The Greatness of Gratitude 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Ephesians 5:20 Colossians 3:17 Job 1:20-22 Hebrews 13:15 09.05.14

THE GREATNESS OF GRATITUDE

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¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

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

Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)

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.

Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said: “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”  ²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job 1:20-22 (NIV)

¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)

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“Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies.”   Charles Jefferson

“The best way to show my gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.”  Mother Teresa

“Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy. Gratitude for the seemingly insignificant- a seed- this plants the giant miracle. The miracle of eucharisto. Do not disdain the small. The whole of the life - even the hard - is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole...There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments will add up."    Ann Voskamp

“Every breath's a battle between grudgery and gratitude.”  Ann Voskamp

“Christian thanksgiving is the life of Christ in the heart — transforming the disposition and the whole character.  Thanksgiving must be wrought into the life as a habit—before it can become a fixed and permanent quality.  An occasional burst of praise, in the midst of years of complaining, is not what is required. Songs on rare, sunshiny days; and no songs when skies are cloudy—will not make a life of gratitude. The heart must learn to sing always.  This lesson is learned only when it becomes a habit which nothing can weaken.  We must persist in being thankful.  When we can see no reason for praise—we must believe in the divine love and goodness, and sing in the darkness.  Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us, only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences.”   J. R. Miller

“Unyielding gratitude to God — is how God makes us unstoppable.”   Ann Voskamp

“The root of joy is gratefulness … It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”   David Steindl-Rast

“Gratitude is an inward emotion of the soul, involuntarily arising therein, while thanksgiving is the voluntary expression of gratitude.”    E.M. Bounds

HEART SAVOR

• ·        I am to give thanks in all circumstances.  This is rooted in Romans 8:28: ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
• ·        I get to choose between grudgery and gratitude.
• ·        Gratitude honors God and shows I believe He always has my best interest at heart whether I can recognize this in my circumstances or not.