Cultivating An Attitude of Gratitude

Colossians 3:12-17 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

The holiday season has officially begun! Starting with Thanksgiving, the world starts focusing on food, festivities, decorations & gifts. It is a time of year designated for families to come together from far & wide; many of us either look forward to this- or dread it- for an entire year.

I won’t bore you with a full history lesson, about the first Thanksgiving in 1621, andhas been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789.. But I do want to share the words of President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, who proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens". So whatever else the holiday may mean to us now, it was meant to give thanks and praise to God. This fledgling nation knew that without him, there would not be any hope of future for the nation. Centuries later, we are pardoning turkeys and complaining about the cost of milk & eggs- which are legitimate complaints- but what has happened to the acknowledgment for God? Yes, we have maintained a tradition of thanking God FOR the THINGS we have (life, health, strength…jobs, houses, clothes…family, friends, and church) but again i ask…when did we START giving thanks for things instead of giving thanks to God for all things? As the psalmist said: Ps 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who live in it.” so it is appropriate to thank Him for all things, and the scriptures provide us with many ways in which we can say thank you. So it is my goal this morning to help you to cultivate an attitude of grattitude and praise. I want to begin with a biblical definition of thanksgiving.

(χάρις/ּוֹדָה) n.f. Thanksgiving

give praise to‍, praise rendered by acknowledging and abandoning sin.

thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship.

thanksgiving in procession, line, company.

thank-offering.

An expression of thanksgiving can also combine any and all of these things.

General Usage of Thanksgiving in the Bible The Lexham Bible Dictionary

Put on the garment of praise (and thanks giving). Is 61:3 “To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The cloak (kjv garment) of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” There are 2 things that I want to call to you attention in this verse from Isaiah, and in the verses in Colossians because of what they have in common:

The attitude of gratitude is something you choose to put on. Your attittude, in general, is a choice. No one can make you feel anything; you have to accept it. Isaiah compares praise to a cloak; you must put it on, it doesn’t just jump on you. Paul tells the believers in Collossae to “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other.” (Ch3 V12-13). What attitude did you put on today? and before you “changed clothes”, did you take off your old garments- or are you trying to put a smile on top of your heaviness, depression, anger? You can CHOOSE! This is especially important when we come to worship- in His house, or in yours! This is why the scripture says Ps 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courtyards with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.” You should leave your baggage at the door and come into the church (or prayer in your home with your family) free of your burdens.

The key ingredient in the attitude of gratitude is His “oil”. The concept of thanksgiving evolves theologically throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, it is closely tied with the verb “to bless” (בָּרַךְ, barakh; e.g., Deut 8:10). The most common Hebrew noun used for “thanks” (תּוֹדָה, todah) derives from the verb “to praise, confess” (יָדָה, yadah) which ties into the definition of Thanksgiving as stated earlier. By the time of Leviticus the Israelites had instituted a thanks offering as part of the sacrificial system. Lev 7:11–15 “‘Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the Lord. If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil. With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread. Of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.” {Note the multiple references to “oil” in these verses} Oil in the scriptures is often symbolic, representing the presence of God, particularly His anointing (power & approval to accomplish a task supernaturally). as it relates to gratitude, this can mean we must deliberately make God a part of all that we make or do; He is the key “ingredient”, that allows us to be thankful in whatever state we are in- because He is with us through it all!

True gratitude is grounded in grace. In the New Testament, thanksgiving is tied to the concept of “grace” (χάρις, charis). Most Greek words related to “thanks” are semantically connected, including the noun “thanksgiving” (εὐχαριστία, eucharistia), the adjective “thankful” (εὐχάριστος, eucharistos), and the verb “to give thanks, be thankful” (εὐχαριστέω, eucharisteō). {In essence, every time you speak of “grace” you are also saying “thank you” simultaneously} People in the New Testament offer thanksgiving to God in worship (e.g., 1 Tim 2:1), individual prayer (e.g., Acts 28:15), and at meals (e.g., Matt 15:36–37). Expressions of thanksgiving appear throughout Paul’s writings (e.g., Phil 1:3–8). In the New Testament, thanksgiving is often a response to the redemptive work of Jesus (e.g., Rom 7:25). Texts like Luke 24:30 indicate that thanksgiving held an important part in Jewish and Christian meals.

Hopefully by now you realize that your life in Christ is a product of grace. You were saved by grace; your are sustained in grace; your hope for the future is in God’s grace. It all starts with grace…and ends with grace. This understanding should change our outlook on our lives; when we look through the lens of grace, we see the blessing far outweight the problems; when we look through the lens of grace, we see people who need God’s love, even if they are at this moment enemyies of the cross- and grace compels us to give them what they long for; when we look through the lens of grace, we find purpose in pain, and joy in every stage in life.

Your assignment (my challenge): when you leave here today, look for opportunities to cultivate your attitude of gratitude; pause and consider the many ways that you can thank God for being who He is and for all that He has done!