The Attitude Of Gratitude
- Deff. -- Of Thanksgiving
-- To make acknowledgment with praise
Heb. 13:15
By him therefore let us
offer the sacrifice of
praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of [our]
lips giving thanks to his
name.
Do I need to have an attitude in giving thanks?
Is it not just a matter of being polite?
Attitude of gratitude releases dynamic power
------ Surviving Power
------ Reviving Power
------ Striving Power
------ Arriving Power
1. SURVIVING POWER
- Ike Sutton
A mother and her little boy from Hawaii were traveling across the country by train. The boy sat and talked with a distinguished gentleman, who latter told her "You got a
fine boy there. When he grows up, he ought to be a lawyer. He’s smart. In fact, he ought to go to Standford University. If he wants to go let him know that I can help.
The years passed. The young boy never forgot those words. When he started university He wrote the man and reminded him of his promise, that man was Herbert Hoover kept his promise. When Ike Sutton graduated he asked Hoover how he could express his thanks.Hoover a epublican, said run for office in Hawaii. Now Hawaii has always voted heavily Democrat. He ran time and time again for elections until he finally won. He survived 11 elections.
Gratitude gives you Surviving Power
Neh.
Jer. had been left destroyed for 150 yr.
Neh. prayed 1:8-11
2:4-5
2. REVIVING POWER
- Gratitude makes the impossible possible
- Gratitude gives you the power to start again
- 2:11-18 -- Viewed at night
-- So bad that even a mule could pass - v. 18
- ch. 3, every gate had to be repaired
whole sections had to be repaired
- 4:6 .... the people had a mind to work
- What pressures causing you to give up and quit?
- In all of this can you identify situations to be thankful for.
- When you can, you are on the road to recovery
- That’s Reviving Power
3. STRIVING POWER
- The situation is bad enough by itself
- But when others come along and hinder you why bother?
- Gratitude gives you striving power under the most difficult situations
- 4:7-23 Sanballat & Tobiah
- Striving Power
-- The ability to make bold decisions and move forward confidently in the face of tremendous odds
4. ARRIVING POWER
- 6:15 So the wall was finished ... in 52 days
- 8;1-10 Ezra reads the law
v. 10
8:13-18 Keeping the feast of Tabernacle
9 - The people confess their sins
- Gratitude releases Arriving Power
Two qualities have been developed
1. Humility -- because you did not do it through your own efforts alone.
2. Unselfishness -- because gratitude is saying
"I didn’t really do it".
- Its impossible to become a vain, egotistical, selfish person if you maintain an attitude of gratitude
- Thanksgiving time gives you opportunity to say thank you to someone who you are grateful for.
- How will you let them know?
