Sermon Illustrations

Tag: Gratitude

  • Avoiding bitterness

    Cultivating a thankful heart is a safeguard against becoming bitter, prickly, and sour. A grateful child of God can’t help but be a joyful, peaceful, radiant person. Nancy DemossClick to Tweet

  • Choosing gratitude means choosing joy

    Over time, choosing gratitude means choosing joy. But that choice doesn’t come without effort and intentionality. It’s a choice that requires constantly renewing my mind with the truth of God’s Word, setting my heart to savor God and His gifts, and disciplining my tongue to speak words that reflect His goodness and grace–until a grateful…

  • Vigilant thankfulness

    However, I’ve seen that if I am not ceaselessly vigilant about rejecting ingratitude and choosing gratitude, I all-too-easily get sucked into the undertow of life in a fallen world. I start focusing on what I don’t have that I want, or what I want that I don’t have. My life starts to feel hard, wearisome,…

  • Gratitude flourishes in grace

    In other words, gratitude flourishes in the sphere of grace. And that is why the play on words in 2 Corinthians 4:15 is significant. Grace is charis and gratitude is eucharistian because gratitude is a response to grace. Gratitude is the feeling of happiness you feel toward somebody who has shown you some undeserved kindness,…

  • Gratitude in experience

    So let’s try to define just what gratitude is in our experience. I have found it helpful to think of some things that might be thought of as gratitude, but really are not. For example, gratitude is more than saying, “Thank you” when someone gives you something. Gratitude is more than an action which we…

  • Gratitude comes from grace

    Almost all English translations miss a beautiful opportunity to preserve in English a play on words that occurs in Paul’s Greek. Paul says, “It is all for your sake, so that as charis extends to more and more people it may increase eucharistian to the glory of God.” The Greek word for thanks is built…

  • Guardian role of gratitude

    The guardian role of gratitude applies not only to prayer and the spiritual battles we fight there, but also to our daily interaction with people. We can see this in Ephesians 5:4. “Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving.” How can we…

  • A rich life

    The 20th century Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that it is only through gratitude that life becomes rich. Click to TweetWebsite: http://www.swedenborg.org/sermons/pastsermons/04-11-21/The_Power_of_Gratitude.aspx

  • Gratitude

    Gratefulness is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It makes the difference between just going through the motions and really being alive. Click to TweetWebsite: http://www.swedenborg.org/sermons/pastsermons/04-11-21/The_Power_of_Gratitude.aspx

  • Gratefulness or Bitterness

    If you think what you have is greater than what you deserve that’s where thankfulness comes from. If you think what you deserve is greater than what you gave, that’s where bitterness comes from. Andrew WilsonClick to Tweet