I Am Blessed By You
lanny smith
Living a Life of Thankfulness / Luke 17:11–19; Romans 1:20–32
• Last Wednesday was the annual T&C Thanksgiving Dinner.
• Honestly, we had no idea what to expect. The past couple of years have disrupted our traditions which makes it hard to plan.
• I should not have worried. We had a great crowd and plenty of food (it was close on the mashed potatoes.)
• While I really loved tasting all the food, what made the evening so special to me as your pastor was watching and listening to every one talk, laugh and love together.
• Last Sunday we talked a bit about that wonderful feeling of gratitude we have when we are united together in Christ as a family.
• I have the same feeling today: I want that feeling of blessing, gratitude and joy to continue on every day.
• To help us maintain that feeling, let me encourage you this week to recognize how powerful gratitude can be in our relationships; when we practice being thankful for the people in our lives.
• And it starts with a mindset adjustment.
The influence of a grateful mindset has a way of echoing throughout our entire relationship in a way that creates harmony and unity.
• Here’s a few mindset changes that develop our gratitude for one another and build our relationships.
• Our relationships are strengthened when:
We Don’t Take Each Other For Granted
1 Thessalonians 5:13 NLT
13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
• We’ve lived with so much uncertainty in life over the past couple of years. We don’t know what tomorrow, next week, or next year will bring.
• People are just gone from our lives. These aren’t pleasant thoughts but they serve the purpose to remind us to live peacefully with one another.
• We strengthen our relationships when we don’t take one another for granted. Being in conflict over trivial matters makes us more ready to damage our relationships. When I remember that you are a person with great value to God and to me I don’t take it for granted that I can mistreat you, ignore you, put you down.
When We’re Kind to One Another
Ephesians 4:32 NLT
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
• There’s a “relationship ratio” that we should all remember daily: 5:1.
• Research shows we need 5 positive interactions for every one negative interaction to maintain healthy relationships.
• Kindness fits directly into the category of positive interactions.
• And let’s face it: kindness begets kindness.
• Did the “pay it forward” thing in the drive thru at Braums. My tab was paid - about $6 for drinks. I paid for the people behind me (should have noticed it was a minivan). $28! Oh well.
• Find ways to be kind to one another - even when you’d rather not.
When We Think Highly of One Another
Philippians 2:3–4 NLT
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
• When we have a high opinion of others, we will find it a lot easier to accept others for who they are when we are grateful for them. When we think well of them. this changes our perspective of that person. We can “zoom out” to see the whole person rather than only the current circumstance.
• those habits and ways of thinking may be one of two sides of the same coin when it comes to their personality.
• Clutter quotient in the kitchen, but wow, what great food!
When We Let Go Of Resentment
Ephesians 4:2 NLT
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
• When we deliberately practice gratitude in our relationships, we begin to overcome those inevitable little annoyances and resentments that have a way of building up over time.
• Take time to very specifically thank your spouse, kids, friends, for what they do.
• Do the 10 blessings prayer about people.
• This can help us let go of irritations that can take root and damage the foundation of our relationship.
• Taken for granted
• Kindness
• High regard
• Let go of resentment
• This week, as you give thanks to God for all of His blessings, take some time to give thanks for all the wonderful people He has put in your life.
• And then, thank them, too.
