I Am Thankful, Am I Not?
MEMORY VERSE:
“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, humans like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.”
Acts 14:15
INTRODUCTION
The more mature one gets, the more one is able to look back into the lessons brought about by the past. But life lessons, IF they are REALLY life lessons, neither happen nor influence one shining moment – they permeate every aspect and every thread of practical living. True thankfulness from the Passion of Christ then, must permeate every aspect and every thread of our practical lives.
I. Thankfulness requires remembrance.
o Joyful memories bring hope.
o Painful memories bring enduring faith.
II. Thankfulness requires honesty.
- Only admitted flaws can be dealt with.
- Only admitted strengths can be used to deal with admitted flaws.
III. Thankfulness requires action.
- Gratitude comes from an overflowing heart.
- Overflowing hearts spill into action.
IV. Thankfulness requires persisting love.
- Persisting love cannot stand to see hurt in the eyes of the object of gratitude.
- Persisting love gradually changes lifestyles in order to give joy to the object of gratitude.
CONCLUSION
A truly thankful person honestly remembers all the sacrifices that his/her object of gratitude gave him/her. Because of this, he/she persistently lives a life tailor-made to reflect the love he/she feels out of that gratitude. If we are truly thankful to Christ’s passion, is this thankfulness truly evident in the lives we lead?
REFLECTION: Let us ask ourselves the following questions:
- What scenes in my past remind me of my Lord’s Passion?
Why do they remind me of His Passion?
What do I feel every time they come into remembrance?
How often do they come into remembrance? Why? Is this often enough for a truly thankful person?
- Am I thankful enough to face brutal truths about myself?
What painful truths must I courageously face to prove my thankfulness to my Lord’s Passion?
What joyful truths must I acknowledge [without any false humility] to prove my thankfulness to my Lord’s Passion?
- What changes in my life have I made out of thankfulness for my Lord’s Passion?
Why did they need to be changed?
How did I feel before, during and after these changes?
- What things in my life hurt my Lord?
How can true thankfulness stop me from continuing them?
- What things in my life give joy to my Lord?
Why do they give joy to my Lord?
- Am I truly thankful for my Lord’s Passion?
Why or why not?
Why do I think so?
APPLICATION:
= prayer of commitment =
Father God, thank You for Your Passion. Help me to lead my life patterned out of true thankfulness for all that You have done for me. Help me to make it my life objective to reflect a life lived in gratitude to You, the One I love. Amen.
= statement of commitment =
Whenever I feel lifted up, I will look to You and see if the lifting up comes out of thankfulness for Your Passion. Whenever I feel pulled down, I will reach up until changes occur in my life out of gratitude to Your Passion for me.
CLOSING PRAYER