Radical Gratitude by Rick Warren “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV) Thanksgiving is not supposed to be a day that we celebrate once a year. It is to be a spiritual habit of the radical believer. The more deeply you understand God’s love, the more grateful you’re going to be. So what does it mean to be radically grateful? The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18,“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”(NIV). That’s radical gratitude. In all circumstances give thanks, because it’s God’s will for you. You can thank God in every circumstance because God is in control. He can bring good out of evil. He can turn around the stupid mistakes you make. No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving you. There are a hundred things to be thankful for in any circumstance, even when the circumstance stinks. Radical gratitude — being thankful in all circumstances — is God’s will because it creates fellowship. What do I mean by that? Gratitude always builds deeper relationships between you and other people and between you and God. Whoever you want to get closer to, start expressing gratitude to that person. If you’ve moved away from your husband or your wife, you need to start doing what you did when you were dating: Express gratitude. Write little notes of kindness and encouragement. Make calls or text during the day, just to tell him or her that you’re thankful. Do the things you did at first. The reason you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling is because you stopped doing the things that created that lovin’ feeling early on, and you take each other for granted. Do you want to build your small group? Don’t just go to small group. During the week, text them, email them, call them, write them. Say, “I’m grateful for you, and here’s why.” You’ll find that the more grateful you are for your group, the more your group will bond. The Bible tells us to“encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). As you build others up, you’ll find that God builds into your life as well through your deep relationships with Him and others. Power Verses: Amplified Bible 1 Thessalonians 5:17-19, 17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; 18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. 19 Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 11 Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing. Just A Thought: Prayer will help forward all lawful business, and every good work. If we pray without ceasing, we shall not want matter for thanksgiving in every thing. We shall see cause to give thanks for sparing and preventing, for common and uncommon, past and present, temporal and spiritual mercies. Not only for prosperous and pleasing, but also for afflicting providences, for chastisements and corrections; for God designs all for our good, though we at present see not how they tend to it. Reference: Matthew Henrys Concise Commentary Talk It Over: * Who do you need to encourage or connect with this week? * To whom do you need to show your gratitude? * What are some simple ways you can express your gratitude to your spouse, friend, or small group members? * As you develop an attitude of gratitude, what changes do you see in yourself and your relationships? Memory Verse: Ephesians 5:20, 20 At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. In Reflection: 💡 Thankfulness is heartfelt gratitude to God, expressed in response to his love and mercy. 💡 Thanksgiving is the offering of thanks, especially for gifts received. 💡 Scripture emphasises the importance of giving thanks to God for all his gifts and works, both as an expression of our dependence upon him and gratitude to him. 💡 Prayer embraces praising God for who He is, thanking Him for what He has already done, and looking forward with joy to what He has promised to do in the future. 💡 Edification is the building up and strengthening in the faith of believers and churches. 💡 Believers are strengthened by God and are urged, too, to build up one another. 💡 God is at work in all that happens to believers, whether to warn them, to draw them to himself or to do them good. 💡 God has a purpose in all the experiences that believers have in life. 💡 God uses every experience in the lives of believers for good. 💡 In all of life’s experiences believers should be thankful and trusting. 💡 Priority: Scripture stresses that God must be allowed to rule at the heart of a person’s life. Reference: Dictionary of Bible Themes
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 11:17:53 +0000
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