Mindset Shift

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What if I told you there was something that could...

Improved sleep: People who practice gratitude tend to sleep better and have fewer sleep disturbances.

Better mood: Gratitude can help you feel more positive emotions.

Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression: Gratitude can help you feel less stressed, anxious, or depressed.

Improved focus: Gratitude can help you focus more easily.

Higher self-esteem: Gratitude can help you change how you think about your own worth.

Increased patience: People who regularly express gratitude tend to be more patient.

Reduced frustration, envy, resentment, and regret: Gratitude can help you feel less frustrated, envious, resentful, and regretful.

Increased mental strength: Gratitude can help you increase your mental strength.

Enhanced empathy: Gratitude can help you enhance your empathy.

Lower blood pressure: Gratitude can help lower your blood pressure.

Improved immune function: Gratitude can help improve your immune function.

No, it’s not a special pill nor is it special serum. It’s something else entirely and it’s free, although it cost you a little time.

Gratitude

Last week we spoke about the importance of expressing gratitude towards others.

Unspoken gratitude feels like ingratitude.

What do you do when you don’t feel thankful?

Me // We

I understand this b/c this is me. I have had moments in my life when things are going well, moments when I look around and think it’s all going down the tubes. Nothing is working the way that I want.

You’re had that before too right? Times when things aren’t going well and gratitude is just hard to come by…when things aren’t going well how do we handle it? Or better yet, what do we do?

The concept is addressed in one of Paul’s letters.

God

Recap first part of Colossians 3.

Provide historical background.

Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary a. Colosse

Colosse, a town on the banks of the river Lycus in south-east Asia Minor (modern Turkey)

Paul didn’t plant the church, his friend and co-laborer Epaphras.

The overall goal of the letter is to get the church to be thankful for what Christ has done for them.

Chapter 1 >> Supremacy of Jesus Son of God.

Chapter 2 >> Nothing extra just Jesus // freedom from Jewish rules.

Colossians 3:1–14 encourages believers to live as people transformed by their relationship with Christ.

Colossians 3:1–4 NIV

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

It begins by urging them to focus on heavenly values rather than earthly concerns, recognizing that their lives are now hidden in Christ and will be revealed in glory when He returns.

Meaning their sin has been forgiven and to not get distracted but worldly things. Stay focused on the prize.

Then Paul moves to telling the church to renounce sins and move away from sinful behavior.

Then he focuses on unity and shifting to behaviors within the body of Christ, the Church.

Colossians 3:15 NIV

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Peace and thanksgivings are the mark of the Gospel.

Those who have the most peace are also the most thankful.

Have you ever noticed that the people who have the most peace in their life are also the most thankful? There’s a reason for that. You are wired for it. Science proves this.

Emmons and McCullough (2003)

Study 1: Participants who wrote about things they were grateful for weekly for 10 weeks reported feeling better about their lives overall and more optimistic about the future compared to control group.

Study 2: Those who practiced daily gratitude for two weeks reported greater positive affect and more prosocial behavior

Study 3: Adults with neuromuscular disease who practiced daily gratitude for 21 days reported increased subjective well-being, greater positive affect, and better sleep quality

This isn’t the only time gratitude has been studied.

2010 Dr. Wood, et al

In this study, gratitude was most strongly correlated with personality attributes related to well being, and the researchers concluded that gratitude has a unique relationship with life satisfaction.

Gratitude is the path to peace.

No wonder the apostle said...

Colossians 3:16–17 NIV

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

And I want to stop right there and recognize one of the arguments that always comes up when I preach passages like this. Particularly about thankfulness.

Brandon, I don’t have anything to be thankful for.

Job isn’t going right — marriage is a mess — business is struggling — my daughter left the faith — my son is estranged from the family

What do I have to be thankful for? If that’s you today I want to just sit here with you for a minute… What you’re going thru is hard. And I want to stop right here and say the Lord sees you in it and He’s with you in this hard chapter of life.

I also want to say, you control your outlook. Life may be hard but you don’t have to be miserable in it.

You can choose your attitude. You have the power to do that. Remember what Paul said at the beginning of this chapter?

Colossians 3:1–2 NIV

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Set your mind on the great things God has done in your life to this point. This hard chapter will pass, they always do and God’s word gave us the blueprint for getting through it. Setting our minds not on what we’re experiencing, setting our minds on Christ and what he has already done for you. He found you to be so valuable that he went to the cross for you so that you would not need to separated from him ever again.

He gave you life — you woke up this morning — sent you your wife/husband — sent you your kids — your job.

You have so much to be thankful for. No, that doesn’t dismiss a hard season but it gives you something to focus on during the march through the rough chapter.

You

It’s intentional.

I want to give you some handles to take this outside of this

All week start the day with Lord, I’m thankful for ___________.

This right here will change the way you pray. It will help your mental health. It will help everything. Start your morning with something something.

Thank you Lord for,

breath

family

job

grace

mercy

another sunrise

Now, if psychological studies are right and I think we can see that they are then you’re mental health and your spiritual health would improve from this discipline.

It will change your life.

1 minute prayer — Lord I am thankful for ____________.

Extras

Friends listen to me...

v.14 — Without love for those next to you there can be no peace around you.

This is why Jesus teaches his followers “people will know you are my followers by the way you treat on another.”

So if you have no peace I would stop for just a moment and ask — who’s around you? Are they people that you can have a real relationship with? People that love you and you love? Or are you surrounding yourself with people who are more concerned with themselves? List some undesirable qualities.

We go through life and thankful for what the Lord has done but not giving thanks.

I’ll say it this way — We're grateful but not showing gratitude.

Why don’t we do it?

Let's see a lot of us lean pretty heavily on the idea that God knows our thoughts and why do we need to expressed gratitude he already knows I'm grateful. Except for the fact that Jesus knew their thoughts because he was Jesus and yet he remarked bc they did not came back and say thank you.

Thinking thank you is not enough.