Main Idea:
Thanksgiving and gratitude go “hand in hand.” Gratitude is not something that you go out and get. Gratitude is more of a virtue that is waiting on you and wanting to work in your life. Gratitude is more caught than taught and gratitude is something that you make room for and allow to work in your life. Whether we realize it or not, God gives us more than enough reason to be grateful.
Main Passages:
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
- Luke 17:11-19 (NIV)4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat!5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” 7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.
- Numbers 11:4-7 (ESV)14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
- Matthew 14:13-21 (ESV)
Discussion Questions:
In Luke chapter 17, a total of ten lepers were healed but only one returned to show his gratitude and worship Jesus. Why do you suppose the other nine did not? How did his gratitude affect the way he worshipped?
A ingratitude blocked the Israelites ability to see God’s miraculous blessings right before their eyes. Their lack of gratitude caused dissatisfaction and they grumbled against God. What blessings in your life have you not recognized? Is it because of a lack of gratitude?
Gratitude towards God affects our outlook towards life. In what ways can we proactively practice gratitude moving forward. In what ways do you think it will positively affect you?