guilt, grace, and gratitude

Moving on to Chapter Two from my notes from reading Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  You can read notes on Chapter One here.

 The thing that awakens the deepest well of gratitude

in a human being is that God has forgiven sin.

~Oswald Chambers

"We are born in a state of inescapable guilt...

"Into this hopeless situation comes the undeserved grace of God through Jesus Christ..."

For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:8

The Gospel ought to inspire gratitude to God like nothing else can.

"Undeniable guilt, plus undeserved grace, 

should equal unbridled gratitude."

And this is where this quote on the calendar fits in too!

Nancy also points out that Christian gratitude has an Object ~ Our gratitude should be directed to God!

This is good, so I'll quote Nancy again...

Christian gratitude involves:

• recognizing the many benefits we've received from God and others (including those blessings that may come disguised as problems and difficulties)
• acknowledging God as the ultimate Giver of every good gift
• expressing appreciation to Him (and others) for those gifts

There are no limits to Christian gratitude.  On the contrary, it multiplies.  "It's kind of like the rain cycle."

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, 

so walk ye in him:

Rooted and built up in him, 

and stablished in the faith, 

as ye have been taught,  

abounding therein with thanksgiving. 

Colossians 2:6-7

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