Coming out of Jeff’s teaching on Thanksgiving Sunday (Oct 11, 2020), spend some time in prayerful reflection and dialogue with your Home Church/Friends/Family around these questions:
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and Psalm 100 to start. Pray and ask God to speak to you through his word.
- What themes, words, ideas jumped out at you (as it relates to “gratitude” and “thanksgiving”) from these two passages? And/Or how did God speak to you through Sunday’s message? What was/is your main takeaway?
- Jeff spoke about how it is more difficult to express gratitude when life is filled with so much disappointment (like it is right now). Why do you think that is? Why is gratitude so important during these times?
- Jeff spoke about three different “enemies of gratitude” that we need to be extra vigilant to guard ourselves against in this difficult season: Despair, Judgmentalism, and Self-Centredness. Which one(s) most resonated with you? Why? How can each of these ‘enemies’ attack your gratitude?
- Jeff read Psalm 42:11 to address despair. How can the truth in this passage instruct us in how to navigate our despair and walk in gratitude instead?
- Jeff read Psalm 19:14 to address judgementalism. How can the truth in this passage instruct us in how to navigate our judgementalism and walk in gratitude instead?
- Jeff talked about the call of God to live self-sacrificially to address our self-centredness (see Matt 16:24-26). How can living self-sacrificially set us free to walk in gratitude and thanksgiving towards God?
- What is one step you can take this week to resist these “enemies of gratitude” and to choose to walk in gratitude instead? How does knowing/understanding/believing the good news of Jesus set us free to do this?
- What can you sincerely say “Thank You” to God for right now? Spend some time sharing with the group and close in prayer.
