GRATITUDE STARTS AT HOME Colossians 3:14-15 “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Right before Paul speaks to the family in Col. 3:18-21, he calls on them to Love each otherLet peace ruleLearn to be Thankful This passage in Colossians is a reflection of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 5:20, “Giving Thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Which is followed by 5:22-6:4, Paul’s “Hallmark” passage on marriage and family.) We can all look at the culture around us and recognize that entitlement and ungratefulness is rampant! There doesn’t seem to be love and peace that Paul talks about in Col. 3. Is gratitude the key? Or A key? Our lives, our homes don’t have to reflect the culture. We can have a “culture” of thankfulness in our homes, a place that fosters love and peace. 1.) Does gratitude matter? A.) Yes, because it is commanded and modeled in the Bible. “give thanks”—71 verses “Thankful”—3 verses “thanksgiving”—27 verses. (128 verses total) “thankfulness”—1 verse “thank”—26 verses Psalm 30:12b, “…I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.” Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 107:1, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.” Psalm 147:7, “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.” *Jesus modeled thankfulness: Matthew 15:36, “And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” (Mark 8:6, John 6:11) Matthew 26:27, “And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to the them, saying, Drink ye all of it;” (Mark 14:23, Luke 22:17 and 19) Matthew 11:25, “…Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, …” (Luke 10:21, John 11:41 *Paul regularly gave thanks to God and others: I Cor. 15:57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Cor. 9:15, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Eph. 1:6, “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” Col. 1:3, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.” I Thess. 3:9, “For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God.” *And Paul (under Inspiration) gave commands to give thanks: Eph. 5:4, “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.” I Thess. 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Timothy 2:1, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;” *Love is mentioned in the Bible over 280 times…peace is mentioned 400 times! Thankfulness is mentioned several times right along with them. Maybe the love and peace we crave is only one “Thank you” away.* B.) Yes, because it improves your health, attitude, and relationships. “The importance of this matter of gratitude can hardly be overstated. I’ve come to believe that few things are more becoming in a child of God than a grateful spirit. By the same token, there is probably nothing that makes a person more unattractive than the absence of a grateful spirit.” Choosing Gratitude, NDW, p23. Prov. 15:13, “A merry heart taketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Proverbs 15:15, “All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” Prov. 17:22, “A merry heart doth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drouth the bones.” (“A grateful heart is a happy heart.”) An article by MayoClinic, December of 2022, adds, “Gratitude should be practiced daily, just as you’d take a ‘magic pill,’ if it existed.” They added that practicing gratitude could lessen chronic pain and the risk of disease. Gratitude improves our countenance, perspective, and outlook, making us much easier to be around or live with. Grumpy people vs Happy people Prickly people vs Gentle people Irrational people vs Restful people On Edge people vs At Ease people (go with the flow) Negative people vs Positive people Doom and Gloom people vs Scriptural people Entitled people vs Grateful people It may be that your personality leans toward “glass half empty,” rather than “glass half full,” but a grateful heart will temper your emotions and allow your loved ones to enjoy you ...
