The Way of Gratitude

When Thanksgiving Transforms the Heart

INTRODUCTION – The Story That Wakes Us Up

A wealthy businessman once toured a poverty-stricken village with a missionary. Looking around, he whispered, “These people have nothing. They must be miserable.” The missionary smiled softly. “Actually, they’re some of the most joyful people I’ve ever met. They’ve discovered something we often miss—that gratitude isn’t about how much you have, but how you see what you’ve been given.”

That conversation is the tension of our culture: We are one of the wealthiest nations in history… and yet one of the unhappiest.

We’ve confused accumulation with appreciation and getting with gratitude.

As we prepare our hearts for Legacy next Sunday, this isn’t a fundraising message. It’s a formation message. Jesus spoke about money and possessions more than prayer and faith combined because He understood something: money disciples us whether we want it to or not.

Our aim today is simple:

To let gratitude reshape how we see God, how we see the world, and how we see generosity.

1. GRATITUDE CHANGES HOW WE SEE THE WORLD

The Battle Between Scarcity and Abundance (Matthew 6)

Jesus said:

Matthew 6:22–23 NLT

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

In Hebrew culture, a “healthy eye” meant generosity, and an “unhealthy eye” meant stinginess. The way you see determines the way you live.

An abundance mindset sees God as Father, oneself as God’s child, and the universe as full of God’s gifts.

A scarcity mindset sees lack, threat, competition, and never-enough. 

Scarcity says:

“Protect.”

“Hold tightly.”

“What if it runs out?”

Abundance says:

“God owns it all.”

“God provides.”

“I can live openhanded.”

Two people can make the same amount of money and live with completely different levels of anxiety depending on which lens they’re using.

Gratitude shifts our vision. It teaches us to see the world not through fear, but through faith.

2. GRATITUDE REVEALS WHO GOD REALLY IS

Generosity Begins in the Heart of God

The Bible’s story of generosity doesn’t start with tithing; it starts with God.

From your “Joy in Giving” and “All We Have Belongs to God” sermons:

On the first page of Scripture, the first verb God uses toward humanity is 

Genesis 1:29 NLT

Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.

God gives creation, life, breath, and beauty.

The Gospel itself is the ultimate expression of generosity:

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus became poor to make us rich in grace

2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

Generosity isn’t something God does. It is who God is. And gratitude trains us to recognize His generosity in everything.

3. GRATITUDE REMINDS US: GOD OWNS EVERYTHING, WE OWN NOTHING

The Heart of Stewardship (Luke 12)

“Everything we touch belongs to God.” — John Blanchard

Jesus told the parable of the faithful manager to teach a radical idea (Luke 12):

We are not owners.

We are caretakers.

Everything we have—resources, talents, time, breath—is entrusted, not earned.

Luke 12:42–44 NLT

And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.

The cultural lie says: “It’s mine. I earned it. I control it.”

But Scripture says:

Psalm 24:1 NLT

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

God blesses me with more than I need so I can bless the world around me.

Stewardship releases pressure. Owners panic when the market shifts. Stewards ask, “Father, what do You want me to do with what belongs to You?”

Gratitude shifts us from:

possessiveness → partnership

fear → faith

ownership → stewardship

4. GRATITUDE BREAKS GREED — THE QUIET ENEMY OF THE HEART

The Rich Fool & the Danger of More (Luke 12)

Luke 12:13–21 NLT

Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Jesus isn’t attacking planning; He’s exposing the illusion that more brings security. 

The farmer’s downfall is summed up in his pronouns:

My barns

My crops

My surplus

My future

His problem wasn’t wealth—it was ownership. And Jesus calls him a fool because he forgot he was a steward.

Greed is not wanting more. Greed is believing that more is the answer.

The antidote Jesus gives…

Luke 11:41 NIV

But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

Gratitude doesn’t just inspire giving— Gratitude kills greed.

5. GRATITUDE MAKES US GENEROUS TO THE POOR

The Heart of Jesus & the Witness of the Early Church

Over 2,000 Scriptures reference God’s heart for the poor.

Jesus repeatedly commands giving to the poor

Luke 12:33 NLT

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.

The Early Church was known for its “financial promiscuity”—radical generosity.

One Roman emperor complained that Christians cared for their poor better than Romans did for their own.

“It is disgraceful that the Galileans support not only their own poor but ours as well.”

Why did the Church do this? Because gratitude makes you look outward. Because generosity is the overflow of a heart touched by grace.

6. GRATITUDE GROWS JOY — THE SECRET OF A HAPPY LIFE

Acts 20:35 — The Happiness Paradox

Jesus said:

Acts 20:35 NLT

“…You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

And modern research confirms it:

Generous people are happier

Healthier

Less anxious

More resilient

Even laugh more

Jesus wasn’t giving an obligation. He was giving the pathway to joy.

Gratitude → Generosity → Joy

This is the kingdom chain reaction.

7. GRATITUDE GUIDES OUR GENEROSITY — PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK

You need to ask yourself three important questions:

A. The Relationship Question:

Who am I in covenant relationship with? Where has God connected my life?

B. The Difference Question:

Will this make an eternal difference? Not all charity is equal. Jesus wants us to give in ways that lead people toward Him.

C. The God Question:

Is God speaking to me? What is the Spirit prompting me to do?

These aren’t fundraising tools. They are spiritual formation tools.

8. GRATITUDE SHAPES OUR LEGACY — WATERING WHAT WE’VE PLANTED

Legacy 2026 is not about expansion for expansion’s sake; it’s the season of:

“Watering what’s been planted.”

Paul said:

1 Corinthians 3:6 NLT

I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.

Gratitude motivates us to care for what God has entrusted:

Our children

Our church family

Our community

Our mission partners

Future believers we will never meet

Generosity becomes a way to say: “Lord, we thank You for all You’ve done—and we trust You with what’s next.”

CONCLUSION – START WITH GRATITUDE, END WITH GENEROSITY

Don’t start with your wallet. Start with your gratitude.

If you grow your gratitude, generosity will grow without forcing it. If you deepen your thanksgiving, giving becomes joy, not pressure.

Because in the Kingdom of God:

We don’t give to earn God’s love.

We give because we already received it.

We don’t give to get from God.

We give because God has given us everything.

Our Legacy offering is not an obligation— it is an invitation to love God, bless others, and be formed into the image of Jesus.

PRAYER

Gracious and Generous Father,

We come before You with hearts overflowing with gratitude. We thank You that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We thank You for calling us out of darkness into Your marvelous light. We thank You for every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.

Thank You for our daily bread, for the roofs over our heads, for the families You've given us. Thank You for our church family, for the privilege of gathering freely to worship, for the opportunity to be part of Your Kingdom work.

Father, we confess that too often we've lived with a scarcity mindset. We've held tightly to what You've given rather than holding it with open hands. We've worried about not having enough instead of trusting in Your provision. We've allowed greed to whisper lies about what we need for satisfaction.

Transform us, Lord. Give us Your eyes to see abundance where we've seen lack. Help us to see ourselves not as owners but as joyful stewards of Your resources. Teach us what it means to be hilariously generous, to give with the kind of joy that makes the world take notice.

As we prepare for our Legacy offering, speak to each heart here. Not from guilt or compulsion, but from the overflow of grateful hearts. Show us how our gratitude can become generosity. Show us how our thanksgiving can become transformative in Your Kingdom.

We commit this Legacy season to You. Every dollar given, every sacrifice made, every act of generosity—we offer it all to You for Your glory and the advancement of Your Kingdom. Use our grateful giving to water the seeds that have been planted. Bring the increase that only You can bring.

Thank You that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive. Thank You that when we give, we're becoming more like You—the most generous Being in the universe. Thank You for the joy that comes from aligning our lives with Your purposes.

Shape us into a people marked by gratitude and known for generosity. May our church be a beacon of hope in our community because grateful hearts are expressing themselves through open hands.

We pray all this in the name of Jesus, who gave everything for us,

Amen.