Have you ever wondered where gratitude comes from? In this reading plan, we will wrestle with the truth that everything we have is a gift from God. We will discuss how to avoid three common traps that rob us of experiencing gratitude. And finally, we will consider the impact that a heart overflowing with gratitude can have on everyone else around us.
OnThe3rdDay
Day 1
Scriptures: John 4:7-26, John 4:28-30, Romans 5:8
Where Does Gratitude Come From?
What does it look like to cultivate a heart of gratitude?
In this reading plan, we will wrestle with the hard truth that everything we have been given – including all of the blessings and suffering we have encountered – is a gift from God. We will discuss how to avoid three common traps that rob us of experiencing gratitude. And finally, we will consider the impact that a heart overflowing with gratitude can have on everyone else around us. But first, we must turn our attention to where gratitude comes from.
The Gospel of John records a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman who had come to draw water from Jacob’s well. The conversation begins with Jesus asking her for a drink of water and ends with Jesus revealing to her that He is the Messiah. Overcome with gratitude, “the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29 ESV) Like the woman at the well, God knows our past but accepts us as we are through grace.
For a follower of Jesus, true and lasting gratitude – that comes from a transformed heart – begins at the foot of the cross of Christ. Romans 5:8 tells us that “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” It is through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection that we can be forgiven of our sins, allowing us to be reconciled to the Father. As an apprentice of Jesus, we have been given the keys to the kingdom of gratitude. Why? Because as people created in the image of God, we can’t experience the fullness of gratitude apart from a saving relationship with Jesus. This recognition of God’s generosity in our time of need cultivates a heart of gratitude.
Dallas Willard once wrote the following words about the intersection of grace and gratitude: “gratitude is an expression of appreciation, an articulation of what we have received. Like a receipt, our gratitude is evidence of the transaction of grace from God.” In the presence of God, we experience the fullness of God’s grace and goodness. The Holy Spirit is continually at work in us, planting seeds of thanksgiving that, with time, grow and mature into a heart of gratitude.
Day 2
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 8:17-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Find Gratitude in All the Moments
When we surrender all to Jesus and allow Him to transform our lives into His image continuously, we cultivate a heart of gratitude. Developing this kind of gratitude requires that we come to grips with the truth that everything we have received – both blessing and suffering – is a gift from God. Henri Nouwen once remarked that “the discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”
However, in today’s culture, it can be easy to believe the lie that the blessings in our lives are a result of our effort. When we fall into this trap, we miss out on the opportunity to thank God for His provision, and we rob God of the glory that He is due. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NRSV reminds us that blessing doesn’t come from our strength, “Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.” The truth is that any blessing – financial or otherwise – that the Lord has provided you and me here on earth is not something we have earned or are entitled to but a gift from a gracious and loving heavenly Father.
But life is not just one long string of continuous blessings. We all go through seasons of suffering, some of us more than others. It is in these seasons that we need to be reminded of the words of the apostle Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NRSV). We are called to rejoice in all circumstances, not just when our life story goes according to how we scripted it. But is it really possible to be filled with gratitude in seasons of suffering? Well, yes and no. When we rely on our strength, it is simply impossible to live out Paul’s instructions to “give thanks in all circumstances.” But as followers of Jesus, we have not been left alone; the Holy Spirit living inside us continually works on our behalf, giving us strength to endure any suffering patiently with a heart of gratitude.
Thomas A. Kempis beautifully captures what a grateful heart transformed into the image of Christ looks like when he wrote: “Those who love Jesus for Himself and not for their own comfort bless Him in every trial and heartfelt anguish, just as they do in moments of great comfort. And even if He should never give them comfort, they would still always praise Him and always want to thank Him.” In times of blessing and suffering, Jesus alone is more than enough.
Day 3
Scriptures: James 3:16, Romans 12:6, Matthew 6:34, Philippians 4:6
3 Weeds in the Garden of Gratitude
So far in this reading plan, we have seen that cultivating a heart of gratitude comes from a surrendered heart that is being transformed into the image of Christ. Additionally, we looked at how everything we have received – both blessing and suffering – is a gift from God. And so today, we turn our attention to identifying and avoiding three of the great enemies of gratitude in our lives – comparison, worry, and entitlement. Each represents a weed in a garden where gratitude is trying to grow.
James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, “for where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind (see James 3:16).” Comparison flings open the door to envy and selfish ambition allowing both to come in and take up residence in our hearts. Sadly, envy and selfish ambition don’t play nice with gratitude. In contrast, a heart full of gratitude recognizes the wisdom of Romans 12:6, which says, “we [all] have gifts that differ according to the grace given us.” When our hearts are filled with gratitude, we see the gifts of others not as competition but as something worthy of elevating in the eyes of others.
Worry causes us to fix our eyes on the “what if” of the future. But a grateful heart takes the time to look back, to reflect on the past – seeing God’s fingerprints pointing to His goodness – before looking forward to the days, weeks, and months to come. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said, “do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” (Matthew 6:34 ESV) And the apostle Paul wrote, “do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6 NRSV) And there lies one of the secrets to overcoming worry, bring your cares to the feet of Jesus in prayer, and watch as He gives you the strength to make your requests with a grateful heart.
And finally, nothing chokes out a beautiful garden of gratitude like a spirit of entitlement. When entitlement runs rampant in our hearts, we believe the lie that “we deserve this or that.” Maybe for you, it’s a new house, a new car, or a new job. Whatever it is, it often stems from something you believe you are entitled to because of who you are, how hard you have worked, or how long you have sacrificed for others. In comparison, a content heart fosters a spirit of gratefulness and always keeps “what we do have” in focus, reducing the temptation to fixate on “what we don’t have.”
Today take time to wrestle with the following questions. Where have you allowed seeds of comparison to grow in your heart? Have you fallen into the trap of worry with your eyes focused only on the future? And finally, have you allowed a spirit of entitlement to choke out a heart of contentment? If so, be quick to confess where you have fallen short of God’s best for you, receive His forgiveness, and move forward in freedom.
Day 4
Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, John 4:39-42
Gratitude: For the Sake of Others
On day one of this reading plan, we looked at Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (see John 4:7-26). At that moment, Jesus changed her life forever. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she ran to her village and told anyone who would listen about what He had done for her. Like the Samaritan woman, when our hearts overflow with gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, we can not help but share the good news of the Gospel with others.
And that is most certainly why gratitude is contagious! When the Holy Spirit transforms our heart from the inside out – into the image of Christ – gratitude begins to spill over into the lives of others. The people in our lives that bump up next to us realize that there is something different about us. When they see us remain grateful in times of blessing and suffering, they can’t help but wonder – how is this possible? And when they start to notice that we are people who are free from the snares of comparison, worry, and greed, they can’t help but ask, “what does this person have that I am missing?” Experience tells us that people are attracted to those who are “thankful in all circumstances.” (See 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
For a follower of Jesus, true and lasting gratitude begins at the foot of the Cross of Christ. From there, gratitude – resulting from the joy of knowing Christ as Lord and Savior – goes out into a lost and dying world and points people back to the Cross. Which is the only place they, too, can experience salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Thus a heart that the Cross of Christ has transformed can’t help but bear the fruit of gratitude for the sake of others.
What a joy it would be if you and I were to hear the words spoken by the people of Samaria to the woman at the well after Jesus had stayed with them for a few days, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42 ESV) In the end, if you and I allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate a heart of gratitude, we will naturally point others to the foot of the Cross of Christ.