Gospel Gratitude - Audio
Big Idea - A growing body of research has shown that there is a simple habit we can practice that can have tremendous benefits to our health and emotional state and improve our relationships with others. This practice can even help us overcome depression and the damaging effects of trauma and stress. Those who practice this habit are measurably happier, kinder, more helpful, and more generous than those who do not. This in turn, results in stronger and healthier relationships with others. So, what magic habit is such a powerful life changer? It is the habit of giving thanks. Gratitude, as it turns out, is like a magic pill that has proven benefits in every area of life. But what exactly is gratitude, and how can we develop this habit? As it turns out, it is not something you can fake. To receive all the benefits, our gratitude must be genuine and authentic. So, how can we develop the genuine habit of gratitude as a daily experience and practice?
According to Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, Gratitude is essentially defined as a two-step process: 1) “recognizing that one has obtained a positive outcome” and 2) “recognizing that there is an external source for this positive outcome.” That is, something good has happened to me, and the cause of this good thing has come from outside of myself, I did not make it happen on my own. That doesn't sound too hard. All we need to be grateful is to have something good happen in our lives and recognize that we weren't the ones responsible for it. But this immediately poses two obstacles to gratitude. The first is that gratitude will be impossible without experiencing good things. Many people live in very difficult circumstances where life is hard, and they experience real suffering - poverty, health problems, crisis and trauma, abusive relationships, etc. How can a person be grateful if there is no good coming to them? Have you ever had a day where everything went wrong? Gratitude cannot be faked, so we can't pretend to be thankful when we feel like only bad things have happened to us!
The second problem is that we need to believe that the good we have experienced comes from outside of us. This is also a problem because most people in affluent countries are convinced that all the good things that happen to them result from their own effort, not a gift from beyond themselves. In the west, the dominant worldview is built on secular humanism, which holds that man is the solution to all his problems. It makes us extremely independent and convinced that anything good is the result of our own effort, not a blessing from outside of myself. Even in the East, where good luck and merit contribute to success, many people work very hard to be successful and accumulate wealth - good things they gain through their own effort. So, how can we cultivate gratitude when life does not always give us good things, and when it does, we think it results from our effort and hard work?
Paul knew the secret. He was always thankful, but his gratitude was rooted in the Gospel. The way to develop a daily habit of thankfulness is to practice Gospel gratitude. How does Gospel gratitude work? First, it recognizes that the fruit, or result of the Gospel, produces three things in us that are of immeasurable goodness and benefit, that is, 1) saving faith in Christ, 2) love for each other, and 3) a confident hope in our eternal future. Once we rightly understand the blessings of these three gifts that result from the Gospel, we will experience the goodness of these blessings regardless of the external circumstances of daily life. That is, we will see goodness in our lives every day, even when it is a bad day! But, just as important, the very nature of the Gospel is that none of its blessings are our own doing. At the core of the Gospel is the understanding that we do not deserve it, and we did not discover it or come to understand it was due to our own effort or brilliance. We are sinners under the curse of sin and the wrath of God. But because of His great love, He showed us great kindness in sending His Son to suffer the punishment and wrath we deserved as a substitute in our place. Not only that, but by His kindness, He raised up and sent messengers to proclaim this good news to us. Then He moved in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to understand and receive the message! In other words, the benefits and goodness of the Gospel came to us completely from the outside - from God and not by our own doing! The right understanding of the Gospel is the foundation of gratitude that should flow out of our lives daily. But, it is possible to miss gratitude if we take it for granted or fail to reflect on it. Paul does not make this mistake but ponders the miracle of the Gospel and its impact every time he prays. He does this by giving thanks for the working of the Gospel in the lives of the Colossians and in fact, in all the Churches and disciples that were the fruit of his ministry. Second, he is thankful for the impact of the Gospel worldwide, even outside his own ministry and work. Thirdly, he gives thanks for those who are proclaiming the message, those God has raised up and are faithfully preaching Christ!
