The Heart of Gratitude
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to focus on what’s missing instead of what’s present?
You can have 99 things going right and one thing going wrong—and somehow, that one thing steals all your attention.
We live in a world that trains us to see what’s wrong.
Our news feeds highlight problems.
Our conversations circle around complaints.
Even our prayers can sometimes sound more like wish lists than worship.
And yet, Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
He doesn’t say “give thanks for all circumstances,” but in them.
Because gratitude isn’t about denying reality—it’s about redefining it through faith.
Paul wrote these words not from a tropical vacation, but to a church under persecution.
They were misunderstood, attacked, and weary.
But Paul knew something powerful: gratitude is not a reaction—it’s a revelation.
It reveals that God is still good, still present, and still worthy of praise, even when life hurts.
When you live with a thankful heart, it changes everything.
Gratitude shifts your focus from what you lack to who God is.
It strengthens your spirit.
It restores your joy.
And it becomes one of the most powerful witnesses you can have in a world full of negativity.
So as we begin this series, Thanks + Giving, we’re not just talking about being polite or positive.
We’re talking about something far deeper—a heart posture that keeps us spiritually healthy and makes our faith shine before others.
Because when we live from the heart of gratitude, we reflect the heart of God.
Before we break down our text, let me begin by giving you a little background into the church at Thessalonica.
Go to Acts 17:1-9
1 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”
8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
This is the early part of this church in Thessalonica. They are a young congregation and as you can see they are facing persecution and hardship from the local community there.
Despite their suffering, the believers had remained faithful and loving, but they need some encouragement to keep going.
The text that I read to you in the beginning is part of Paul’s final exhortations. These are practical reminders of how we are to live out this Christian life while we continue to wait for Christ’s return.
Paul’s message is simple, Gratitude isn’t optional, it is essential.
Paul wasn’t telling a comfortable church to be thankful, he is telling a hurting one. Gratitude isn’t just for good seasons; it’s how you survive hard ones. Look at our text again.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
From this text there are 3 commands that Gratitude gives us. Each of these commands flows from a heart that is aligned with the will of God. As a believer that is what we want. We want to be aligned with the will of God.
Command #1 - Rejoice Always
Command #1 - Rejoice Always
This command is the posture of joy.
Paul isn’t telling us to “rejoice in everything that happens,” but rejoice in the Lord.”
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Joy is a choice of perspective that is grounded in God’s character, not our circumstances.
Think about Nehemiah.
He wasn’t living in ideal conditions—he was a cupbearer in exile, serving a foreign king. Yet when he heard that Jerusalem’s walls were in ruins, his heart broke for God’s people.
Fast forward to Nehemiah 8—the walls are finally rebuilt, but the people are weeping as Ezra reads the Law. They’re overwhelmed with guilt and emotion.
And Nehemiah says something unexpected:
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
He wasn’t telling them to ignore their pain—he was calling them to choose a different posture: joy.
Because joy isn’t a denial of reality; it’s a declaration of faith.
It’s saying, “Yes, the walls were broken, but God helped us rebuild. Yes, the past was hard, but His mercy is new today.”
That’s what it means to rejoice always—to find joy not in what’s happening to you, but in what God is doing through you.
Nehemiah’s joy wasn’t shallow happiness; it was strength for the journey.
When we choose joy, we take our eyes off the rubble and fix them on the Rebuilder.
When we rejoice always, we remind our hearts that God is still working even when the walls are still going up.
Command #2 - Pray Continually
Command #2 - Pray Continually
This command is the practice of dependence. When we pray continually it keeps us connected to God’s presence and His perspective.
When we pray continually, it shifts us from anxiety to trust.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Thankfulness grows when prayer becomes our first response, not our last resort.
When Paul says Pray continually, he is not telling us to walk around all day with out eyes closed and our hands folded.
Prayer isn’t just something we do; it’s the breathing pattern of a believer. Prayer is how we stay dependent. It is how we stay aware. It is how we stay aligned with God’s presence, no matter what is happening around us.
When I think about someone who modeled continual prayer, I think of Daniel.
Daniel lived in a foreign land, surrounded by pressure to compromise, and yet his strength came from a simple daily rhythm—prayer.
Daniel 6 tells us that when a royal decree was signed forbidding prayer to anyone but the king, Daniel didn’t panic, he didn’t protest—he prayed.
10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Don’t miss that phrase: “just as he had done before.”
Before the threat. Before the law. Before the lions.
Daniel didn’t start praying because he was in trouble—he was ready for trouble because he had already been praying.
That’s what it means to “pray continually.”
It’s not about constant talking—it’s about constant dependence.
It’s keeping your heart in conversation with God through the ups and downs of life.
When prayer becomes your rhythm, peace becomes your reflex.
Daniel’s habit of prayer didn’t keep him out of the lions’ den, but it kept him safe inside it.
Because prayer doesn’t always change your situation—but it will always change you in the situation.
That same dependence allows us to do the next thing Paul commands.
Command #3 - Give Thanks in All Circumstances.
Command #3 - Give Thanks in All Circumstances.
This command is the pattern of gratitude.
I want you to get a clear picture of what Paul is saying here. He says, “in all circumstances,” not “for all circumstances.”
You don’t have to be thankful for the pain or the loss or the struggle, but you can still be thankful in it. You can do this because you know that God is walking you through it.
David knew what it meant to face heartbreak, betrayal, fear, and uncertainty—yet through it all, he chose gratitude.
When King Saul was hunting him down, when he was hiding in caves, when his own men talked about turning on him—David still gave thanks.
In Psalm 34, written during one of the darkest chapters of his life, David declares:
1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
That’s not a man whose life is easy—that’s a man whose heart is anchored.
David’s gratitude wasn’t conditional—it was habitual.
He didn’t thank God because life was good; he thanked God because God was good.
Even when David lost everything in 1 Samuel 30 at Ziklag, Scripture says:
6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
This is an act of worship in the midst of a hardship. This is David expressing his gratitude in the ashes.
That’s what Paul is teaching—thankfulness as a pattern of life.
Not a reaction when things go right, but a rhythm that keeps your heart right.
When gratitude becomes your pattern, peace becomes your protection.
Gratitude doesn’t mean you enjoy the hardship—it means you acknowledge God’s hand in the hardship.
It’s saying, “Lord, I don’t understand this moment, but I still trust Your goodness.”
When David gave thanks in the cave, it prepared him to praise in the palace.
And the same is true for us—if you can thank God in the valley, you’ll be ready to glorify Him on the mountaintop.
Paul sums up these three commands in verse 18 by saying
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
When we think of God’s will we think about where we go or what we do, but it is more than that. It is about who you become.
When we have a heart of gratitude it is evident by our surrendered will. Gratitude aligns us with the heart of Christ. Even before the cross, He gave thanks. He knew what the outcome would soon be.
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
If you want to be in the center of God’s will, start with a thankful heart.
This morning I want to close this message with a Psalm. Turn with me to Psalm 100. As I read this Psalm, I want you to meditate on what it is saying.
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Can you get into groups this morning? Tell each other what you are thankful for and then pray for one another.
As you are doing this, I want to ask those that are getting baptized to make their way to the baptismal.
