Introduction
- Letter about starting child beside the road in Ethiopia.
Does my gratitude to God motivate me to imitate Christ by being compassionate and generous to others?
- Who gets the credit?
- I Corinthians 15:10-11 – Paul gave the credit to God.
Thankfulness is a command, an active behavior, an evident foundational attitude
- Ephesians 5:20
- I Thessalonians 5:16-18
- Philippians 4:6
Thankfulness is more than a momentary response to our blessings; it includes a continuing attitude of humility toward God
- Luke 17:15-16
- Daniel 6:10
Glorifying God involves admitting we aren’t the source of our blessings and developing the proper attitude toward our possessions
- Luke 12:16-21, 15
- If it’s not us doing it and it’s not for us, why do we work?
- Ephesians 4:28
A grateful attitude toward God will encourage us and move us to share our blessings
- Galatians 6:10
- I John 3:16-17
- Matthew 19:16-22
- Our gratefulness and desire to follow Christ should bring us joy as we have opportunity to share.
- Luke 16:19-23
- Matthew 25:34-40, 41-46
- Thanks, gratitude, compassion, and sharing are not optional!
As our gratefulness helps us grow and want to imitate Christ, we become more Christlike ourselves
| Learn to be thankful | Motivated to share | Imitate Christ |
|---|---|---|
| Actively thanking God | Compassion and generosity to others | Be more Christlike |
- We can’t fix the world, but we can find small ways to help.
- John 8:12
- John 3:16 – The greatest blessing God has ever given us!