HOW TO LET THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Bible Text: Philippians 4: 4-9, 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 and Colossians 3: 16,17 | Preacher: Speaker: Jan Clapp | SO HERE WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER YEAR AND A WHOLE NEW ONE AHEAD OF US. 2019! SO HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE MADE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS?
WELL I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT IN THE COMING YEAR WE AIM TO LET THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE CHANGE OUR LIFE. FOR THE BETTER OF COURSE.
EPHESIANS 5:20 – GIVING THANKS ALWAYS FOR ALL THINGS UNTO GOD AND THE FATHER IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
SO I HAVE A QUESTION. DO YOU EVER HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH BITTERNESS, SELFISHNESS, SELF PITY, NEGATIVISM, OR PRIDE?
AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE CAN CHANGE THOSE THINGS AND LITERALLY TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE.
SO THERE ARE FOUR LEVELS OF LIVING. PEOPLE IN THE LOWEST LEVEL CONSTANTLY COMPLAIN. DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO FITS THAT DESCRIPTION? THESE FOLKS ARE ALWAYS GRIPING AND COMPLAINING. RATHER THAN BEING HUMBLY GRATEFUL, THEY’RE GRUMBLY HATEFUL.
THE SECOND LEVEL IS JUST A TAD HIGHER. THESE ARE NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTANTLY COMPLAINING:THEY JUST NEVER GIVE THANKS FOR ANYTHING. THEY TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED. THE THIRD LEVEL ARE THOSE WHO THANK GOD FOR THE OBVIOUS BLESSINGS, WHEN THINGS ARE GOING GOOD AND EVERYTHING IS FINE. BUT THE FOURTH LEVEL, THE HIGHEST LEVEL ARE THOSE WHO GIVE THANKS ALWAYS FOR ALL THINGS. THIS IS THE ATTITUDE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
SO THERE ARE 5 PRINCIPLES THAT WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST LEVEL.SO FIRST –
OUR GRATITUDE IS PROPER.
ANYTHING GOOD THAT YOU HAVE COMES FROM GOD. YOU DIDN’T GET IT BY LUCK, INGENUITY, HARD WORK, WIT OR WISDOM. IT IS PROPER TO THANK GOD FOR IT.
SECOND – OUR GRATITUDE IS TO BE PERPETUAL. YOU’RE NOT JUST SIMPLY TO BE THANKFUL ONE DAY A YEAR. ONE DAY IS NOT LONG ENOUGH TO THANK GOD FOR ALL THAT HE HAS GIVEN YOU. HIS BLESSINGS COME DAILY. PSALM 68:19 SAYS:”BLESSED BE THE LORD, WHO DAILY LOADETH US WITH BENEFITS” .EVERY DAY GOD HAS BRAND NEW BLESSINGS FOR YOU AND EVERY DAY OUGHT TO FIND YOU THANKING GOD. EVERY PRAYER THAT YOU PRAY OUGHT TO BE SALTED WITH THANKS.
THIRDLY. OUR GRATITUDE IS TO BE PERVASIVE. IN EVERYTHING WE GIVE THANKS. NOT IN SOME THINGS, BUT IN ALL THINGS. EVERYTHING, EVERY AREA OF LIFE IS TO BE THE SUBJECT OF THANKSGIVING. THERE’S JUST SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR.
SO SPIRITUAL THINGS:-IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE BUT JESUS, YOU WOULD HAVE ENOUGH TO PRAISE GOD FOR ALL ETERNITY.
SIMPLE THINGS – YOU SHOULD BE THANKFUL FOR YOUR FAMILIES, HEALTH, FOOD, AND EVEN A GLASS OF WATER. THANK GOD FOR THE SIMPLE THINGS.
AND WHAT ABOUT SORROWFUL THINGS? YOU CAN EVEN BE THANKFUL FOR THE HEARTACHES, THE PAINS, AND THE SUFFERINGS. ROMANS 8:28 SAYS:”ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD –“THAT IS, THE THING ITSELF IS NOT GOOD BUT IT IS GOD WHO IS WORKING ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR GOOD.
SO DO YOU WANT TO LIVE ON THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF LIFE? THEN CULTIVATE THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE ALWAYS AND IN ALL THINGS. AND IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW BAD, DIFFICULT, DARK OR MYSTERIOUS THINGS GET, TAKE THE ULTIMATE STEP OF FAITH. WE’RE NOT TOLD TO FEEL THANKFUL BUT TO BE THANKFUL. NOTHING SHOWS YOUR FAITH IN THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD MORE THAN JUST SIMPLY THANKING GOD IN EVERY SITUATION.
NOW OUR GRATITUDE WILL BE PLEASURABLE
THANKFUL PEOPLE ARE HAPPY PEOPLE. AND YOU MIGHT SAY ‘WELL IF I HAD SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR, I’D BE HAPPY. WELL YOU HAVE MISSED THE POINT. YOU AND I DO HAVE SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR. WE HAVE LIFE. WE HAVE CHRIST. AND THEN YOU MIGHT SAY, YES, BUT MY CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT GOOD. THE APOSTLE PAUL WAS IN PRISON WHEN HE WROTE THIS, YET HE WAS REJOICING IN THE LORD. GRATEFULNESS TURNED HIS PRISON TO A PALACE, BUT UNGRATEFULNESS CAN TURN YOUR PALACE TO A PRISON. THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
AND LASTLY OUR GRATITUDE IS POSSIBLE.
BEFORE WE ARE TOLD TO GIVE THANKS IN VERSE 20, VERSE 18 SAYS.”BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT”. LIVING WITH GRATITUDE IS NOT A HUMAN WAY TO LIVE, NOT A NATURAL WAY TO LIVE – IT’S SUPERNATURAL. AND THIS KIND OF THANKFULNESS ONLY COMES OUT OF A VITAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SUBSTANCE OF IT, THE SOURCE OF IT, AND THE STRENGTH OF IT. WE ARE TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT AND WE ARE TO BE GIVING THANKS. AND THAT’S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN DO IT.
SO WHETHER YOU’RE IN PRISON AS PAUL WAS, OR ENJOYING YOUR WONDERFUL LIFE, YOU CAN PRAISE GOD. AND FOR SURE IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. BITTERNESS, FEAR, SELF PITY, UNGRATEFULNESS AND NEGATIVISM WILL GO OUT OF YOUR LIFE IF YOU WILL PRACTICE THE GRACE OF GRATITUDE. AND THIS IS POSSIBLE WHEN YOU LET THE HOLY SPIRIT FILL YOU.
SO WE NEED TO PUT OUR FAITH STRONGLY IN JESUS AS HE STRENGTHENS US, HELPING US TO COPE EACH DAY. IF WE ARE FEELING LONELY AND DESERTED, LET U REMEMBER THAT JESUS IS WITH ALL OF US AS WE GO THROUGHOUT OUR WORRIES AND STRUGGLES. WE NEED TO PUT OUR FAITH STRONGLY IN HIM AS HE STRENGTHENS US, HELPING US TO COPE EACH DAY. AND SO OUR PRAYER SHOULD BE THANK YOU LORD. WE LOVE YOU BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH ALL THAT FACES US TODAY AND THIS WEEK, EVERYTHING IS IN YOUR HANDS – WE DON’T NEED TO WORRY. WE NEED TO TRUST YOU TO BE WITH US IN ALL THAT WE DO. LET US REMEMBER TO MAKE TIME FOR GOD. AND AS WE BEGIN ANOTHER NEW YEAR LET’S REMEMBER EVERY SINGLE DAY TO MAKE TIME FOR GOD. LET’S REMEMBER TO BE GRATEFUL BECAUSE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS WE CAN MAKE!
AMEN.