The Overflow of a Grateful Heart

When gratitude fills our hearts, it spills into our world.

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Last week we started this conversation about Living with Thanksgiving Everyday.  Specifically, we talked about the Power of a Grateful Heart and how gratitude has the power to rewire our brains to think differently about ourselves, the people around us, and even God.  

When we look at our lives and see only scarcity and fear, it is impossible to experience joy.  When our attention is consumed with what we don’t have and what we are afraid might happen, there is no space for joy.  That is where gratitude comes in.

Gratitude is not a reaction to our circumstances—it’s a decision rooted in our trust in God, who loves to give His children good gifts. It is an intentional practice that we need to cultivate. The more we rehearse God’s goodness, the more gratitude grows.

Look at what King David says in Psalm 103:

Ps 103:1-2 (CSB)—My soul, bless the LORD, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. My soul, bless the LORD, and do not forget all his benefits.

In other words, rehearse God’s goodness. And if you read further, David goes on to list the “benefits” of following the Lord, including what he says in verses 11 and 12.

Ps 103:11-12 (CSB)—For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

When we begin to rehearse God’s goodness by regularly remembering what God has done for us, not only does it change our mindsets and our hearts, but it begins to overflow.  When gratitude fills our hearts, it overflows and spills into our world.

The title of my sermon today is The Overflow of a Grateful Heart.

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Gratitude starts with us remembering God’s goodness. 

Ingratitude, on the other hand, happens when we stop noticing the good things that God has given us.  We see this in an encounter Jesus has with some lepers in Luke 17.

Lk 17:11-19 (CSB)—While traveling to Jerusalem, he passed between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at his feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And he told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”

Earlier, in Matt 8, Jesus heals a leper; now, nine more lepers show up and ask Jesus for healing.  Word is spreading throughout the leper colonies that Jesus has the power to heal.  Jesus doesn’t heal them instantly, but instead tells them to go and show themselves to the Temple Priest in Jerusalem.  As they were on their way, one of them realized he had been healed and returned to Jesus, shouting his thanks.

Jesus is disappointed that the one leper, not even a Jew, but a Samaritan, was the only one who returned to say thank you.

Earlier in Luke 7, when a prostitute began to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears and dry them with her hair, Jesus said to his host, “When I came into your home, you didn’t greet Me with a kiss or wash My feet”—in other words, Jesus not only notices what people do, but what we fail to do. How many blessings has the Lord given me today without my even pausing to say “Thank You”?

Why is this important?  Does God bless us just so he can hear us say thank you?  No, it is important because thankfulness and gratitude change us.

When gratitude takes root in our hearts, it shows up in our hands.  

Thanksgiving doesn’t just change our state of mind and our emotions.  When we begin to practice gratitude, it changes what we do.

Thanksgiving is an inner posture that becomes an outer practice. It doesn’t just change how we see ourselves and the people around us, it changes how we treat and how we interact with the people around us.

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When gratitude fills the heart, it doesn’t stay there.

Gratitude Overflows Into Generosity

We see this demonstrated all throughout scripture, that grateful people are giving people.

Often during Israel’s celebrations and feasts to remember God’s goodness.  During these celebrations, people spontaneously brought freewill offerings to demonstrate their gratitude.  We see this in Ex 35, Lev 7, Deut 16, and other places.

Later, as the early church began forming, look at what it says about how the church demonstrated thankfulness:

Acts 2:44-47(CSB)—Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Their gratitude for what God had done for them turned into generosity towards one another.  They didn’t just drop a few dollars in the offering plate.  They sold their stuff to help meet the needs of the people who didn’t have what they needed.

Look at what Paul tells the Corinthians about this:

2 Cor 9:11 (ESV)—Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.

In other words, God blesses us, so we can turn around and bless others, so they will turn around and bless God.

In Acts 2, their generosity was not a demand from the Apostles. It wasn’t anyone laying a guilt trip on anyone else. And I hope that you know that is not what I’m doing here.  I’m not trying to motivate you to give more to the church.  I simply want to point out that their generosity was merely a result of their thankfulness.

As a matter of fact, Paul points this out when he tells the Corinthians:

2 Cor 9:7 (CSB)—Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

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My late father-in-law was notorious for wanting to share experiences and food … When you have been given something good, you want to share it with other people.

Gratitude Overflows Into Serving Others

Jesus is once again our model.

In Matthew 14, we read the account of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and two fish.  Before he fed the 5,000, it says that he gave thanks for the bread and fish and then, after giving thanks, He began to serve them.

When gratitude takes root in us, it begins to shift our focus from self-preservation and a scarcity mindset to asking ourselves, “How can I bless the people around me?”  How can I serve the people around me?  It begins to shift our attention from ourselves onto others.

And when gratitude takes root in our hearts it changes our perspective on what it means to serve. Sometimes serving others can feel like a burden and a responsibility, but gratitude changes the focus from the weight of responsibility to the joy of being called to serve.

Living a life of thanksgiving reminds us that every moment, gift, and talent comes from God and is an opportunity to say thank you for what God has done for us.  

Back to the early church in Acts 2, it was their joyful and sincere hearts that motivated them to acts of kindness and service, meeting everyone’s needs.

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What then does it say was the result of the early church’s gratitude? 

Verse 47 tells the answer.

Acts 2:47 (CSB)—They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. 

Their giving, which was a result of their gratitude, became a testimony to all of Jerusalem, of God’s goodness.  And every day, people were being saved.

Gratitude Overflows Into Witness

In Luke 17, the one leper who returned to Jesus, returned shouting, glorifying God.  He wanted everyone to know what Jesus had done for him.  He was sharing with anyone who was within earshot, the story of his encounter with Jesus.  He went from a disease with a death sentence to new life both physically and spiritually. 

Gratitude became testimony.

A grateful believer cannot keep quiet about what God has done. You talk about what you treasure.

Gratitude is one of the most compelling evangelistic tools we have.

If you spend any time on social media, you know people use their social media accounts to complain about the government, to complain about their spouse, to complain about their friends, and their neighbors.

While the world complains, grateful followers of Jesus stand out.  I don’t think it is a stretch to say thankfulness is countercultural.  When we overflow with thanksgiving, people notice.

When our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, it spills over into generosity and prompts us to think about more than just ourselves so that we are compelled to serve others.  When we do those kinds of things, people notice.

I Love My City is a perfect example of that principle.  I don’t know how many times over the years of us serving our city through this event, I have been asked, why are you guys doing this?  Why would you wash my car and not expect a donation?  Why would you give a whole day to picking up other people’s trash at the Butte or clean the trails at Riverfront?  Why would you give free haircuts and hand out free diapers to families who need them?

Why would you do that?  Let me tell you why.  Let me tell you about a God who loves me so much that He demonstrated the ultimate act of generosity by giving up his one and only Son, just so He could restore His relationship with me. 

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The result of living with Thanksgiving Every Day is a heart so full of gratitude that it spills into the world.  It’s not just a once-a-year holiday; it is a lifestyle.  It’s not just words around a dinner table; it is about telling the story of God’s goodness. And it’s not just feeling warm and fuzzy towards God for what He has done, but it is an overflow of all that we have experienced.

True thanksgiving overflows into generosity, service, and witness. 

When gratitude fills our hearts, it spills into our world.

Personal Inventory:

• Where is gratitude stagnant in my life?
• Where do I need to open my hands in generosity?
• Who has God placed in my life that I can serve out of thanksgiving?
• What abilities, experiences, or resources has God given me to share?
• Who needs to hear my gratitude-story?