Gratitude is a Lifestyle

Hi Family!

This week, the message was about GRATITUDE.

There are 4 areas in life to be grateful for:

1. Grateful for the Gospel
2. Grateful for the Basics of Life
3. Grateful for the Miracles
4. Grateful for the Fellowship

To understand gratitude is to live out these concepts:

1. Gratitude is an attitude of Thanksgiving
2. Overflowing gratitude leads to Action
3. Gratitude in full bloom Celebrates

Giving Thanks = Celebration

Colossians 3:14-17
14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5:4
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

“Let Your Words Be Filled with Thankfulness to God”

What does this mean? This means no yuckiness coming out of our mouths. What comes out of our mouths is the outpouring of what's coming out of our heart and our mind. In fact, what comes out of our mouth can be a gauge at how your heart and mind are doing. So let's all check ourselves this week. Listen to what kinds of things are coming out of your mouth? Is it complaining? Discouraging words? Gossip? Foolish Talk? Or is it full of joy and thanksgiving, encouragement, uplifting and singing praise to God?

Gratitude is an attitude, it is a lifestyle. I am reminded. The best sounding prayer in the world doesn't mean anything if the heart isn't in it. On the other hand, one simple "Thank you, God" from an overflowing grateful heart means everything. Moreover, overflow of gratitude will lead to action.

Colossians 2:6-7
6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Action is to Walk in Him. Why do we go to church? Because we are grateful for all He has done for us. And we continue to be grateful for all He has done because He continues to love us and work in us.

Let's live a lifestyle of Gratitude together.