January 12, 2014

This is the lesson based on David Jeremiah's book Growing in the Grace of Gratitude.

 

Gratitude

From the book Growing in the Grace of Gratitude

by David Jeremiah

Gratitude is the manifestation of the presence of God himself in a person, an appreciation for every season and situation as having a purpose in God’s plan. -- David Jeremiah

We all want more for less and often forget to be grateful for what we have. We live in an entitlement culture, thinking that we are entitled to everything we need and most of what we want. And it’s possible for Christians to be affected with this disease of ungratefulness. (page 10)

Any thoughts on that?

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Ephesians 5:20

  

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the evening, -- Psalm 92:1-2 (NLT)

At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws -- Psalm 119:62

  

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. -- Colossians 3:17

　

Our circumstances in life have nothing to do with the gratitude we express. If we are going to give thanks in all things, then we are to give thanks in difficult circumstances as well as in pleasant ones. (page 11) Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

-- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

* We should be grateful for the people in our lives.

* We should be grateful for our Salvation and for the Salvation of those around us.

* We should be grateful for Christian conviction that tells us the truth even when it isn’t what we want to hear.

* We should be grateful for Christian compassion and the love we have for one another.

* We should be grateful for problems.

* We should be grateful for problems that aren’t worse than they are.

* We should be grateful that problems are God’s way of teaching us.

* We should be grateful that problems make God’s love real to us.

As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? -- Luke 17:12-17

There is a difference between being grateful in general and being grateful to God specifically. Any thoughts on that? (page 20) Think about it this way: If a friend gives you a gift, you’re going to thank him. But do you thank God?

Often gratitude is all about perspective. I’m going to read something to you. (page 23-24) Jeremiah included it in this study book but the writer is anonymous.

"Lord, thank You for this sink of dirty dishes. We do have good food to eat. Thank You for this pile of dirty laundry. We do have nice clothes to wear. I'd like to thank You for these unmade beds. They sure were comfortable last night. My thanks for this bathroom, complete with spattered mirrors, soggy towels, and grimy lavatory. It's still very convenient. Thank You for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly. It has served us faithfully for a long ti...me. And inside are cool drinks and enough leftovers for another meal. Thank You for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today. It has baked us many good things over the years. O God, our whole family is thankful for the tall grass that needs mowing. We all enjoy our private yard. Thank You for the slamming screen door. The children are healthy and able to run and play. Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says that You have richly blessed this family. I do them all cheerfully and gratefully." -- author unknown

If we look closely we will usually find that behind ever difficulty is a blessing from God, Jeremiah writes. Do you agree? Disagree?

Jeremiah tells a story about Thomas Edison. In December 1914, Edison’s great laboratories in West Orange, New Jersey, were almost completely destroyed in a fire. In one night Edison lost two million dollars worth of equipment and the record of much of his life’s work. . . . The next morning, walking around among the charred embers of so many of his hopes and dreams, the sixty-seven year old Thomas Edison said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up, and we get to start over again.” (page 30)

In the Bible, we only have to look to the Apostle Paul for an example of living with gratitude. The letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are called “the prison epistles” because Paul write them while incarcerated by the Romans.

　

　

　

　

　

In those letters Paul wrote such things as Ephesians 5:18:21 which says:
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. -- Colossians 3:15

Are you thankful when you pray? Or are your prayers filled with worship and gratitude to God?

Jeremiah says that many prayers are disguised statements of discontent, of ingratitude. (page 41)

That may be so. Maybe we really don’t take time to consider all that God does for us. So I put up a Gratitude Tree. Let’s fill it with things that we are grateful to God for.