WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.700 Gratitude does not come naturally to us, we have 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:06.360 to train for it. In Luke chapter 17 verses 11 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:09.279 to 19, we see the story of 10 lepers who were 00:00:09.279 --> 00:00:11.660 healed, but only one returned to thank Jesus. 00:00:12.339 --> 00:00:14.779 This passage reminds us that thankfulness is 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:17.199 more than a reaction, it's a discipline we practice 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.280 daily. True gratitude shapes our perspective, 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:22.980 draws us closer to God, and transforms the way 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:30.300 we live. I'll give you a few minutes to turn 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:45.979 there. Over the last few months, I have had a 00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:51.700 hard lesson in gratitude and what it is. It's 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:54.619 always easy to look back on a good day and recognize 00:00:54.619 --> 00:01:00.240 it, right? be on a nice vacation with your family 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.799 and be grateful for the gift that they are. Those 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:08.079 are easy, but what happens when things aren't 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.459 going so well and it's hard to see the things 00:01:11.459 --> 00:01:14.040 that we should be grateful for? What do we do 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:17.200 in those moments? Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:20.959 chapter 5 that we should be thankful in all circumstances. 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:25.079 That we should be thankful in all circumstances 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:29.959 and if you are like me, I hated when someone 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:33.359 would quote that verse to me in the midst of 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.760 a difficult situation, in the midst of a difficult 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:38.900 season in my life. Don't quote that verse to 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:41.819 me. It just frustrated me. Like, how am I supposed 00:01:41.819 --> 00:01:47.340 to be thankful when my son is getting life flighted 00:01:47.340 --> 00:01:53.060 to Iowa City? How am I supposed to be thankful 00:01:53.060 --> 00:01:56.680 when I get the call that my daughter was in a 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:01.219 car accident? What is there to be grateful for 00:02:01.219 --> 00:02:03.980 when there is a group of people calling for me 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:09.419 to be fired? Because this verse isn't give thanks 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:13.259 in good circumstances, give thanks when things 00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:17.699 are going well, give thanks when you feel like 00:02:17.699 --> 00:02:22.840 it, it's give thanks in all circumstances. And 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:25.840 so this past summer, I really tried to take that 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.310 verse to heart. To really understand what that 00:02:30.310 --> 00:02:33.729 means to be thankful in the midst of uncertainty 00:02:33.729 --> 00:02:37.009 To give thanks when it feels like the world is 00:02:37.009 --> 00:02:39.110 against me. I'm sure we've all had seasons like 00:02:39.110 --> 00:02:43.530 that To try and see God's plan through confusion 00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:48.530 and anger to see the good when every single day 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:51.909 was a struggle and so maybe you were like me 00:02:51.909 --> 00:02:56.270 and and have been at times and you really don't 00:02:56.270 --> 00:02:58.629 like that verse in the middle of a hard season. 00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:02.270 Maybe you're in that place right now and the 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:05.889 last thing that you want to be hearing is a message 00:03:05.889 --> 00:03:08.889 on gratitude because you don't want to be grateful, 00:03:09.069 --> 00:03:13.169 you want answers to your situation. You want 00:03:13.169 --> 00:03:15.789 justice for things that have been done wrong 00:03:15.789 --> 00:03:18.889 to you. And so my hope for you this morning, 00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:21.949 is that you will join me on this journey that 00:03:21.949 --> 00:03:25.050 I have walked through and I'm still walking through, 00:03:25.349 --> 00:03:28.550 and that you will see how God can completely 00:03:28.550 --> 00:03:33.729 change your heart if you let him. He's done it. 00:03:34.629 --> 00:03:36.310 And so we're gonna look at a story in Luke chapter 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:39.050 17. I hope you will see what a difference that 00:03:39.050 --> 00:03:41.689 gratitude can make in your life. We're gonna 00:03:41.689 --> 00:03:45.050 read verses 11 through 19. If you are willing 00:03:45.050 --> 00:03:47.349 and able, we'd love for you to stand as we honor 00:03:47.349 --> 00:03:55.400 the Lord's word together. It reads, On the way 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:58.860 to Jerusalem, he was passing along between Samaria 00:03:58.860 --> 00:04:00.879 and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:03.939 was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance 00:04:03.939 --> 00:04:07.180 and lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:10.280 have mercy on us. When he saw them, he said to 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:12.919 them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:16.720 And as they went, they were cleansed. Then one 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.360 of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:22.329 back, praising God with a loud voice. and he 00:04:22.329 --> 00:04:24.769 fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. 00:04:25.490 --> 00:04:28.209 Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, 00:04:28.350 --> 00:04:31.009 were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Was 00:04:31.009 --> 00:04:33.370 no one found to return and give praise to God 00:04:33.370 --> 00:04:36.250 except this foreigner? And he said to him, rise 00:04:36.250 --> 00:04:39.389 and go your way. Your faith has made you well. 00:04:39.829 --> 00:04:41.589 Let's pray. Father, I thank you for this morning. 00:04:41.649 --> 00:04:44.310 I thank you for your word. Thank you that you're 00:04:44.310 --> 00:04:47.639 faithful. I pray Father that we will walk out 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:50.040 of here with a completely different heart when 00:04:50.040 --> 00:04:52.800 it comes to how we view you and our circumstances. 00:04:53.579 --> 00:04:55.920 I pray Father that because of your word we will 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:59.240 walk out of here thankful today. I ask all these 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:07.480 things in Jesus name. Amen. Now before we get 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:09.000 into the heart of the text there's a little bit 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:13.439 of work we need to do. Just for understanding. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:17.939 In the first century, Jews and Samaritans were 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:21.600 divided by racial prejudice, they were divided 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:26.040 by religious prejudice, the Jews hated the Samaritans 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:29.819 because they were these Assyrian Jewish hybrids 00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:33.720 and they viewed the religion of the Samaritans 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:38.459 as a perversion of Judaism because the Samaritans, 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:40.319 they only believed in the first five books of 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:42.699 the Bible, they only believed in the law, they 00:05:42.699 --> 00:05:44.439 didn't really want the rest of the Bible if you 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:47.060 will. Whereas the Jews, they held onto the whole 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:49.839 Old Testament. That was the entire Bible at the 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:53.199 time. So now, if you were in Israel right now, 00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:55.199 or back in the day, and if you were to travel 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:58.600 from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee or Capernaum 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:01.060 or any of those things, there is this big section 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:02.779 of land in the middle of your country called 00:06:02.779 --> 00:06:05.939 Samaria. And the Jews hated the Samaritans so 00:06:05.939 --> 00:06:08.360 much that they would literally take extra days 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:12.370 to not have to walk foot through Samaria. instead 00:06:12.370 --> 00:06:14.810 of just taking the straight line straight north. 00:06:15.290 --> 00:06:18.689 But because of their prejudice towards the Samaritans, 00:06:19.069 --> 00:06:21.810 the Jews wouldn't want to go through Samaria. 00:06:22.550 --> 00:06:24.829 They would inconvenience themselves so they didn't 00:06:24.829 --> 00:06:27.649 have to potentially come across a Samaritan. 00:06:28.110 --> 00:06:34.050 Now, like the Samaritans, the lepers were outcasts 00:06:34.050 --> 00:06:36.649 and outsiders. And even though they were allowed 00:06:36.649 --> 00:06:40.079 inside the city, to beg for money to make a living, 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:44.600 they were required to live outside the city walls. 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:48.860 Now, even in Samaria, because they believed in 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:51.860 the Old Testament law of Moses, the Samaritans 00:06:51.860 --> 00:06:56.439 also considered the lepers to be unclean. And 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.079 according to Old Testament law, people with the 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:02.839 disease of leprosy were quarantined outside the 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:06.000 city and required to keep a safe distance from 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.779 people so there wouldn't be an accident and you 00:07:08.779 --> 00:07:11.459 would actually touch somebody and make them unclean. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:14.759 They would have to shout as they walked through 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.139 the city streets that they were unclean so that 00:07:17.139 --> 00:07:20.699 people could run away from them. So that nobody 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:24.019 would potentially touch them. So according to 00:07:24.019 --> 00:07:28.600 the Jews, The Samaritans were below them. But 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:32.240 below the Samaritans were the lepers. So to be 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:36.579 a Samaritan leper was a pretty isolating life. 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:41.819 It's as low as you can go in regards to living 00:07:41.819 --> 00:07:45.240 life. Now, the type of leprosy these men had 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:49.139 is probably what is now called Hansen's disease. 00:07:50.219 --> 00:07:52.560 And although there is a cure for it today, there 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:55.439 wasn't a cure for it back in the time of Jesus. 00:07:56.420 --> 00:07:58.120 And so just for your own information, because 00:07:58.120 --> 00:07:59.939 I had to read it, I'm gonna share it with you, 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:04.259 leprosy begins with a pale discolored patch of 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:06.980 skin that turns numb, and it becomes insensitive. 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:11.160 So even the leper can't feel if a needle touches 00:08:11.160 --> 00:08:15.699 its skin in that spot. Now gradually these patches 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:18.300 they multiply and they spread across the body 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:20.220 now frequently they will be found on the face 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:22.899 Which makes it impossible to hide the fact that 00:08:22.899 --> 00:08:25.639 you have leprosy and then here's the fun part 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:30.839 soon spongy nodules Form on your face while the 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:34.120 disease simultaneously begins to invade your 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:37.200 internal organs and the soft tissues between 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:39.620 like your the bones of your hand and in your 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:42.860 feet eventually just Disintegrates and you're 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:45.500 left with all these types of deformities and 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:47.700 you're unable to use your hands and your feet 00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:50.830 anymore Now, compounding on top of this, the 00:08:50.830 --> 00:08:54.909 nerve endings, they grow so desensitized that 00:08:54.909 --> 00:08:57.970 the victims remain unaware of any injuries such 00:08:57.970 --> 00:09:00.639 as an animal bite. Right? So you have to remember, 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:03.460 they're outside the city walls. There is no protection. 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:05.700 They're sleeping on a sleeping bag, if you will, 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.840 in the elements. Now, some animals are nocturnal, 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:10.519 right? Like raccoons and possums or whatever 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:13.059 they had back in the day in Jerusalem. I'm not 00:09:13.059 --> 00:09:15.059 sure, but they have those things. And so what 00:09:15.059 --> 00:09:17.620 would happen is because of the disease, these 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:21.039 animals would come gnaw on your limbs and the 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:22.840 leper would never wake up because he couldn't 00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:27.669 feel it. That's gross to me. This is a horrible, 00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:32.129 horrible disease. Now, while this form of leprosy 00:09:32.129 --> 00:09:35.070 is ultimately fatal, what really got them was 00:09:35.070 --> 00:09:37.490 all the bacteria and all the infections that 00:09:37.490 --> 00:09:40.429 came about with this type of disease. It was 00:09:40.429 --> 00:09:43.809 a horrible condition to live with. And so you 00:09:43.809 --> 00:09:47.649 can see why there was a desperate cry out to 00:09:47.649 --> 00:09:50.720 Jesus for healing. They wanted to be healed. 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:54.580 They all had a cry for mercy to Jesus. All of 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:57.820 them had their sickness healed, but only one 00:09:57.820 --> 00:10:00.879 of them returned. And so my question is, why? 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:02.840 That was Jesus' question. Where are the other 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:06.159 nine? Where's the other nine? Did not 10 get 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:08.460 healed? Where are the other nine? And not only 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:11.080 that, according to verse 18, the one who came 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:14.860 back was a Samaritan. He was a foreigner. Now, 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:18.110 maybe he came back. Because he was the only one 00:10:18.110 --> 00:10:20.129 who had like a double dose of bad luck when it 00:10:20.129 --> 00:10:22.570 came to life, right? He was a Samaritan and he 00:10:22.570 --> 00:10:24.629 was a leper. Maybe he maybe maybe that's why 00:10:24.629 --> 00:10:27.889 the the text doesn't tell us But what the text 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:32.549 does tell us is that nine didn't come back Nine 00:10:32.549 --> 00:10:35.090 didn't come show gratitude and I think there's 00:10:35.090 --> 00:10:37.669 a reason for that and the reason for that is 00:10:37.669 --> 00:10:42.409 because of our sin nature And our sin nature 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:46.980 Because of it, gratitude does not come naturally. 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:52.259 We have to train ourselves in it. And so I want 00:10:52.259 --> 00:10:55.840 us to consider a few things that gratitude does 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.220 and also try to understand why it is so important 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:01.700 to understand. The first thing that we should 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:06.200 understand about gratitude is that it helps us 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:11.580 see the goodness of God. The Samaritan saw his 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:14.659 healing as he's walking away and recognized that 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:17.720 this was God's work. The other nine, they got 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:21.580 the same exact healing, the same miracle, but 00:11:21.580 --> 00:11:24.200 kept walking. Perhaps they were too focused on 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:26.100 their next steps. Perhaps they were too focused 00:11:26.100 --> 00:11:28.460 on who they were gonna tell. Perhaps they were 00:11:28.460 --> 00:11:33.959 whatever, but they did not return. Gratitude 00:11:33.959 --> 00:11:38.139 begins when we train our eyes to see God's gifts, 00:11:38.139 --> 00:11:40.019 whether they're big or whether they're small. 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:44.620 We train our eyes, and I think sometimes we live 00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:49.399 with an entitlement mindset. And so we have a 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:52.139 hard time showing gratitude because we are entitled, 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:56.860 right? We earned that promotion. We worked hard 00:11:56.860 --> 00:12:01.100 and got that house. These people are lucky to 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:04.740 have me. My family's lucky to have me. And when 00:12:04.740 --> 00:12:07.299 we repeat those types of things to ourselves, 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:12.720 entitlement grows and gratitude fades. The truth 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:17.940 is we need to see God's goodness. Because in 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:20.840 reality, we don't deserve anything good. We don't 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:24.519 deserve anything. James tells us that every good 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:27.240 and perfect gift comes down from the Father. 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:31.830 Not some gifts. Every good and perfect gift comes 00:12:31.830 --> 00:12:33.850 down from the Father. And what I have learned 00:12:33.850 --> 00:12:36.870 over the last couple of years is that by reminding 00:12:36.870 --> 00:12:40.289 myself of the good things and not focusing on 00:12:40.289 --> 00:12:43.370 the bad things, not focusing on my circumstances, 00:12:43.789 --> 00:12:45.769 but really focus on the good things that God 00:12:45.769 --> 00:12:49.870 has done, it's completely changed the outlook 00:12:49.870 --> 00:12:52.110 that I've had with my relationship with the Lord. 00:12:53.190 --> 00:12:56.929 Now next week will be two weeks or two years. 00:12:57.689 --> 00:13:00.629 Since my son got life flighted to Iowa City. 00:13:02.710 --> 00:13:06.190 We didn't have a clue what was wrong with him. 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:11.590 But it wasn't looking good. And in that moment, 00:13:11.710 --> 00:13:14.610 I remember thinking to myself, I'm not ready 00:13:14.610 --> 00:13:17.570 to lose him. Who is? Who's ever ready to lose 00:13:17.570 --> 00:13:20.669 a child? But I remember thinking that way. But 00:13:20.669 --> 00:13:22.730 that verse, 1 Thessalonians 5, good thanks in 00:13:22.730 --> 00:13:25.710 all circumstances, it came to mind as I was driving 00:13:25.710 --> 00:13:30.320 to Iowa City to meet him. And I made myself be 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:33.019 grateful for the 10 years that I had with him 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:36.600 up to that point because I didn't deserve any 00:13:36.600 --> 00:13:40.460 of them. I didn't deserve the gift that was his 00:13:40.460 --> 00:13:44.240 life. Now two years later, I'm even more grateful 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:46.799 to the Lord for the time that I have had with 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:52.340 my son because what I deserve is a life of misery. 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:56.980 I am a sinner who constantly offends the holiness 00:13:56.980 --> 00:14:00.399 of God. I shouldn't have anything good ever happen 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:04.279 to me. But that's what makes me thankful for 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:07.000 the gospel, right? That is why we constantly 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:10.899 have to remind ourselves of it. What we deserve 00:14:10.899 --> 00:14:13.840 and what we get because of what Jesus has done 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:17.840 for us are two completely different things. We 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:25.179 deserve hell, but we get redemption. We deserve 00:14:25.179 --> 00:14:31.399 misery, but we receive abundant life. We deserve 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:35.279 a life of fear, but he gives us his peace, right? 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:39.820 Every good and perfect gift comes down from the 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:43.480 father of lights. Be grateful. Having a spirit 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:47.679 of gratitude also makes us respond with worship. 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:52.759 The Samaritan didn't just feel thankful. He acted 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:55.690 upon it. It says he praised God loudly. He fell 00:14:55.690 --> 00:15:00.309 at Jesus' feet. He expressed his gratitude. True 00:15:00.309 --> 00:15:05.970 thankfulness moves us to action. It moves us 00:15:05.970 --> 00:15:10.029 to do something. To give God the glory that he 00:15:10.029 --> 00:15:13.090 deserves. It's not just enough to think, oh man, 00:15:13.110 --> 00:15:16.450 I'm so blessed. I'm so fortunate. It's not enough 00:15:16.450 --> 00:15:19.629 to do that. Gratitude spills out in words, it 00:15:19.629 --> 00:15:22.389 spills out in actions, it spills out in a life 00:15:22.389 --> 00:15:25.009 that honors the Lord. That's what gratitude should 00:15:25.009 --> 00:15:28.570 do in us. Now, I grew up in a church where we 00:15:28.570 --> 00:15:32.450 would sing the old hymns. Now, I love many of 00:15:32.450 --> 00:15:34.730 those songs still to this day. I'm sure many 00:15:34.730 --> 00:15:39.139 of you do as well. However... I remember that 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:41.519 as we sang those songs, the type of church I 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:43.679 grew up in, maybe you did too, when we sang those 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:47.519 songs, we had to stand still while we sang them. 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:54.159 Can't be moving around. You just stand up, you 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.580 hold your hymnal, and you sing these songs, right? 00:15:57.559 --> 00:15:59.440 There was this lady in our church that would 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:02.120 sit in the second row. Now, Baptist church, right, 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.259 so everybody's in the back row. Yeller, you would 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:06.220 understand that, right? But this lady, she was 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:10.259 in the second row. And every single Sunday when 00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:12.480 we would sing songs like How Great Thou Art or 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:14.379 we'd sing songs like Victory in Jesus, she would 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:17.360 be there in the second row just raising her hands 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:21.639 and worship to the Lord. She was referred to 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:26.019 as a distraction. She was accused of being a 00:16:26.019 --> 00:16:29.419 hindrance because they said she was trying to 00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:33.080 put all the attention on her. But the truth of 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:36.899 the matter is if you knew her and you had a relationship 00:16:36.899 --> 00:16:40.279 with her, You would understand that she just 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:43.059 loved Jesus. If you had a conversation with her, 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:45.279 you would understand. She always talked about 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:48.539 Him. She always thanked Him. Now in that particular 00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:53.360 church, worship seemed like a duty, not an overflow 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:57.639 of an inward reality, not an overflow of gratitude. 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:01.980 The Samaritan in this text just had his life 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:05.039 changed. Completely changed. The only thing he 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:08.259 could do in that moment was to show gratitude 00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:12.119 to the one who healed him. He fell on his face. 00:17:12.680 --> 00:17:15.599 He ignored the cultural expectations that were 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:18.559 put on him as a Samaritan. And he approached 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:21.539 Jesus, he fell at his feet, and he thanked him. 00:17:22.019 --> 00:17:25.279 Worship was his response because he understood 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:28.200 what gratitude meant in that moment. It was just 00:17:28.200 --> 00:17:30.440 an overflow of what was going on inside of him. 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:33.140 He didn't hold on to bitterness that he'd been 00:17:33.140 --> 00:17:36.000 sick. He didn't come to Jesus and say, why didn't 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:38.359 you heal me sooner? Why did you stricken me with 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:41.920 this disease? He didn't complain that it should 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:43.799 have been done a long time ago. He didn't hold 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:48.960 a grudge against God. He just went and thanked 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:52.240 Jesus for the gift that he had received. That 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:56.279 was his response. Gratitude also deepens our 00:17:56.279 --> 00:18:00.049 faith. Jesus tells the Samaritan, your faith 00:18:00.049 --> 00:18:04.869 has made you well. His gratitude to Jesus wasn't 00:18:04.869 --> 00:18:08.529 just a thank you card in the mail. It wasn't 00:18:08.529 --> 00:18:11.549 just a, hey, thanks for doing that. It was an 00:18:11.549 --> 00:18:15.569 act of faith, trusting that Jesus was more than 00:18:15.569 --> 00:18:18.750 just a healer. He was the source of true life. 00:18:19.289 --> 00:18:22.250 This is what that Samaritan understood. Gratitude 00:18:22.250 --> 00:18:26.410 aligns our hearts with God. It opens us up to 00:18:26.410 --> 00:18:28.890 understanding the deeper work that he is doing 00:18:28.890 --> 00:18:32.190 in us and around the world. When we give thanks, 00:18:32.549 --> 00:18:35.970 even in hard times, we declare that God is still 00:18:35.970 --> 00:18:38.150 good. We declare that God is still faithful. 00:18:38.309 --> 00:18:41.970 We declare that he is still worthy of our trust. 00:18:42.549 --> 00:18:45.430 Now the translation says that your faith has 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:48.730 made you well. Your faith has made you well. 00:18:48.890 --> 00:18:51.509 And if we aren't careful, we begin to think that 00:18:51.509 --> 00:18:56.559 that word well means healed. Your faith healed 00:18:56.559 --> 00:19:01.559 you. The original language of the phrase is actually, 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:08.180 your faith has saved you. Your faith has saved 00:19:08.180 --> 00:19:12.440 you. So if we approach it that way, 10 lepers 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:18.299 got healed, but one got saved. One got saved 00:19:18.299 --> 00:19:21.339 because he understood where the source of his 00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:24.200 healing came from. Now maybe the others felt 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:26.579 entitled to the healing they'd been good people 00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:28.339 they they accidentally touched somebody that 00:19:28.339 --> 00:19:30.440 was you know, whatever or maybe they would get 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:33.940 to it eventually They wanted to go show others 00:19:33.940 --> 00:19:35.859 first. Maybe they were gonna come back next week 00:19:35.859 --> 00:19:38.480 or maybe they were gonna you know, whatever but 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.779 not the Samaritan Not the Samaritan. It was the 00:19:41.779 --> 00:19:46.299 most important thing to him in that moment To 00:19:46.299 --> 00:19:49.859 show gratitude to Jesus and Jesus tells him that 00:19:49.859 --> 00:19:54.410 his faith saved him why? because he came to understand. 00:19:55.529 --> 00:19:59.869 He came to the understanding that without Jesus, 00:20:00.769 --> 00:20:04.269 his healing didn't matter in the long run. Without 00:20:04.269 --> 00:20:08.230 Jesus, he would never have ultimate healing. 00:20:09.289 --> 00:20:12.650 When you and I truly understand that, when we 00:20:12.650 --> 00:20:15.730 can wrap our hearts and minds around that, gratitude 00:20:15.730 --> 00:20:19.809 will deepen our faith in him. When you understand 00:20:19.809 --> 00:20:22.930 that we don't deserve anything except for wrath. 00:20:24.329 --> 00:20:26.690 We don't deserve anything except for wrath, but 00:20:26.690 --> 00:20:29.390 instead he gives us an abundance of blessing. 00:20:29.769 --> 00:20:33.529 Gratitude should grow in your heart. And I can 00:20:33.529 --> 00:20:35.390 speak of this through experience as I am sure 00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:39.849 many of you can as well. My question would be, 00:20:40.190 --> 00:20:44.029 as I was studying this text, would this Samaritan, 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:51.299 Have been as grateful to Jesus And what Jesus 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:55.740 was offering him if he was never stricken with 00:20:55.740 --> 00:21:01.720 leprosy to begin with Would he still be grateful 00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:05.920 no one knows the answer to that But I know for 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:09.500 myself that the trials I've had in my life Have 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:13.140 made me more grateful for the sovereignty of 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:17.589 the Lord understanding that nothing I have ever 00:21:17.589 --> 00:21:22.809 experienced, good or bad, hasn't first passed 00:21:22.809 --> 00:21:26.230 through the hands of God. Not to say He caused 00:21:26.230 --> 00:21:29.509 all the bad, but He allowed it to happen knowing, 00:21:30.390 --> 00:21:33.430 knowing that it would help sanctify me to be 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:36.930 more like Him. Knowing that it would create a 00:21:36.930 --> 00:21:43.349 greater dependency of me on Him. So I want to 00:21:43.349 --> 00:21:47.170 give you some information. on why training for 00:21:47.170 --> 00:21:50.730 gratitude can be unbelievably beneficial to your 00:21:50.730 --> 00:21:55.430 spiritual walk. Training for gratitude can be 00:21:55.430 --> 00:21:59.490 beneficial to your mental health. Training and 00:21:59.490 --> 00:22:03.170 practicing gratitude can change the influence 00:22:03.170 --> 00:22:06.869 that you have in the world. It can completely 00:22:06.869 --> 00:22:09.109 change your friend dynamic. It can completely 00:22:09.109 --> 00:22:12.509 change your family. Now, I've said it many times, 00:22:12.750 --> 00:22:17.509 but I love when science catches up with how God 00:22:17.509 --> 00:22:21.470 designed and commands us to live. I love when 00:22:21.470 --> 00:22:25.269 science catches up with the Bible. Paul tells 00:22:25.269 --> 00:22:29.490 us to give thanks in all circumstances. First 00:22:29.490 --> 00:22:33.250 Thessalonians chapter five. He tells the Philippian 00:22:33.250 --> 00:22:38.349 church to not worry about anything, but in everything. 00:22:39.029 --> 00:22:43.329 through prayer and petition. With Thanksgiving, 00:22:43.430 --> 00:22:47.930 make your request to God. Not bitterness. Thanksgiving, 00:22:47.950 --> 00:22:51.710 make your prayer. Jesus tells us not to be anxious 00:22:51.710 --> 00:22:54.529 about anything. Not to worry about anything. 00:22:56.089 --> 00:22:57.329 Don't worry about how you're gonna get close. 00:22:57.410 --> 00:22:58.630 Don't worry about how you're gonna eat. Don't 00:22:58.630 --> 00:23:01.009 worry about those things. Don't be anxious about 00:23:01.009 --> 00:23:05.809 anything. Those are powerful verses when it comes 00:23:05.809 --> 00:23:08.559 to our mental health. when it comes to understanding 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.940 who he is. But we live in the most anxious period 00:23:12.940 --> 00:23:16.019 of humanity right now. Did you know that? This 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:19.160 is the most anxious generation that's ever walked 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:21.380 the face of the earth, and that includes people 00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:25.279 in the church. Even though there are so many 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:28.420 verses about not being anxious, there's so many 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:31.519 verses about not worrying. People still do it, 00:23:31.660 --> 00:23:35.160 and many are crippled by it. Many are crippled 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:39.359 by anxiety. And if you are struggling with anxiety 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:42.279 right now, the last thing that you might want 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:45.039 to hear from me right now is just stop worrying. 00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:50.339 Don't worry about it. That's the last thing you 00:23:50.339 --> 00:23:53.200 want to hear when you're in the midst of an anxiety 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:58.559 attack, right? Stop worrying about it. Suck it 00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:05.210 up. But articles... written by secular doctors 00:24:05.210 --> 00:24:07.650 and psychologists are coming out all the time, 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:13.549 that basically say that gratitude acts as a natural 00:24:13.549 --> 00:24:18.190 antidepressant. One article I read says it like 00:24:18.190 --> 00:24:22.009 this, quote, when we express gratitude and receive 00:24:22.009 --> 00:24:25.789 the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, 00:24:26.190 --> 00:24:28.690 the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible 00:24:28.690 --> 00:24:31.710 for our emotions, and they make us feel good. 00:24:32.009 --> 00:24:34.890 They enhance our mood immediately, making us 00:24:34.890 --> 00:24:40.309 feel happy from the inside. The Anxiety and Depression 00:24:40.309 --> 00:24:43.069 Association of America. That's how bad this is. 00:24:43.069 --> 00:24:45.569 We have an association for anxiety and depression. 00:24:46.450 --> 00:24:49.869 They say this, gratitude can be a game changer. 00:24:50.769 --> 00:24:53.930 It helps train your brain to notice and appreciate 00:24:53.930 --> 00:24:57.390 the little things in life, and in doing so, shifts 00:24:57.390 --> 00:25:00.680 your life experience tremendously. Gratitude 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:02.920 can increase your happiness and well -being, 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:06.519 life satisfaction, even overall health, while 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:09.539 decreasing the stuff we all want less of, like 00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:14.839 anger, anxiety and depression. It can be a powerful 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:19.000 practice to cultivate, especially if you struggle 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:24.720 with anxiety or depression. That is what secular 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:29.700 science and research is telling us. Maybe that's 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:35.480 why Jesus tells us not to worry. Maybe that's 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.880 why Paul is saying, give thanks in all circumstances. 00:25:39.339 --> 00:25:43.420 We have to train our brains and our hearts to 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:46.480 be grateful. Maybe life isn't all that great 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:48.319 right now. I don't know how you walked in here. 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:50.460 Maybe life isn't all that great right now, but 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:53.140 you still need to find things in your life that 00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:56.779 you can be grateful for. It takes some practice. 00:25:57.079 --> 00:25:59.259 It's not going to happen naturally. It takes 00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:02.160 some work, but I'm telling you, I've walked it. 00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:05.279 It's worth it. Maybe you're worried about a medical 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:10.160 bill. Maybe you have just looming medical debt. 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:13.359 Maybe your prayer should be, thanks be to God 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:18.099 that you live in a country with access to medical 00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:21.140 care because so much of the world doesn't have 00:26:21.140 --> 00:26:24.279 it. Maybe you're in a fight with your spouse 00:26:24.279 --> 00:26:28.529 right now. Praise God you have someone to spend 00:26:28.529 --> 00:26:32.490 your life with. Maybe you have failed in business 00:26:32.490 --> 00:26:37.230 or failed a class in school. Thank you God that 00:26:37.230 --> 00:26:41.049 my worth is found in you and not what I can accomplish. 00:26:42.490 --> 00:26:45.930 When was the last time that you looked around 00:26:45.930 --> 00:26:48.710 and thanked the Lord for the blessings that he 00:26:48.710 --> 00:26:52.430 gives you each and every day? When was the last 00:26:52.430 --> 00:26:55.890 time you told a family member or a friend that 00:26:55.890 --> 00:26:58.009 you were grateful that they were in your life? 00:26:59.950 --> 00:27:01.930 I mean, we all want to hear how much we're appreciated, 00:27:02.130 --> 00:27:05.349 right? We want to hear how awesome we are. We 00:27:05.349 --> 00:27:07.589 want to hear how other people's lives are better 00:27:07.589 --> 00:27:09.589 because of us. We want to hear those things. 00:27:09.950 --> 00:27:12.170 But when was the last time you took the initiative 00:27:12.170 --> 00:27:16.049 to share that with others? Now I want to close 00:27:16.049 --> 00:27:19.690 with a word of warning from Paul in Romans chapter 00:27:19.690 --> 00:27:24.630 1. He writes in verse 21 of Romans 1, he writes, 00:27:24.970 --> 00:27:27.769 for although they knew God, they did not honor 00:27:27.769 --> 00:27:30.950 Him as God or give thanks to Him. But they became 00:27:30.950 --> 00:27:34.410 futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts 00:27:34.410 --> 00:27:44.809 were darkened. So when we fail to give God thanks 00:27:44.809 --> 00:27:49.849 and show Him gratitude, Paul says our thoughts 00:27:50.089 --> 00:27:54.710 become useless, our thoughts become pointless, 00:27:55.329 --> 00:27:59.730 and our hearts are darkened. To honor God in 00:27:59.730 --> 00:28:02.809 the context of this passage is to acknowledge 00:28:02.809 --> 00:28:08.829 that His ways, His plans might go against your 00:28:08.829 --> 00:28:11.410 preferences, they might go against your desires, 00:28:11.730 --> 00:28:13.890 but it's still honoring Him and trusting Him 00:28:13.890 --> 00:28:18.069 in those things, that His truth is ultimate. 00:28:18.920 --> 00:28:22.539 That his ways are ultimate sometimes that that's 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:25.000 a really that's really hard reality to swallow 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:27.599 That's a really hard reality to work walk through 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.339 because we want our ways to be right We want 00:28:30.339 --> 00:28:32.200 to handle things the way we want to handle things 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:35.019 right we want to be able to respond the way we 00:28:35.019 --> 00:28:38.319 want to respond Because we think we know what's 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:45.400 best for us Here's the thing Studies are showing 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:50.519 That the part of your brain where you get anxiety 00:28:50.519 --> 00:28:55.900 from Is the same part of your brain that has 00:28:55.900 --> 00:29:01.400 gratitude So it is extremely difficult if not 00:29:01.400 --> 00:29:07.319 impossible To be grateful and anxious at the 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:12.779 same time So if there is something that is causing 00:29:12.779 --> 00:29:17.700 you anxiety or frustration Begin to think of 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:24.059 things to be grateful for. To battle those other 00:29:24.059 --> 00:29:28.460 thoughts. You can't be anxious and grateful in 00:29:28.460 --> 00:29:34.259 the same moment. So choose gratitude. I think 00:29:34.259 --> 00:29:37.740 this is why so many times in the scripture, God 00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:42.740 is calling us to remember. He told the Israelites. 00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:47.880 to make monuments and stack stones as a sign 00:29:47.880 --> 00:29:51.059 of remembrance so that they could go back to 00:29:51.059 --> 00:29:53.500 that place and remember God guided me through 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:56.019 here, God protected us through here, God delivered 00:29:56.019 --> 00:30:00.220 us, he rescued us from the Egyptians. So if God 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:03.519 is telling this people group to make these monuments, 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:05.400 to stack these stones so that you will remember, 00:30:05.619 --> 00:30:07.160 there's other places throughout the wilderness 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:10.059 where he said, come back and remember these things. 00:30:10.819 --> 00:30:13.660 Why would we be any different? If he's telling 00:30:13.660 --> 00:30:15.779 the Israelites that why would we be any different 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:20.500 because I've never seen a sea opened up I've 00:30:20.500 --> 00:30:23.940 never crossed on dry land after God miraculously 00:30:23.940 --> 00:30:28.420 splits the sea But the Israelites did they did 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:31.400 get to see it and God still told them to make 00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:34.440 something that they could go back to and remember 00:30:34.440 --> 00:30:37.819 That always seems funny to me because because 00:30:37.819 --> 00:30:39.640 I would think I would remember something like 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:43.170 that If all of a sudden the sea opens up and 00:30:43.170 --> 00:30:45.049 I'm walking across on dry land, that's something 00:30:45.049 --> 00:30:47.069 that I think would be like a core memory of mine. 00:30:48.210 --> 00:30:50.910 I would remember that, but God knows our hearts 00:30:50.910 --> 00:30:55.230 and he knows the temptation to focus on circumstances 00:30:55.230 --> 00:30:59.890 instead of his goodness. That's the temptation 00:30:59.890 --> 00:31:04.049 of all of our hearts. If you can't think of anything 00:31:04.049 --> 00:31:09.380 in the moment, your frustration if you can't 00:31:09.380 --> 00:31:12.799 think of anything in the moment of your anxiety 00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:16.500 Start with thanking God for the breath that he 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:20.339 fills your lungs with Because you don't deserve 00:31:20.339 --> 00:31:24.660 those Put your hand on your chest and feel your 00:31:24.660 --> 00:31:29.119 heart beat And thank God that he's pumping that 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:32.079 stuff through if you don't know where to start 00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:37.099 start there start there until you can begin to 00:31:37.099 --> 00:31:42.420 look at other things. I don't want our hearts 00:31:42.420 --> 00:31:46.240 to be foolish, our thoughts to be foolish. I 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:49.220 don't want our hearts to be hardened or darkened. 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:53.180 So we must be grateful. And I can tell you from 00:31:53.180 --> 00:31:58.460 experience, it takes practice. Maybe for some 00:31:58.460 --> 00:32:00.559 of you, it comes real easy. You're just naturally 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:03.619 grateful people. But for me, it has taken some 00:32:03.619 --> 00:32:10.130 work. This past summer, it was difficult. It 00:32:10.130 --> 00:32:12.029 was difficult for me to see anything good in 00:32:12.029 --> 00:32:16.450 my position. I didn't know if I was going to 00:32:16.450 --> 00:32:21.210 have to pack up my family and move. I didn't 00:32:21.210 --> 00:32:23.769 know what tomorrow looked like much less a year 00:32:23.769 --> 00:32:28.130 from now. Every time I would get a text or a 00:32:28.130 --> 00:32:31.670 call, I would wonder if this was the one that 00:32:31.670 --> 00:32:33.230 was going to change my life and I was going to 00:32:33.230 --> 00:32:37.809 receive bad news. I was living in anxiety. anxious. 00:32:39.750 --> 00:32:43.829 So every day, every day I had to practice gratitude. 00:32:47.809 --> 00:32:53.690 Thank you God for my calling. Thank you for my 00:32:53.690 --> 00:33:00.890 faithful wife. Thank you for my children. Thank 00:33:00.890 --> 00:33:05.369 you that you refine me in the fire. Thank you 00:33:05.369 --> 00:33:07.450 that these trials are producing endurance in 00:33:07.450 --> 00:33:11.869 me. Thank you that these present sufferings are 00:33:11.869 --> 00:33:15.809 not worthy to be compared to your eternal glory. 00:33:16.950 --> 00:33:22.430 Every single day, multiple times a day, I had 00:33:22.430 --> 00:33:27.309 to force myself to be grateful by looking at 00:33:27.309 --> 00:33:31.529 the truth of God's Word. Because I did not want 00:33:31.529 --> 00:33:34.190 my thinking to become pointless. I did not want 00:33:34.190 --> 00:33:36.609 my heart to grow in bitterness. I did not want 00:33:36.609 --> 00:33:40.569 my heart to be darkened. And the truth of the 00:33:40.569 --> 00:33:43.829 matter is, if I had to go through it all again, 00:33:45.490 --> 00:33:48.589 to be where I am today, I wouldn't hesitate to 00:33:48.589 --> 00:33:52.789 do it again. Because of the faithfulness of God 00:33:52.789 --> 00:33:54.970 that brought me through that season. The amount 00:33:54.970 --> 00:33:58.890 of gratitude he instilled in me throughout the 00:33:58.890 --> 00:34:03.119 last few months. This summer, was a stone for 00:34:03.119 --> 00:34:08.699 me to remember his faithfulness. It will be something 00:34:08.699 --> 00:34:11.000 that I will come back to, that my family will 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:13.920 come back to time and time again so that we do 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:18.880 not forget to be grateful. Anxiety and gratitude 00:34:18.880 --> 00:34:24.400 can't exist at the same time. Now the summer, 00:34:24.420 --> 00:34:28.280 I was tempted. Talked about it with Sina, talked 00:34:28.280 --> 00:34:31.280 about it with some of you. I was tempted. Because 00:34:31.280 --> 00:34:32.840 I couldn't deal with it. I was tempted to get 00:34:32.840 --> 00:34:36.320 on some sort of anti -anxiety medication. We 00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:40.320 talked about it. Just for a season, maybe I needed 00:34:40.320 --> 00:34:46.199 to do that just to survive. But instead I found 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:51.199 healing by declaring God's truth into my life 00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:57.280 every single day. Gratitude will change your 00:34:57.280 --> 00:35:03.349 life. So think about your life. I don't care 00:35:03.349 --> 00:35:06.030 what season you're in right now, you have something 00:35:06.030 --> 00:35:09.349 to be grateful for. Even if it's just the air 00:35:09.349 --> 00:35:11.949 in your lungs, even if it's just the heart pumping 00:35:11.949 --> 00:35:14.670 the blood through your body, you have something 00:35:14.670 --> 00:35:20.409 to be grateful for. Let's be like the Samaritan 00:35:20.409 --> 00:35:26.010 leper. Let's be like him and give him praise 00:35:26.010 --> 00:35:28.829 for what he does because we don't deserve any 00:35:28.829 --> 00:35:37.710 of it. Let's preach the gospel to ourselves time 00:35:37.710 --> 00:35:43.210 after time after time. It will change your life. 00:35:44.869 --> 00:35:46.369 And so I'm gonna pray for us. Our worship team 00:35:46.369 --> 00:35:48.070 is gonna come lead us in one more song. We'll 00:35:48.070 --> 00:35:53.309 have time to respond. And I don't know what the 00:35:53.309 --> 00:35:57.329 response looks like today for you. Maybe you 00:35:57.329 --> 00:35:59.150 will be like the Samaritan and just come fall 00:35:59.150 --> 00:36:02.869 on your face before him and add a gratitude and 00:36:02.869 --> 00:36:05.239 you will worship. Him today, maybe that's how 00:36:05.239 --> 00:36:10.059 you respond. Maybe it's getting up and going 00:36:10.059 --> 00:36:12.059 across the room and thanking somebody in this 00:36:12.059 --> 00:36:14.199 room for how grateful you are that they're in 00:36:14.199 --> 00:36:18.659 your life. Maybe it's starting to write some 00:36:18.659 --> 00:36:21.360 things down. Maybe it's creating those little 00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:24.219 stones that you have where you can look back 00:36:24.219 --> 00:36:30.159 and see God's faithfulness. But I'm telling you, 00:36:30.460 --> 00:36:35.679 I would... I would do it all again if it meant 00:36:35.679 --> 00:36:40.199 I got to grow in gratitude even more. It changed 00:36:40.199 --> 00:36:46.059 my life. It changed my life. And my hope is that 00:36:46.059 --> 00:36:48.519 it'll change yours as well. So let me pray for 00:36:48.519 --> 00:36:52.440 us and then we'll respond. Father, I thank you 00:36:52.440 --> 00:36:59.820 for this day. I thank you for Jesus. I thank 00:36:59.820 --> 00:37:03.599 you that I am not worthy. of anything good that 00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:09.940 comes into my life. My father, I pray that our 00:37:09.940 --> 00:37:12.900 church will feel the same way, that we will be 00:37:12.900 --> 00:37:17.059 a church that is grateful every single day for 00:37:17.059 --> 00:37:20.199 the salvation you offer us, for the blessings 00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:23.659 you give us. Help us understand that every good 00:37:23.659 --> 00:37:28.619 and perfect gift comes from you. And help us 00:37:28.619 --> 00:37:31.929 walk in great gratitude. So Father, as we sing, 00:37:32.050 --> 00:37:36.710 I pray that you'll speak to our hearts. I pray 00:37:36.710 --> 00:37:40.489 that your spirit will fill this room. Help us 00:37:40.489 --> 00:37:45.329 be a grateful people. And so as we begin to set 00:37:45.329 --> 00:37:48.170 up our stack of stones, as stones of remembrance 00:37:48.170 --> 00:37:50.610 for your faithfulness, I pray that you will just 00:37:50.610 --> 00:37:53.530 remind us of how good and faithful and worthy 00:37:53.530 --> 00:38:00.130 you are. For anybody in this room that needs 00:38:02.779 --> 00:38:05.019 that needs the ultimate healing, I pray, Father, 00:38:05.139 --> 00:38:09.280 that you speak to my heart. We pray for salvation 00:38:09.280 --> 00:38:13.079 to come to this place today. We ask all these 00:38:13.079 --> 00:38:31.139 things in Jesus' name, amen. Please visit us 00:38:31.139 --> 00:38:34.940 at 563church .com. You can also find us on Facebook 00:38:34.940 --> 00:38:37.099 and Instagram. Have a great week!