Gratitude is a Gift that Keeps on Giving
Notes
Transcript
What is the the intent? We should give thanks more.
What is the obstacle? We don’t understand the benefits of giving thanks.
What is the plan? Explain the benefits
What is the result?
Introduction:
Introduction:
“The gift that keeps on giving” is a well known advertising phrase. I did a little research to see where it came from. Let me show you some photos. Some of these are quite old so even the oldest of us weren’t around when they came out, but look them over and let’s give them a guess. Which of these do you think was the first to use the phrase “the gift that keeps on giving?
Victor Radio
Du Mont Television and Radio with shortwave
Hotpoint electric range
Kodak Instamatic 18 Camera
Godiva
And the answer is: Victor Radio in the 1920’s.
What is a gift that keeps on giving? A gift with long lasting benefits.
1 Gratitude benefits God.
1 Gratitude benefits God.
James 1:17, Ephesians 3:20
A Gratitude acknowledges God.
A Gratitude acknowledges God.
It acknowledge His role in our lives.
It acknowledges His power.
It acknowledges His grace.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Everything God does is good. He meets our basic needs and gives us our greatest needs.
B Gratitude honors God.
B Gratitude honors God.
It shows a good opinion of God for His goodness of character. He is good in character.
It shows a good opinion of God for His deeds.
It shows a good opinion of God for His generosity.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
He is good by giving us good things. He is good by giving us more than we deserve. He is good by giving us more than we expect. We flourish because of God.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Ingratitude dishonors God.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
C Gratitude belongs to God.
C Gratitude belongs to God.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
We should thank God more!
2 Gratitude benefits others.
2 Gratitude benefits others.
Philippians 2:1-5, Matthew 22:35-39, Ephesians 4:15-16
A Gratitude values others.
A Gratitude values others.
Showing genuine gratitude, not just a superficial, “Thanks,” or “No problem” tells a person they are of value.
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
First is says what happened to you was of value to you.
Second it says the person who benefitted you is of value to you.
It is a loving thing to do. It is the acknowledgement that someone else acted nobly, unselfishly, thoughtfully toward you.
B Gratitude loves others.
B Gratitude loves others.
35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Can you love someone and not be thankful for them?
Do you love someone for whom you are thankful?
There are many facets of love. At it’s core, love is delight. Think of the person you love the most. Are you thankful for that person? Yes.
Gratitude is one of the ways we express love. There are other ways but it is an important way.
C Gratitude encourages others.
C Gratitude encourages others.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We can inspire others by thanking them.
A timely “thank you” may be all that is needed for a person to be encouraged enough to keep pressing on and not quit. Life is hard and all of us face times when we feel like no one notices what we do, no one cares, so we should quit. It is possible that your words of gratitude may be enough to reassure someone that they aren’t wasting their time in helping others. Our words have the ability to help someone reframe what they are going through and see themselves better. We all need that.
3 Gratitude benefits us.
3 Gratitude benefits us.
Matthew 26:27. John 11:41
It makes us better.
Gratitude improves our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
What I mean by this is that there are benefits we receive from being thankful. There are good things that happen to us solely because we are thankful.
A Gratitude is godly.
A Gratitude is godly.
It enables us to be godly, act like God, when we give thanks. Jesus gave thanks for little things and big things.
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
Do you want to be like God? Be thankful like Jesus.
B Gratitude is healing.
B Gratitude is healing.
Choosing to be thankful changes the way we view life. There is always something about which we can be thankful.
Dr. Robert Emmos, perhaps the world expert on gratitude wrote this:
“Roughly a decade ago, I asked people suffering from severe neuromuscular disorders to keep a gratitude journal over two weeks. Given that much of their lives involved intense discomfort and visits to pain clinics, I wondered whether they’d be able to find anything to be grateful for. Yet not only did they find reasons to be grateful, but they also experienced significantly more positive emotions than a similar group that didn’t keep a gratitude journal. The gratitude group also felt more optimistic about the upcoming week, felt more connected to others (even though many of them lived alone), and reported getting more sleep each night—an important indicator of overall health and well-being. Five Myths about Gratitude | Greater Good (berkeley.edu)
C Gratitude is transformational.
C Gratitude is transformational.
It makes others more open and friendly to you when you thank them.
It reduces our feelings of entitlement and what we should expect from others. People who feel entitled to more often act in destructive ways toward their company and their coworkers. Gratitude see benefits where an entitled person sees dissatisfaction.