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Gratitude
Gratitude
is an attitude of being thankful
for what He has done for me! When we fully
recognize that our greatest problem has been solved, our indebtedness of
sin, we can feel and know gratitude and thus honor God, by leading a
life of response to Who and what He has done! even when we do not
see what we have. This is an aspect of worship, expressing to God, and
others,
how they have benefited our lives by showing them
support, appreciation, and benevolence.
Because His blood has redeemed us, we are grateful.
Gen. 31:36-42; Ex.
17:1-4; Luke 17:11-19; Rom. 16:1-12; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Phil. 1:3-7; 1 Thess. 5:18
Ingratitude, and Disapproval
are the opposites. This
means the refusal to acknowledge and respond to what Christ has done for
us. This can be a Christian who does little to nothing with their faith
and remains in the ways of the world, or just refusing to grow and
respond to God. This places a barrier to seeing the great,
incompressible gift of grace we have received, and then refusing, or
forgetting, to respond to our Lord.
Although gratitude
can mean thankfulness, or to respond to a favor we have received, it
is a
much deeper response where our hearts are filled with
gratitude for the many blessings that God gives, even when they seem
small to our wants, or even though we may not be able to see them. David
was a man after God's own heart, and his heart was full of praise to
God, even in times of dire stress. He knew what God has done for him. He
was the least in his family, and his family the least in his tribe, yet
he was chosen to be king. It was something he did not earn or deserve,
and even when he sinned, he saw God’s Grace restore him
(Psalm
34:1; 107:15).
As a Christian, we must
strive to be more thankful to Him and do our utmost to live up to the
call given to us in Heb 13:15, "By Him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name." We need to have the
mindset that we are merely sojourners here on this earth, that is we are
just passing through, preparing ourselves for our true home in heaven.
The result will be a life filled with praise to God, as we will see Him,
and not just our circumstances. Perhaps we will then be able to
appreciate His goodness to us and have even more praise to and for His
name. This praise will overflow to others instead of the rotten fruits
of Gal 5: 19-21! Let our worship be true because of what He has done for
us! Let us give our loud expression to Him! Praise God forever and ever
(Psalm 150)!
God’s
plan for us is not just salvation; it is our growth, too. Don't neglect
your growth in Him!
Questions
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How would you define Gratitude? Are you a person
who dispenses
Gratitude?
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What are the
things that cause you to have ingratitude?
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How does the
lack of Gratitude counteract Gratitude?
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What happens to
our relationship, with God, and others, when we are
disapproving,
un-appreciating, and negative with others?
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When have you
been filled with Gratitude the most?
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In what
situation did you fail to have Gratitude, when you should have?
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What issue is in
your life that would improve with being more Grateful?
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Think through the steps you need to take to put Gratitude into action
in a specific instance. Such as, how would Gratitude improve your
worship of our Lord? What do you need to do to realize, to the fullest
extent possible, how indebted you are to Christ for your salvation? In
addition, because of that, what should be your response to Him and to
others around you?
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