We are in a study called True Virtues and today we are going to look at what might be the one virtue that can change everything in our lives and make it better. And I really do mean everything. Studies continue to show that the virtue of gratitude has the power to transform everything in our life. Giving thanks on a regular basis can improve our health, strengthen our relationships, improve our situation at work, set us free from depression and anxiety, lead us closer to God, and change our culture.
An article in a recent Harvard Business Review said,
The research is clear: Gratitude is good for you. It improves wellbeing, reduces stress, and builds resilience. It can even make you more patient. (Amy Gallo, Giving Thanks at Work, Harvard Business Review, November 24, 2021)
The Harvard Medical School has said, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. (Harvard Health Publishing, August 14, 2021)
And Robert Emmons, the premiere researcher on gratitude from Berkeley University, has said that a practice as simple as a gratitude journal, where people keep track of things they are grateful for, can make a huge difference in as little as three weeks. In Greater Good Magazine, published by Berkeley, Emmons said,
We’ve studied more than one thousand people, from ages eight to 80, and found that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefits:
Physical
● Stronger immune systems
● Less bothered by aches and pains
● Lower blood pressure
● Exercise more and take better care of their health
● Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking
Psychological
● Higher levels of positive emotions
● More alert, alive, and awake
● More joy and pleasure
● More optimism and happiness
Social
● More helpful, generous, and compassionate
● More forgiving
● More outgoing
● Feel less lonely and isolated.
I could go on and on quoting studies and articles about how the virtue of gratitude can improve everything in our lives, but none of this should be a surprise to us because the science backs up what the Bible has said for generations. Gratitude improves everything.
Today we are going to look at 4 things the Bible teaches us about gratitude and the first one comes from Psalm 100:4-5
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Gratitude is the door to God’s presence. If we want to enter into the presence of God, we do it through gratitude and praise. If we want to experience the love and grace of God, the door by which we enter is thanksgiving. If we want to have a deeper relationship with God and know God more fully, we start with gratitude.
Every day we should begin with gratitude. Thank you God for a new day to live and breathe and move. Thank you for another day to experience your beauty and your grace. Thank you for another day to experience your mercies and love and faithfulness to me. Every day should begin with gratitude and every prayer should begin with or include gratitude. While there is no one right way to pray and our prayers can take many different shapes and forms, gratitude, thanksgiving and praise needs to be consistent elements.
Any practice of gratitude like a journal or list, needs to include all those things God gives us that make our lives good. From family to friends, to forgiveness and freedom, God blesses us with many good things and as we give thanks we are drawn closer to God. Gratitude is the pathway to a deeper relationship with God and the doorway to experiencing God’s presence.
The second thing the Bible teaches us is: Gratitude brings freedom. As we enter into the presence of God and experience the spirit of God we experience freedom. The Bible says, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17.
One unexpected place where we find freedom coming from gratitude is in the story of Jonah. We looked at the epic tale of Jonah this summer and if you remember, God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people living there to repent. Nineveh was an evil city with violent people and Jonah didn’t want to go there so he got on a boat going in the other direction. As a storm tossed the boat on the sea, Jonah was thrown overboard where a large fish swallowed him. From inside the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed, and part of his prayer was gratitude and thanksgiving. Jonah thanked God for hearing him call out in distress and rescuing him, even if it meant he was now inside the belly of a big fish. At the end of his prayer, Jonah said,
But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Jonah 2:9-10
Did you see what happened? When Jonah gave thanks to God, he was set free. It was shouts of grateful praise that led to the fish vomiting Jonah out onto dry ground. No matter what might be holding us back, gratitude can bring freedom. And let’s be clear, we aren’t always grateful FOR the circumstances we find ourselves in, some of them are just as horrible as being on the inside of a fish. We aren’t thankful FOR all circumstances, we are thankful IN all circumstances. When we can practice gratitude no matter what we are going through, we find freedom.
Going back to all those studies done by Harvard and Berkeley, gratitude has been shown to bring freedom physically from aches and pains. It can boost our immune system, reduce heart disease, and lead to better sleep. We can be set free from stress, depression and anxiety by practicing gratitude. We can be set free from fear and experience more joy. Gratitude leads us to the spirit of the Lord and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
We see this play out in a very dramatic way with Paul and Silas in the New Testament. Paul and Silas had been sent by God to share the good news of Jesus as the Savior and establish churches all over Asia Minor. You would think if God was sending them, the road would be easy and success would greet them at every stop, but that was not at all what happened. Paul and Silas often met obstacles and persecution and in Philippi they were thrown into jail.
From jail, you might think Paul and Silas would be cursing God for not helping them, or pleading with God to rescue them. Neither was the case. Paul and Silas were praising God.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. Acts 16:25-26
When Paul and Silas sang hymns to God, when they praised God and gave thanks to God, their chains fell off. They were set free, but did you notice what else happened? Their gratitude set others free! Gratitude doesn’t just lift us up emotionally and set us free, it lifts others up and sets them free as well.
Going back to the Harvard Business Review article, it talks about the positive impact gratitude has on those around us. Professor David DeSteno said, when people feel grateful, they’re willing to devote more effort to help others, to be loyal even at a cost to themselves, and to split profits equally with partners rather than take more money for themselves.
In time, our gratitude can help other people. Our gratitude can lift others up, make their lives happier, and help set them free from depression, stress, and anxiety. Gratitude has the power to set us free and to set others free. That’s what we see with Paul and Silas.
The other lesson on gratitude we see from Paul and Silas is: Gratitude is a daily choice. Of all the people in Philippi that night, Paul and Silas had lots of reason to be angry, disappointed, and bitter. They were doing what God called them to do. They were following Jesus with all they had, and this was the result. They could have chosen to be angry and hold a grudge toward God, but they chose instead to be grateful.
Gratitude is a choice that we have complete control over. We can’t control our circumstances, but we can always control our attitudes and decisions we make in those circumstances. Even if everything around us is falling apart, we can still choose to be grateful because as we face the fiercest storm, we are not alone. God has made us this promise.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:2-3
This is why we can give thanks in even the worst of circumstances, because God is there. God is always there and so at all times and in all places we can choose to give thanks. We may not be grateful for the circumstances, but we are grateful for the One who walks with us in all circumstances. When we make the choice to be grateful, we see that God is with us, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom and that freedom isn’t just for us, but for all those around us as well.
Gratitude has the power to change so many things in life and gratitude gives us the power to forgive and experience forgiveness. Gratitude and grudges cannot co-exist, we either hold tight to one or the others. So which will we choose?
Sometimes it feels good to hold onto a grudge. It feels good to be angry and know that we were right and they were wrong. While we might want to hold onto that grudge, it will only keep us inside the belly of a fish. Holding on to our pride, our anger, our frustration and bitterness literally holds us hostage in prisons of darkness and decay. It keeps us in the stink-hold of a fish’s stomach. Letting go of a grudge and practicing gratitude instead, sets us free to experience the joy of freedom and life. Sometimes we do have to let something go in order to practice gratitude, but making that choice is worth it.
One of the wonderful things about gratitude is that it is a virtue that can be cultivated in our lives, it simply takes practice and perseverance. Let me share with you some ways we can develop gratitude in our lives.
#1 Keep a Gratitude Journal. This is as easy as keeping a list handy and writing down all the things you are thankful for each day. Don’t try and make it profound and don’t worry about being creative, simply write down what you are thankful for during the course of the day. Family. Friends. Food. God. Forgiveness. Music. Pumpkin Spice. Apples. Cool weather. Football. Whatever it is, write it down and watch your attitude change.
#2 Send a Thank You note. Sending a note of thanks not only changes you but it helps change those around you. Getting a note of appreciation helps others feel appreciated and valued. It lifts others up and encourages them to keep going. Getting those notes at just the right time can make all the difference in someone giving up or moving forward. It can change everything. The practice helps us look for people, places and practices for which we are grateful and puts our gratitude muscles to work.
#3 Pray. I love that publications from Harvard and Berkeley include prayer in their practices of gratitude. Prayers of thanksgiving and hymns of praise can change our perspective. They help us be mindful of not only what we have but the One who has given it all to us. Prayers of gratitude also lead us into the presence of God where we experience freedom. So prayer is an important practice for us to consider. And if you need words for these prayers, read through the book of Psalms which is filled with prayers of thanksgiving and praise to God.
#4 Use your senses. Each day, use your sense of touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing to give thanks. Give thanks for the beauty of the season you can see or smell. Give thanks for the refreshing taste of something you eat or drink. Give thanks for the beauty of music, or the sound of a familiar and loving voice. Use all 5 senses to give thanks.
#5 Use visual reminders. Put something that you are grateful for in a place where you will see it every day as a reminder to give thanks. Put a new picture of your family on your fridge or in your car. Put a treasured item that reminds you of good times or good people near your door so you see it as you come in and go out. The people of God were told to write the word of God on the doorposts of their homes to remind them of God as they went in and out each day. Set up a visual reminder to give thanks every day.
#6 Practice, Practice, Practice. Practice saying thank you again and again and again. I’ve shared before that when we were growing up it was drilled into us to say thank you. When my family went out for dinner, which wasn’t often, the waitress would always comment because anytime they filled our water glass, brought us food, removed the plates, or did anything else, there would be three kids who would each, say, thank you. So practice. Whichever gratitude exercise you choose, keep it going. The more we practice gratitude, the more grateful our hearts will become.
God calls us to a virtue that not only reflects His goodness and grace, but has the power to improve every area of our life. If you want to have a better experience at work, better relationships at home, a deeper connection with God, or a stronger mind and body, gratitude can help. And we have so much to be thankful for because when we turned away and our love failed God, God did not fail us. God came to us in Jesus to forgive us, to heal us, to save us from our sin and at times from ourselves, and God brings us freedom, hope, and eternal life. In Jesus alone we have so much to give thanks for and that might be the best place for us to focus and start giving thanks.
Next Steps
True Virtue - Gratitude
Name one thing you are grateful for from this past week?
Cultivate gratitude with one (or more) of these practices:
#1 Keep a Gratitude Journal or Count Your Blessings
In a journal or on a list, keep track of all the things you are thankful for each day. Set aside time at night or in the morning to add items to the list.
#2 Send a “Thank You” note
For one month, send a thank you note each week to someone that you value or has blessed you.
#3 Pray
Begin each day with a prayer of gratitude for the opportunities to come, or end each night with a prayer of gratitude for all the blessings you received. Read the Psalms in your prayers
#4 Use your senses
Each day, give thanks for something you have seen, tasted, touched, smelled or heard.
#5 Use visual or digital reminders
Set a reminder on your phone to give thanks every day or set an item you treasure at your door to remind you to give thanks as you come and go each day.
#6 Practice, Practice, Practice
Make the above practices an ongoing part of your daily life. Choose to do these things every day.
For further reading on gratitude, check out this article: greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
