God for what he has given you.
Take time to think about what you will say or do. When I want to thank someone for something they have given me or done for me, it means I need to stop and begin thinking about that other person and what they have given me, the significance of it
“sit down” – stop what you are doing – Jesus often stopped and gave thanks – esp at meals.
- Looking up – “...and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.”
turning our hearts attention to God who provides for us
To be grateful, we must turn our focus from our own circumstances to God.
- Recognize that He is the one who gives us all we have.
Looking up by recognizing he has a role to play in our lives adn I need him in my life.
We have all been in a group conversation and no one looked to you for what you had to say or contribute. You felt completely under appreciated. That is what we do to God.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to know what to say to God or someone else and it could be because we haven’t ‘looked to them’. We haven’t really seen what they have done for us, we lost sight or were unconcerned for the cost to them.
It is one thing for a child to say “thanks for driving me...” as they get out of the car and it is something else all together when they say “thanks for driving me, I know it is really early in the morning and you would much rather be doing something else, but I really appreciate it.”
The secret of giving a good word / action of thanks is to be able to tell the other person what they want to hear. Gratitude must be directed towards the other person
We have all received something from someone we neither asked for nor wanted and we are not grateful for it.
Sometimes things happen in our lives and we refuse to be satisfied. In these times we are only looking at ourselves
But for us to bet truly grateful we will have to
- Choose to BE SATISFIED – They all ate and were satisfied
Finding satisfaction in what God has given us – they were filled, it was enough
This is perhaps the hardest part about being grateful – we just aren’t. It wasn’t what I expected or wanted. I didn’t get what I really wanted, I didn’t get what I asked for and so I am not satisfied.
1 Thess 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
When I choose not to be satisfied, I have just jumped over the first two points, I have not stopped to consider that God is involved in my life and I have taken my eyes off of him and placed them squarely on my favourite thing to look at – ME.
I have lost sight of the truth that God is work in more than just me and that he is a good God.
I think of Job: who after terrible – unjustified – circumstances was able to say:
Job 1:21-22
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.c
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised."
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
When I choose to be satisfied, that choice carries great consequences. There are two insatiable brothers who are constantly fighting for our hearts; my choice to be satisfied is a
- a. threat to materialism – Naked I came and naked I will go
I will not be grateful if it is not enough
- threat to entitlement – The Lord gives and the Lord takes away
I will not be grateful to something I feel I have a right to
When I choose to be grateful – I am saying “NO” to the insatiable brothers who want to consume me, and then like Job I can say...
But the name of the Lord be praised – Job had a grateful heart and he knew what it ws to be satisfied.
The Benefit of Gratitude
Gratitude opens the door to see God reveal himself
There are 2 different occasions where Jesus feeds a crowd, once with 4000 another 5000 and each time Jesus gives thanks God before he breaks the bread and gives it to the people. At the Last supper Jesus thanks the Father before breaks the bread, and on the Emmaus road He also looks up and thanks God. But it is more than just meals
At Lazuras resurrection Jesus says:
John 11:41-44
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
When we are grateful it Opens up channels previously closed – builds relationships, true gratitude shows others that you have room for them in your life. Whether it is God or other people...
I glanced at the bulletin board in my mom's hospital room. Sarah was the nurse on duty that night. Not her again. She snapped on the glaring overhead lights when Mom was resting. She grabbed Mom's wrist like it was the last item in a sale bin, clapped the blood-pressure cuff around her arm, pumped it as fast as she could, then marched out of the room. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she hadn't done anything right, either.
Mom was never one to complain, but she'd had a tough year. We'd lost Dad not five months earlier. Now, she lay recovering from surgery in the same hospital where he'd died. She'd fallen when walking the dog and broke her leg in three places. Healing would take time, and plenty of loving care. More than Sarah ever showed. "Vital checks," she announced at the door, charging over to Mom's bed. My irritation rose.
Then I felt a little nudge deep inside. Thank her, a still, inner voice insisted.
That's crazy, I thought. That'll make her think what she's doing is okay. And I didn't appreciate her.
But the voice was insistent. Thank her.
She was headed for the door. I took a deep breath, then said, "Sarah, thanks for taking such good care of my mom."
Sarah turned and walked back toward Mom. "It's so nice to hear that," she said. "The last few nights have been rough. All the beds are full and some of the nurses are out sick." She paused and adjusted the pillows, then she said to Mom, "See you in a couple of hours, Ruth Ann," and left.
I'd been angry with Sarah for seeming to forget my mom was a person. I quietly thanked God for reminding me that Sarah was a person too.
Message: An attitude of gratitude grows a content heart that discovers God’s strength and opens our hearts to others.
See God do what only God could do - Reveal himself in your circumstances
Embracing the challenge of Gratitude leads to:
A content heart living in the strength of Christ
Phil 4:11-13
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.