An Attitude of Gratitiude

Attitude - a settled way of thing or feeling about something that is reflected is one’s behavior

We as humans and the world that we live in fall into, and take on, various forms of attitude on a daily basis.

As the definition stated, “ we settle or resolve in ourselves” our attitude about something which affects our behavior toward it.

For example, Jolyn and I had the flu last week and my attitude toward the flu is that I hate the flu. I’m done with the flu! I do not want anything to do with the flu. And if you have the flu, I don’t want anything to do with you for the next week or so either. (Which is I am sure what Glen and Irvin were thinking as they were stuck in a truck with me coming back from SBTC Annual meeting in Dallas.) We all have a bad attitude about the flu! An attitude that affects our behavior concerning it!

Another example of things that frustrate me is fuel prices. I have a bad attitude about what I have to pay for fuel at the pump, which affects my behavior not only toward the gas station owner who is charging me 10 cents a gallon more that the guy down the street but also toward the government who has chose to stop drilling for oil and promote other policies that have contributed to my frustration. Can I get an Amen here this morning? I mean, we preaching this morning. You say…well fuel prices have come down…they sure have! From $4/gallon to $3.50/gallon! Either way…it is still double what it needs to be! And I have a bad attitude about it. it cost me $27,461 to fill my truck up. Jolyn and I are having to take out loans. Buy Ramen at the store. All our socks have holes in them. Times are terrible. And so is my attitude toward them.

In fact, now that I think about it…there is a ton of things that I do not like, I mean there are many persons, places and things in this world that affect my attitude in a negative way and I would go as far to say that if you were given the opportunity to step up to the mic this morning… that you could articulate some thoughts about a whole lot of things in this world that you’re not happy about either.

I mean there are a lot of frustrations in this world. There always has been and always will be.

And If we look back, all throughout biblical history, we can find an almost infinite list of examples of things that have happened that affected the attitudes of mankind in a negative way.

All the way back to the Book of Exodus we see the attitude of the Israelites turn sour.

In Chapter 5 Pharoah had increased his demands and the labor of God’s people - they weren’t happy.

In Chapter 14 Pharoah was bearing down on them and they were hostile toward their leaders and despairing of their situation.

In Chapter 15, their water was bitter which sparked grumbling and complaining from the people.

In Chapter 16, the people found themselves hungry and we all know that no one is happy on an empty stomach

In Numbers, Chapter 12…Aaron and Miriam (his own family) become discontent and begin to complain about Moses’ leadership

In Numbers, Chapter 14 the people complain about how hard it will be to follow the Lord and take the land of Canaan

Numbers 16 - Key leaders rebel against Moses, I’m sure Moses was ecstatic about that

Numbers 21 - the people now complain against God and Moses because they are unhappy with how things are going

It seems that there always has been and always will be something that makes us unhappy…something that gives us a bad attitude.

As you know…Thursday is Thanksgiving…and all over the country there will be people, both Christian and non-Christian a like sit down and enjoy a meal together with their family and friends. It is a day where the stresses, distractions and frustrations of the world are laid aside for a few hours and replaced with some of the good things in life..

The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December, 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. At one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn apiece, but then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, swapping them beaver pelts for grain, providing for their severe need. The next summer’s crop brought hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621 be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show the gratitude of the colonists that they were still alive.

These Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom and opportunity in America, gave thanks to God for His provision for them in helping them find 20 acres of cleared land, for the fact that there were no hostile Native Americans in that area, for their newfound religious freedom, and for God’s provision of an interpreter to the Native Americans in Squanto.

Along with the feasting and games involving the colonists and more than 80 Native Americans (who added to the feast by bringing wild turkeys and venison), prayers, sermons, and songs of praise were important in the celebration. Three days were spent in feasting and prayer.

From that time forward, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a day to give thanks to God for His gracious and sufficient provision. President Abraham Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November, in 1863, “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.” In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and be a legal holiday.

And it is here that I would like to submit something to you this morning as believers.

And that is that when we resolve in ourselves to adopt “An Attitude of Gratitude” each morning, we will begin to live our lives through the lens of thankfulness each day.

Here’s what I mean....

The word Gratitude - the quality of being thankful and readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

The reason why the holiday of Thanksgiving is so effective at positively impacting our attitude, is because it is a reminder of the work of the Lord in our lives

See something that we struggle with as humans, specifically as believers, is something that I like to call “Spiritual Amnesia”

If we go back now to the frustrations of the Israelites what we will find is a story that should leave us stunned as to how the people of God could complain like they do? As to how they could be so ignorant, so inappropriate and so forgetful?

The God of the universe had just dethroned the most powerful man on the face of the earth in Pharoah - and left his nation in shambles. This display of power sent vibrations throughout the world, inspiring fear and awe.

Yet how do we see Israel respond? not with praise, worship, and wholehearted trust.

But instead with grumbling — complaining, fighting, quarreling. “Moses you’ve made it hard on us! Where’s the water? We’re hungry? We are not going to be able to do that! Moses you are a terrible leader!

Spiritual amnesia had set in - and the people so quickly forgot about how God had delivered them from Egypt and failed to recognize his provision in their daily lives.

Folks spiritual amnesia is not just a minor condition, it is faithlessness to God. It is allowing our hearts to says, “I know better than God. If only he would follow my plan.” And it controls the way that we often live our lives 364 days out of the year.

And we can be just like the nation Israel. Grumbling and thanklessness is not a response to circumstances, but rather to God.

Israel grumbled at their enslavement, grumbled when Moses came on the scene, and still grumbled as they wandered safely in the wilderness. Their complaining wasn’t rooted in their scenery, but their heart.

The same is true for you. A heart of gratitude and thankfulness isn’t dependent on your bank statement, doctor’s diagnosis, or the praise you receive for a job well done. Thanklessness and grumbling — regardless of your situation, even your suffering — reflect your heart.

They are sin. Spiritual amnesia is a deadly disease that threatens your faith and your joy more than any cancer. It penetrates to the core and rots your heart from within.

But there is treatment available for your condition and that is to “Remember!”

Since we’re inclined to grumble, to be thankless, and to complain about our circumstances, God graciously reminds us that we must remember his gracious redemption and provision.

Take a moment and look back on God’s fingerprints all over your life:

Remember how God has protected you from making shipwreck of your life.

Remember how God graciously let you grow up in a godly family.

Remember how God awakened you to the ugliness of your sin.

Remember how you walked away from that terrible car crash.

Remember how you had mentors and key friends guide you in your faith.

Remember how God sustained you during that season of unemployment.

Remember how God miraculously healed you.

Remember that impossible prayer request that God answered.

Remember how you had no money and an envelope just showed up in the mail with exactly the amount you needed.

Remember how the gospel came alive as it never had before. Remember God.

The antidote to spiritual amnesia is making every effort to recall and remember God’s gracious deliverance.

The fact that you — a sinner who was an enemy of God — are now a beloved child is a miracle. Don’t let that wonder ever fade. Remember.

Let this act of remembering awaken in you joy in God and a deep sense of gratitude that God loves you, knows you, and keeps you. And live with “An Attitude of Gratitude” more than one day a year!