The Power of Gratitude
God doesn’t call for us to be grateful because it’s polite. He calls for us to be grateful because it’s good for us, as it is a natural response to our Creator. When we practice gratitude:
We Experience Spiritual Wholeness (Luke 17:11-19)
In the story of the Ten Lepers Healed by Jesus, Luke uses the Greek word for “cleansing” in verse 14 to tell us all ten men were physically healed. But to describe the one man who returns to thank Jesus in verse 19, Luke uses the Greek word meaning “wholeness of body, mind & spirit.” Luke is making a distinction that while all ten men experienced physical healing from their disease, only the one who responded by worshiping Christ as Lord experienced spiritual healing.
Acknowledging what Jesus has done for you–and how that has brought you salvation–is a simple yet profound way to worship Him. Even in the midst of tragedy in this life, it will remind you of your Savior’s great power and love for you.
We Experience Peace (Philippians 4:4-9)
In these comforting words written by the Apostle Paul while in prison, he urges believers to praise God through prayer and thanksgiving because that is how he is experiencing peace during his imprisonment. He was so focused on the presence and sovereignty of God, anxiety from his situation couldn’t touch him.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the size of our problems, we forget our problems are no match for our Heavenly Father. God is often referred to as a refuge in Scripture because when we dwell in His presence, we experience peace even in the chaos of this world.
It’s Christ’s Will for Us (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
The Apostle Paul tells us being grateful is actually part of Christ’s plan and purpose for us. We were made to worship our Creator. Our souls find strength and peace when we engage in singing His praises.
It Gives Us a Kingdom Perspective (Luke 17:20-21)
Immediately following the story of the ten lepers, Luke writes about the answer Jesus gives the Pharisees when He asked about the coming of the kingdom of God. He responds by declaring “the kingdom is in your midst.”
So many times, we think about eternity in terms of what happens after we die, but eternity begins the minute we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior. In fact, Jesus’ most famous sermon–the Sermon on the Mount–is all about living as a citizen of heaven while living your earthly life.
By putting this conversation after the story of healing of the ten lepers, Luke is telling us that the kingdom of God is wherever the people of God are doing what God has created them to do–glorifying Him.
Worship doesn’t only happen in a church sanctuary on Sunday mornings. It can happen in your car, in your home, at your workplace, at the gym, on vacation, with others, by yourself, etc. A beautiful advantage, for lack of a better word, of being a follower of Christ is that we can meet with Him anytime, anywhere; and Luke is telling us in this passage that we should.
We drift towards what we focus on. Practicing gratitude will not only grow your personal relationship with your Lord and Savior, but it will also help you see how He is at work in the world around you (and how you can join Him in this work!).
Rhythms of Gratitude
As you give thanks for the blessings in your life this Thanksgiving holiday, consider how you can incorporate rhythms of gratitude into your daily life. This may be making a prayer of thanksgiving the first thing you do when you wake up each morning, creating a gratitude worship playlist you can listen to on your drive to work each day, or writing a list of what you’re grateful for in a gratitude journal each night before you go to bed.
This post is inspired by message one of Mt. Bethel Church’s two-part “Gratitude” sermon series entitled, “The Power of Gratitude,” by Dr. John Freeland.