Gratitude: An appreciative awareness and thankfulness, as for kindness shown or something received
Our 40 Days of prayer has been a wonderful experience in prayer, Bible study, worship and Christian community. I have witnessed our church praying together, struggling together, experiencing new prayers together, and growing closer to Jesus together. God is bringing us together as First Baptist Church through prayer! We are growing closer, learning to trust, and experiencing God in new ways as we live out our faith together as one church. What an exciting thing. For all of this and more – I am filled with gratitude!
I hope you will take time to join us for the final weekend of our 40 Days this week. On Saturday, October 23rd, we will gather at 8:00 am in the Fellowship Hall to go into our community to serve our neighbors. On Sunday afternoon, October 24th, at 5:00 pm we’ll gather as one church family to celebrate over a pot luck supper all God has done in us as we have prayed and learned together. I look forward to tasting our great NE Georgia cooking too! I’ll see you there!
After our 40 Days of Prayer, we will embark on a stewardship journey called Gratitude: Whole Life Stewardship on Sunday, October 31st. As we pray, we begin to pay more attention to God’s work and blessings in our lives. When we see all God has done for us in the past and the ways God continues to move in our lives now, gratitude spills out.
Living a life of gratitude is more than setting aside one day of the year to say thanks. Paul exhorts the Christians in Thessalonians to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” The kind of attitude needed to give thanks in all circumstances does not grow in our lives easily. It requires us to make space for the gift of gratitude into our lives.
We make space for gratitude in our lives in a several ways. First, pray! As we develop unceasing prayer in our lives - we become attentive to the working of God everywhere. When we see God moving and working in our lives, we are able to give thanks. Second, look inside. As we see God working, we become aware of all God has given us – our families, our vocation, our many blessings. As the old hymn goes, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” Finally, look around. As we look at the challenges in our world – the people ravaged by war or poverty – the petty needs shrink in comparison and our blessings grow. This awareness of the world drives us to give thanks and calls us to a life of radical prayer. Out of our blessings God calls us to be a blessing to the world.
Stewardship grows out of gratitude by affirming God’s ownership and Christ’s Lordship over all things. In gratitude, we accept the responsibility to manage all God has given us. Everything we are or have or own comes from God, not just our money or treasures, but our time each day, our talents and abilities, along with our story - our testimony. This is whole life stewardship. God holds us accountable for all of the blessings we have been given and calls us to use them to be a blessing.
Over the next month, we will focus our attention on Gratitude: Whole Life Stewardship. There will be opportunities for us to consider how and what we will give back to God in the coming year. Please take time to read the rest of the articles in this newsletter that outline this stewardship campaign. It will be an exciting time to see where God will use us this year. See you Sunday.
Pastor Eric
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