It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again. In the midst of this dream-like reality we live in called COVID19, I feel as if I’m still waiting for 2020 to start… let alone be well into the fall approaching 2021.
So this week we come off a message that Pastor Paul preached on Gratitude.
How do you feel you’re doing with that?
If you’re like me, I’m not easily feeling gratitude or any kind of thankfulness for the year I’ve had… having to manage my life through a pandemic crisis. I can’t even do simple things without having to worry about washing my hands, putting on a mask, or staying physically apart from people.
But for us as Jesus followers, we are to live our lives in or out of a pandemic with gratitude. Pastor Paul said that gratitude changes the way we view and engage God. Gratitude also comes from God’s presence in us and affects all aspect of our lives. Allowing gratitude to be in our hearts makes a difference in our lives and it affects those around us. Not allowing gratitude to be in our hearts is actually counter to what Christ wants of us and limits our discipleship growth. In fact there is a verse that says we need to have gratitude in our hearts.
Colossians 3:16-17 says,
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
So where do we get that gratitude from?
Gratitude comes from Jesus.
Remember how Pastor Paul put it?
Gratitude doesn’t come from who we are, or what we do, but who He is!
The message of Christ and who He is, teaching and modeling it to others will bring gratitude to the forefront of our lives. Being eternally thankful for the work that Jesus did on the cross is a very grateful attitude to have. And out of that source of gratitude we are to put it in our actions and speech, so that it grows in every place we go and in everything we say.
We need to focus on what we do have… instead of what we don’t have.
So let this message of Christ dwell among us richly through this pandemic, attaining a life of gratitude that is whole, pure and singing a positive note in this melody of melancholy we live in. We need to be doing that with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs, singing to God!
As we sit in this spiritual discipline for a moment ask yourself this question….
“Do I have gratitude in my heart?” If so… woohoo! You have allowed Jesus and His message to transform you.
If you say no but you desire to follow Jesus, ask yourself why this is the case? What has distracted you from a grateful heart? Then take it and hold that distraction up to Jesus and allow him to take it away from you.
So go ahead, live out the gratitude in your heart. Allow the message of Christ to bring you to that point of thankfulness, and may it bless you and bless others around you as you live your life for Him this Fall.
Pastor Wes