The bulletin cover reads, “Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies.” Below that is a quote from Lamentations 3: 23: “Great is thy faithfulness.”
When Cyndi first showed me the bulletin cover I had questions. I wondered, “Is it true that gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies?” My next question was, “Is it biblical?” Profound sounding words do not guarantee that the idea expressed is biblical. Even words nicely written on a church bulletin cover are not necessarily true.
I have heard people quote the phrase “God helps those who helps themselves.” They have said these words came from the Bible, but that phrase will not be found in scriptures. Although the phrase may have some truth in a limited number of situations, I am thankful that God did not wait for me to help myself before he decided to help me. Paul writes (Romans: 8: 6-8), “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
If God had waited for me to help myself, if he had not come to me when I was powerless, I don’t know where I would be today.
As I questioned the words on the bulletin cover, another Bible verse came to mind. We referred to it last week: Romans 12: 1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
The phrase “in view of God’s mercy” catches my attention. In the first part of the book of Romans, Paul reviews the condition of humanity. Not good news. His conclusion is that all of us fall short of God’s standard for right living. He also points out that the law plus our efforts to obey the law will not bring us into a right relationship with God. The law Paul tells us is good. It comes from God. It helps us understand what God desires for each of us. The difficulty is with our performance. Over and over again we rebel against God’s standards. In simple terms, we say, “Forget it! I am going to do my own thing. I am not interested in a God oriented life.”
But Paul assures us that there is good news. God does not say to us, “You made your bed now lie in it.” That’s a phrase we sometimes use or think of for others. In anger or hurt or in self-righteous moments, we may say, “It looks good on them” or “Stick it to them” or “I am glad they finally got what they deserved.” I’m glad God doesn’t use those words on us!
Instead, God shoes his love for us in an amazing way. While we were still powerless, he sent Jesus to die for us. What we could not do on our own [“perfectly obey the law of God”], Christ did. Then he took upon himself our failure so that you and I could experience forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
So when we come to chapter 12 of Romans, Paul begins his thoughts, “In view of all these mercies. . .” In light of everything that God has done for us; let us offer ourselves to God out of a deep sense of gratitude and thanksgiving so that he can work in us, through us, and around us to make a difference in our lives and the people around us.
The point is clear. God’s mercy goes beyond human expectation. Because he loved you and me, he was willing to send his Son to die for us. So Paul says, “In response to God’s mercies and with a deep sense of gratitude, let us offer our bodies as living sacrifices which becomes our reasonable service or our spiritual act of worship.”
The rest of Romans (Chapters 12-15) helps us understand what living a life of gratitude for God looks like. First, we are called to transformed living through the renewal of our mind. Transformed living (motivated by gratitude) involves a new way of thinking that no longer takes its cues from the surrounding culture.
Paul goes on to say in chapter 12 that a transformed life leads to a life of service according to our gifts and as a part of the body of Christ. Because the exercise of our gifts takes place within the body of Christ and in the context of relationships, Paul also talks about how to relate in such a way that the body of Christ works well together. What he did not want was for the body of Christ to experience indigestion, or stomach cramps, brought on by people who know more about individualism than they know about living in interdependent relationships.
I will leave Romans 13, 14, 15 for you to summarize on your own. The principles given are practical and challenging. They are worth the time and effort to explore them.
Back to bulletin cover. We asked, “Is Gratitude born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies? Romans 12: 1 suggests the answer is yes.
Reflecting on past mercies moves us toward gratitude, especially when we look at God’s mercy towards us. Yet in spite of God’s mercies, there are times when gratitude is not what we discover when we look deep within. We discover resentment. Sometimes the resentment comes from what others have and we do not have. Harold Kushner, author and Rabbi, calls this a sense of entitlement. We are like the child who receives the gift of a toy and then complains, “I wanted the newer model.”
When we fall into the trap of feeling entitled it is not enough to be alive and well; every blemish and every limitation is resented. “I wish I was more athletic.” “I wish I was more beautiful” or “I don’t like the shape of my body.” “My job is horrible. I deserve better.” The inner peace that flows out of gratitude is replaced by restless discontent, a list of complaints, and unhappiness. Instead of rejoicing in the life we have, we look at what we don’t have and fail to thank God for his mercy toward us.
Kushner points to a second blockage to gratitude: the need that some have [all of us probably exhibit at times] for self sufficiency. “I achieved and I got ahead because of my hard work, my intelligence, my good looks, my leadership skills. No one gave me anything. I made it on my own.” A self-sufficient unthankful spirit is a failure to understand the gift of life and everything we call our own – energy, intelligence, and opportunities— are all gifts from God.
In the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah puts the arrogance of self-sufficiency in perspective. As the title suggests, this is a book of lament. Jerusalem has fallen, the temple has been destroyed and the people taken captive. The worst case scenario has taken place. Yet in the middle of the all this devastation, Jeremiah looks to God. He remembers his mercy and grace and love. Even though surrounded by destruction he writes, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Every day is a gift of life. God’s mercies in our life are new every morning. We may see ourselves as self sufficient but even our so called self-sufficiency is only possible because of God’s mercy and love.
This morning you may have come to worship feeling less than thankful. Instead of seeing the mercies of God, you were feeling grumpy or unhappy or as if life has been unfair to you. In spite of what you may have been feeling this past week or as you came to service this morning, I want to remind you of the tremendous mercies of God. I want you to reflect on his mercy and experience the joy of gratitude.
On this Thanksgiving weekend, set aside any spirit of entitlement that would rob you of thankfulness and inner peace. Recognize it is only because of God’s love and mercy we have achieved what we have achieved and are still alive today. Take time to review past mercies and watch gratitude germinate and grow in your heart.