Four Postures to Having A Grateful Heart

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We are often forgetful recipients of God's good gifts. No matter how much God blesses us, it's too easy to dwell on what we want rather than what we have. Christian author Elizabeth Elliott once said, "It's always possible to be thankful for what is given, rather than to complain about what is not given." 

Where is your heart? Is it ready to give thanks for how God has blessed you? He is the king of the universe, and we can choose to give Him thanks for the abundance of blessings that He's provided, or we can choose an attitude that complains incessantly about what we don't have and want. We're going to allow one or the other to become a habit of our lives.

In the German Jewish language, a complaining soul is called a kvetching. That's the kind of person that is in a perpetual state of grumbling. Are you familiar with a kvetching? If you are a kvetching, you've lost your perspective on the gifts that God has given. Instead, all you can see are the gaps in your life. You’ve become focused on what hasn’t happened and you’re upset to the point that you've become a nuisance to yourself and the people around you. That’s a kvetching attitude.

In each one of us, something is growing, and it's growing right this minute. It's either a thankful heart or a complaining heart. This growing spirit will be hell unless it is nipped in the bud. But we have the choice of whether we will adjust our attitude or continue to grumble.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

God, the King of the Universe, has two dwellings. One is in heaven, and the other is in a thankful heart. He deserves our highest praise, doesn't He? You may say, Bro. Chris, what does a grateful heart include? Well, I'm glad you asked.

The Four Postures of a Grateful Heart

1) Gratitude is inclusive. 

Notice what Paul says, "Give thanks in all circumstances." Paul is telling us to give thanks for our entire life. He's talking about our whole story, all of it. We tend to parse out the bad things, but God uses everything in our lives to make us who we are. We serve a God who takes all things, including the good and the bad, to work together for good for those who love Him. We can praise Him for that. 

Dutch theologian, Henri J.M. Nouwen, said, "To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy. But to be grateful for all of our lives, the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy, as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, that requires some hard spiritual work." 

So much happens in life, but we are only grateful people when we say thank you for all that has brought us to this present moment. A grateful heart takes nothing for granted; instead, it's overwhelmed by all that God provides. 

Henry David Thoreau once said that every human being should give thanks at least once a day for the fact that he/she was born. Have you thanked God for the gift of your life today? We not only need to give thanks for our lives, but we should give thanks for the lives of others. Can you imagine life without the precious people that God has put in our lives? Folks, we need to love well, and we need to live well. It’s time we start to embrace life.

2) Gratitude is attentive. 

It's easy for us to become preoccupied with life, which leads us to squandering its most precious moments. If that happens, we become inattentive to the gifts that arrive each day. Let me put it a different way; We simply stop paying attention to the gifts of God. We're so hung up on our problems that we forget to pay attention to God's gifts that are all around us. 

There are two ways we can live: consciously or unconsciously. Unconsciously is to go through the motions and unaware of God's presence in our lives. But gratitude is attentive. It's attuned to God and saying, "I don't want to miss anything that you have."

Being attentive calls us to give thanks for every gift God puts in our lives. When you're alert to the gifts of God, you feel what's going on, and sometimes that includes the difficulties of life. I don't want to be numb to the pain because I'm not alive to the joy. We should be saying, "God, thank you for everything in my life." 

To be made aware and alert to the presence of God manifested in a piece of music heard on the car radio, I love it. The presence of God manifested in a daffodil, in the kiss of your spouse, or the encouragement of a friend. The presence of God revealed in a thunderstorm, or the magnificent lines on the face of an aging loved one. These are beautiful moments that we require our attention to appreciate.

Being aware of the presence of God requires inner freedom that comes through prayer. Gratitude is born of a prayer fullness that helps us notice the marvels of God all around us. Praying people see and hear God all around them.

3) Gratitude is contagious. 

Grateful people are contagious and a delight to be around. People that are a kvetching are not fun to be around. It's not possible to be grateful and resentful. The same God who longs to be in a relationship with us calls us to be members of His team. This means loving and serving others with an attentive and grateful heart. 

You are a miracle. You may not feel that way, but I want you to know, you are a miracle, and I am grateful for you. You can practice contagious gratitude by sharing that with others. ‘Thank you’ goes a long way. Never hesitate to love others. 

American monk David Steindl Rast said, "The root of joy is gratefulness." I love that. It's not joy that makes us grateful. It's gratitude that makes us joyful. 

4) Gratitude is God-centered. 

The God-centered character of gratitude is anchored in trust. We serve a God who is worthy of our thanks and praise. When we give God thanks for each new day, a grateful heart shouts, “It's good to be alive.” Have you said that lately? It's good to be alive. 

When you're walking closely with God, everything in your life begins to take on a new meaning. Folks, it's time to enjoy the gift of life that God has given to us. I love the people that God has put in my life. I love the blessings that He's put in my life. I even thank Him for the hardships because He reminds me that He will never leave nor forsake me. That's precisely the way Jesus lived his life. The darkest hours of Jesus's life were filled with gratitude. 

Imagine taking the time every day to recognize 100 reasons to thank God. If you do that seriously, then you won't have time to complain. Instead, all of life around you would begin to take on a very different meaning. The world that we live in isn't looking for someone downtrodden, sour, and joyless. Instead, they are desperate to know Christians that are grateful and joyful because Christianity is so much more than about getting it right. It's so much more than just following the law. It's about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ, who makes life worth living.

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About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services.