Cultivating a Heart of GratitudeSample

Gratitude: For the Sake of Others

On day one of this reading plan, we looked at Jesus's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (see John 4:7-26). At that moment, Jesus changed her life forever. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she ran to her village and told anyone who would listen about what He had done for her. Like the Samaritan woman, when our hearts overflow with gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, we can not help but share the good news of the Gospel with others.

And that is most certainly why gratitude is contagious! When the Holy Spirit transforms our heart from the inside out - into the image of Christ - gratitude begins to spill over into the lives of others. The people in our lives that bump up next to us realize that there is something different about us. When they see us remain grateful in times of blessing and suffering, they can't help but wonder - how is this possible? And when they start to notice that we are people who are free from the snares of comparison, worry, and greed, they can't help but ask, "what does this person have that I am missing?" Experience tells us that people are attracted to those who are "thankful in all circumstances." (See 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

For a follower of Jesus, true and lasting gratitude begins at the foot of the Cross of Christ. From there, gratitude - resulting from the joy of knowing Christ as Lord and Savior - goes out into a lost and dying world and points people back to the Cross. Which is the only place they, too, can experience salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Thus a heart that the Cross of Christ has transformed can't help but bear the fruit of gratitude for the sake of others.

What a joy it would be if you and I were to hear the words spoken by the people of Samaria to the woman at the well after Jesus had stayed with them for a few days, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John‬ ‭4‬:‭42‬ ‭ESV)‬‬ In the end, if you and I allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate a heart of gratitude, we will naturally point others to the foot of the Cross of Christ.

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