Part 6: Gratitude as a Habit

Introduction: Getting the cart before the horse

Which comes first?

Thankfulness or success?

1. Gratitude is good for us.

Psalm 92:1–3 ESV

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, 3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.

Gratitude benefits God, us and others.

2. Gratitude is always possible.

Ephesians 5:20 ESV

20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Gratitude is a choice.

3. Gratitude enriches our lives.

1 Corinthians 14:13–17 ESV

13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.

Giving thanks builds up!

4. Gratitude leads to happiness.

This is the opposite of what we might think. It’s common to think when you are happy you are thankful. But there is a problem with that. What we define as happy continually changes.

If I work harder, I'll be more successful. If I'm more successful then I'll be happier. That under girds most of our parenting styles, our managing styles and the ways we motivate our behavior.  This is scientifically broken and backwards for two reasons. First, every time you have success, you change the goal posts of what success looks like. You got good grades, now you have to get better grades.  You got into a good school, now you have to get into a better school. You got a good job, now you have to get a better job. You hit your sales target, now we're going to change your sales target. And if happiness is on the opposite side of success, your brain never gets there. We have pushed happiness over the cognitive horizon as a society. That's because we think we have to be successful, then we will be happier. The real problem is our brains work in the opposite order.

Shawn Achor - Ted Talk “The Happy Secret to Better Work”

Colossians 3:12–17 ESV

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This is where we start! This isn’t where we end. There are many aspects of this but the one I want you to see is gratitude!

Adopt gratitude as a habit.

Here is a 21 day goal.

Each day identify three new things you are grateful for.

Journal about one positive experience you've had in the past 24 hours

Meditate on why you are grateful.

Begin each day with an email to someone to thank them.

Discussion Questions:

What is one thing you’re thankful for today?

What is another thing you’re thankful for today?

What is another you’re thankful for today?