Fostering the Attitude of Gratitude 2!

1 Thessalonians 5:18

 
SUBJECT: Cultivating the Christian Attitude of Thankfulness

THEME: foster the spiritual attitude of Gratitude by giving thanks to the Lord and expressing appreciation for those who service our well-being. 

INTRODUCTION:

Thankfulness, appreciation and gratitude must characterize the thoughts, feelings, and actions of Christians. Our thanksgiving should be directed towards the Lord first, and then expressed to those who assist or aid us. We can even be thankful in adverse situations because we are confident that God is powerful and wise enough to produce positive spiritual outcomes though there is nothing about our circumstances to warrants this (Rom 8:28, 29).

In addition, when we concentrate chiefly on the evil, exasperating, and fearful state of affairs, we can become imbalance in our thoughts. Giving too much attention to the adversity and losing sight of the positives. In this state of mind, we will begin to feel like nothing is going well or right. Our thoughts can become almost entirely negative and down cast spiraling downward into discouragement and losing hope. However, when we intentionally reflect on God and His goodness—when we deliberately fill our thoughts with such content; it will restore the balance. We will become more conscious of who our hope truly is and that which is going well also. Such calculated thanks and reflections will counterbalance and counteract the harmful ruminations and shorten cycles of discouragement. This is the power of a thankful heart!

As a review we said an attitude is “a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.” There are three attitudes toward our heavenly Father in this passage; the attitudes are joy, trust (prayer), and thanks (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Concerning gratitude we said previously,

I.                 Gratitude is Giving God Thanks and Praise. The Requirement is to Offer Appreciation to God—to “give thanks”

II.               Gratitude should be expressed in all Circumstances. The Situation is always Appropriate to being Thankful to God—“in every thing”

III.             Gratitude is God’s Plan for His Children. The Reasoning is God Prescribes Gratitude for all Believers—“for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus”

Now, let’s explore further the attitude of gratitude with special emphasis on practicing thankfulness.

FOSTER AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!  

1Thes 5:18, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Thesis: We can foster the spiritual attitude of Gratitude by giving thanks to the Lord!

I.               Gratitude Profoundly Enriches our Christian Experiences. The Benefits are for Believers Individually and Corporately—“concerning you”

A.    Thankful Believers have a Fuller view of God’s Person, Character, Blessings and a Greater Awareness of His Involvement (Attention, Administrations, and Activities)

                                                  1.     The phrase “concerning you” denotes the persons being addressed; those who are required to give thanks as well as who benefits from practicing thankfulness. The guidance is towards you, for you, with regards to you. That is, with regards to or for individual believers and entire congregations, great benefit can be obtained through these practices. God wills for his people to experience the profits of joy, trust, and thankfulness! He prescribed these practices and attitudes with our well-being in mind—they are for us and our good. Our Lord is not against us, but altogether for us (Rom. 8:31).

                                                  2.     We know we have his attention—the Lord never forsakes us for even a single moment; we always have his precious attention to help and aid us in all our challenges (Heb. 4:16; 13:5-6).

                                                  3.     We understand that we always have his wise administrations—our Great God never ceases to pursue what is spiritually healthy and holy for his children (Phil. 2:13; Rom. 8:32).

                                                  4.     We are confident that our Father acts on our behalf—that is, he purposefully moves with our best interests at heart (Psalm 23).

                                                  5.     The more we offer thanks for God’s attention, administrations, and activities, the more his glory and blessings will fill our minds and inform our perspective! The more we explore the character and nature of the Almighty the more content we will have for reflection and praise.  

B.    Thankful Believers are more Hopeful and Happier People.

                                                  1.     This is due to the fact we actually pause and thank the Lord for how He has worked, is working, and will work in our lives. To appreciate the care and attention God gives us even when we are not as aware of His care is quite profitable as it sustains awareness and hope deep within. Such exercise of thankfulness cultivates hope, cheers the heart, motivates praise, and brings our thoughts into a proper balance. Reflecting on past but recent blessings and numerating them perhaps on a note pad or in a journal creates legitimate hopes and anticipations of good outcomes. After all, the Lord came through before, and He is well able to do it again.

                                                  2.     So, real hope rooted in reflections on recent past experiences with the Lord springs up in the soul transforming us into people marked by this excellent quality. This translates to a happier person…a more hope filled prospect of the future. Just contrast this with too many individuals who are so filled with fear, anxiety, and discouragement they don’t even realize the Lord is actively orchestrating for them. Chances are they are looking for something or someone else to help them escape, forget, or become numb to life.

                                                  3.     Practicing thankfulness to God and others is key. We could also read Scriptures where God gave His people hope and positive anticipations to inspire hope in us. Biographies of Christian giants who had real struggles, but overcame them in Christ can also be a great source of growing hope in our hearts and personalities.

C.    Thankful Believers Genuinely Appreciate and Express Appreciation to Others; this strengthens and sustains healthy relationships

                                                  1.     Ephesians 1:15-16, Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, ¹⁶ Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers^[1]

                                                  2.     Philippians 1:3-4, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy^[2]

                                                  3.     Paul not only appreciates these believers, but their love toward him moved him to thank God! Wouldn’t you like to be responsible for provoking others to give thanks to God! (See also 2Thess 1:3)

                                                  4.     Paul also let these believers know that they are among the blessings he thanked God for as he prays. They were informed…made aware of their contributions to the apostle!

D.    Thankful Believers are humble and easier to work with because they value the contributions of others. They get the fact that they do not know it all, and the input of others is often critically valuable. So, they seek it out and truly treasure honest constructive feedback. Thankfulness can help us overcome our self-centeredness and pride to forge teams with the potential of transforming ministries and entire industries.

E.     Thankful Believers are Magnetic and Attractive. Now think about. A thankful believer is appreciative, filled with hope, their outlook is positive, fearless, they exude joy working very well with others, they inspire and empower the people around them with their potent personal faith, and God’s glory fills their minds and hearts…. Why wouldn’t such believers be extremely attractive! Truly…regardless of their body type, the fairness of their countenance, or other desirable qualities they may or may not possess…. Deeply grateful people draw us to themselves and the closer we get to them the more we see Christ.   

II.            Gratitude can be Develop through Reflection and Practicing Thankfulness. The Attitude of Gratitude must be Deliberately Fostered! But how?

A.    Cultivating Gratitude can be Learn from Scriptures Expressing Thanks and Praise to our Great Lord God! Consider these passages as points of meditation:

                                                  1.     Romans 11:33-36

                                                  2.     Colossians 1:15-20

                                                  3.     Exodus 34:1-17

                                                  4.     Psalm 139:1-24

                                                  5.     Revelation 4:6-11; 5:5-14

                                                  6.     These are but a sample; there are many other such praise and thanksgiving passages that we can instruct us in the matter of thanksgiving and praise to our great God. Just by reviewing them briefly I felt my own spirit lifted and strengthened in the Lord God. Meditating and reflecting on such passages train us to love, appreciate and celebrate our awesome God! Memorizing and reciting portions of these praises to God in prayer, but as from our own hearts to his is an excellent way to lodge these truths and worthy thoughts into our minds. Thus we would be training ourselves in what to notice about God, what to value about him, what should be celebrated about his activities, what is excellent about his character, what is noteworthy about his behaviors. Such knowledge fuels our relationship and interactions with the Most High! Thankfulness grows in this context!

B.    Expressing Gratitude to God and Others Stems from Reflection and Looking purposefully for the Good—Evidence of God’s attention, administrations, and activities.

                                                  1.     Yes, this is moving beyond general expressions of thanksgiving like, “Thank you God for our family and health and for waking us up this morning.” These things are good, but what is far better is to become mindful of what God is doing in the details of life throughout each day.

                                                  2.     While anyone can adopt a ritual of repetitively “giving thanks;” God is prescribing the development of an attitude that regards carefully and thoughtfully what good He is achieving in our personal world and society at large.  

                                                  3.     Practicing this helped me to realize just how much I overlook, undervalue and take for granted the goodness of God to me, my family, our ministry, extended family, church family, my country, and on the list goes. Beloved, it is scandalous how often I have dismissed what God did for me directly and through others. 

                                                  4.     It takes reflection…literally pausing to think about the attention, administrations, and activities of God towards me. Taking the time to look for reasons to be thankful—to literally count my blessings. Again some things come to mind immediately, but we want to look closer, harder, and deeper to ensure we do not miss the work of God in us and for us. Focus particularly on the last 48 hours or so. You will be surprised to discover how truly good God has been, and it will change the climate in your soul as you deliberately reflect.

                                                  5.     The same can be said for our relationships. If we reflect on people’s contributions into our well-being gratitude towards God and them will grow in us. Then we must take the initiative to express our appreciation to those individuals for helping and blessings us. So, correctly understood noticing these multiple benefits from God and through others prompts me to thank God and those individuals for how they have positively touched my life. A card, a phone call, a text message, or an email can very specifically convey what we appreciate to them.

C.    Understanding that any Benefits I Receive Costs Someone—they Sustained and Expense to meet my Need—this Engenders Gratitude in my Heart (See Phil. 4:10-19).

                                                  1.     The Lord Jesus provides an excellent example of one who incurred a tremendous cost to purchase our redemption. Because we know our salvation cost the Lord Jesus so greatly, we are more appreciative of his incredible sacrifice for our sins and on our behalf. The more we know about and understand the fantastic price He paid willingly to save us, the more gratitude towards God and the Lord Jesus takes root and grows in our hearts. Christ suffered greatly for my sins; he paid an extraordinary price for me. I am so thankful for my precious Lord Jesus Christ! Glory, honor and praise unto him forever and ever!

                                                  2.     The same is true concerning the price others pay to be of benefit or service to us. They almost always incur a cost and sometimes a sacrifice. The cost may be time, money, opportunities, health, or station; but certainly a price is paid or exacted. How thankful we should be to parents, pastors, teachers, and yes, the waiter or waitress who serve our food at a restaurant. How many parents placed their healthy dreams on the shelf in order to help their children get through college? Who can number the pastors who manage 60 to 80 hour weeks praying, studying, teaching, preaching, counseling, caring, leading, and planning? How many medical professionals risk their well-being and lives to nurse and heal those suffering from COVID-19! I am grateful to our service men and women and their families; they have sacrificed themselves and placed their lives at risk repeatedly to preserve our freedoms and the future of our country. I am thankful for them!

                                                  3.     Thankfulness recognizes that others incurred a cost for me—they sustained an expense to aid or help me. This not only encourages me, but I understand how love has been shown to me. I must accept such love and appreciate the person(s) who willingly pay whatever price to meet my needs or improve the quality of my experiences. Saying, “thank you” is not enough…becoming a person of deep gratitude is!

D.    Realizing I Need the Input, Wisdom, Help and Service of Others Engenders Gratitude towards God and them. Such expressions of genuine gratitude will promote humility in our lives. Thanksgiving is an acknowledgment that “I” stand in need and someone met that need.  It is the realization that “I” am not self-sufficient nor independent of God and those He uses to meet my needs. Thankfulness is a sure cure for the disease of pride!

E.     Developing a Habit of Reflecting and Documenting God’s Blessings, Provisions, Answers to Prayer, Protections, and Guidance in a Journal will Cultivate Gratitude.

                                                  1.     Beloved, to note or jot down how God is strengthening, supporting, providing for, encouraging, protecting, teaching, renewing, correcting, empowering, building, edifying, polishing, advancing, rebuking, redirecting, enlarging, humbling, stretching and refining us is a great reason to be thankful! Capture these divine visitations and administrations in writing! Document these several times during the week. Answer the following questions…What am I thankful for? Why is this important to me? Who contributed to this blessing? How should I express thanks to them?

                                                  2.     Do not overlook what God is up to in you because you allow yourself to think primarily on the frustrating and stressful elements of your day or life in general. We must never take all the ‘goodnesses’ of God towards us for granted; thank Him often for what He is doing in you, through you, and with you. Prayers devoted to praising and thanksgiving can become a healthy regular practice enabling us to appreciate the Lord for specific investments he is making in our lives. Again, deliberately focus on the recent and even items that differ from previous reflections. Yes, this may be challenging at times; do not shy away because this requires some effort. I assure you it is worth the energy invested.

                                                  3.     We truly are wonderfully privileged to share life with the Most High. God will use this record to encourage you and assure you of His activities in your life during those times when the blessings are not as obvious.

CONCLUSION:

Foster the spiritual attitude of Gratitude by giving thanks to the Lord and expressing appreciation for those who service our well-being. 

Remember thankfulness, appreciation and gratitude MUST characterize the thoughts, feelings, and actions of Christians. This means it really is a part our character…thankfulness is who we are—it’s a settled attitude. Our thanksgiving is intentionally directed towards the Lord first and foremost, and then we pause our busy lives to express appreciation to those who assist or aid us. It does not matter how great or how small their contributions are…the fact that they did is worthy of thanks. We can even be thankful in adverse situations because we know God is powerful and wise enough to produce positive spiritual outcomes though there is nothing about our circumstances to warrants this (Rom 8:28, 29).

As the recipient of such thoughtfulness it is appropriate to send a ‘thank you card’ or email or note. It is advisable to make a call to simply express our gratitude. Journal and record the goodness of God in your experience. Don’t overlook his involvements in your journey! We must resist the entitlement mentality and tell others we genuinely appreciate them and what they do to bless and enrich our lives.

We will be significantly transformed if we took these basic instructions seriously making them an integral part of our daily walk. Every Christian should be distinguished by gratitude. Depression, anxiety, and ingratitude cannot remain in such hearts! While life slaps us with many serious challenges, we can still choose to be appreciative. Make the decision to live out gratitude.

In fact, thankful believers would be contagious as we positively influence others for Christ. When this precious quality refines our character, we are deeply attractive people. Who can resist such exuberant joy, confident prayerfulness, and rich gratitude! Beloved, these traits showcase God’s attention, administrations, and activities! We honor Him. We become living commercials of God’s grace commending Him to everyone we touch. I truly believe more people would be drawn to Christ as Savior through our lifestyles of appreciation. We will have more chances to present the gospel when the glory of godly character shines through us and into the lives of the unsaved.  

---

^[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Eph 1:15–16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Php 1:3–4). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.