How Can I Change: Gratitude

Posted on by

Part of the “How Can I Change?” series. See parts one, two, three, four, and five

Gratitude (1 Thess 5:18)

18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This should raise questions in your mind. “What about…” is what comes to mine. What about the really bad things? What about when I am sinned against? What about the Psalms? What about Jesus on the cross? There are a lot of questions that arise from this short verse.

What this passage isn’t saying:

  1. We can always be skippy, giggly, leprechaun happy (nor would we want to be, thinking of it that way!)
  2. We will not struggle with this
  3. We will always understand a deeper reason for difficulties

What this passage is saying:

  1. Giving Thanks is always possible (all circumstances)
  2. Giving Thanks is always necessary (will of God)
  3. Giving Thanks is for you (for you)

How is it connected to grace?

  1. No matter what I receive, it is under God’s control (Job 1; Jas 1)
  2. No matter what I receive, it is better than what I deserve (Rom 5)
  3. No matter what I receive, Jesus understands and hears (Heb 4:15)

And if you think those “always” words are just scribal additions, look at these passages:

Eph 5:3-4 “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”

Eph 5:20 “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Col 3:17 “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.”

Phil 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

What will it look like in my life? (How does that actually help me change?)

Example: You are over at your friends house when one of their siblings decides to aggravate the family. Your friend blows up and demonstrates a spirit of anger in various bursts. You watch this, and when it has all subsided you ask, “What was that?” Your friend realizes that anger is a regular part of life for them, but they truly don’t want it to be. How can you help them?

Here are some Steps that can help lead to change:

  • Name the Sin (that’s anger, not just “letting off some steam”)
  • Discover the reason for the sin (Why do you get angry? “Because they ____ me/my stuff”)
  • Pursue a higher satisfaction (In this instance you are willing to sin [anger] because you feel as though you aren’t getting what you want [silence, space, etc]. So, right now, what you want is your god. But Jesus Christ is way better than that!)
  • Pursue righteousness by being thankful

How could this help? Here is a mental picture that may help. Imagine holding a cup completely full of liquid, and whenever you get bumped, that spills out. Your life is like that cup. You are completely full of something, and whenever you get jostled, something spills out. In our illustration, your friend was full of anger. When bumped, that is what came out.

146

Let’s say you want to get rid of your anger, or envy, or lust, or fear. But when you try to get rid of it, your glass is just getting shorter. It is still full of something. Instead, you need to fill it up with what is good – and that can only be done through focusing on Christ. This is how gratitude helps us change. As we consistently choose gratitude by the grace of God, our lives are filling up.

What can I Do?

  • How are you cultivating a life of gratitude?
  • How might giving thanks uproot your desire for sin?
  • Go through the “Week of Thanksgiving” with your accountability partners or mentor.

 

Here are two quotes from Robert Jones, “Learning Contentment in All Your Circumstances.”

“our spiritual happiness does not depend on our life happenings” (Robert Jones)

“Contentment comes as those who belong to Jesus rely on God’s powerful presence in the face of life’s trials” (Robert Jones).

Resources:

  • Bridges, Jerry. “Chapter Eight: Thankfulness.” In The Practice of Godliness, 123–131. Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1985.
  • ———. “Chapter Fourteen: Give Thanks Always.” In Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts, 223–234. New. NavPress, 2008.
  • Burroughs, Jeremiah. Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Sovereign Grace Publishers, Inc., n.d.
  • DeMoss, Nancy Leigh. “A Week of Thanksgiving.” Revive Our Hearts.
  • ———. Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009.
  • ———. “Growing in Gratitude: A 30-Day Challenge.” Revive Our Hearts.
  • Jones, Robert D. “Learning Contentment in All Your Circumstances.” The Journal of Biblical Counseling 21, no. 1 (2002): 53–61.
  • Lambert, Heath. “Chapter Eight: Using Gratitude to Fight Pornography.” In Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace, 121–134. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.
  • Peterson, Andrew. “Don’t You Want to Thank Someone?” The Rabbit Room.
  • Taylor, Justin. “G. K. Chesteron on Thanksgiving.”