What Does It Mean to Have Radical Gratitude?

[What Does It Mean to Have Radical Gratitude?]( Current Teaching Series [Radicalis: Developing Spiritual Roots]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [What Does It Mean to Have Radical Gratitude?]( By Rick Warren — 10/04/2022 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) The more deeply you understand God’s love, the more grateful you will become. In fact, the Bible says that gratitude should saturate your life: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). Notice that the Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There is a big difference! You don’t have to be thankful for the bad things that happen in your life. Not everything that happens in the world is God’s will. In fact, most of the time, God’s will is not done here on Earth; instead, people’s will is done. There’s a lot of evil in the world, and you don’t need to thank God for that. But you can thank God in the midst of it. In my own life, I’ve learned that I can thank God in every circumstance. Here are some reasons why: - God is in control. - God can bring good out of evil. - God can turn even my mistakes into something that works out well; he can bring good out of them. - I won’t live on Earth forever; I’m going to heaven one day. - I can’t lose my salvation. - No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving me. The truth is that I could think of a hundred reasons to be thankful in any circumstance, even circumstances that seem horrible. Look again at 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV). It says you should give thanks to God “in all circumstances.” The Greek word used is the word pos, which means any, all, everything, anyone, all the time, anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing. It means no exception, no excuses, no exemptions. That seems pretty radical, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s radical gratitude. It doesn’t take any effort to be grateful for the nice present someone just gave you. Anyone can do that. But being grateful in all circumstances takes radical gratitude. People say they want to know God’s will. They want to know what God wants them to do with their lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God makes that very clear: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Giving thanks in all situations is God’s will for you. And the more thankful you are, the closer you’ll get to God! [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What promise from the Bible can you memorize to help you remember how to thank God, even in difficult circumstances? Write it on a card and put it somewhere that you’ll see if often. - When you see other people exhibit radical gratitude in difficult circumstances, how does that affect you? - Why is it God’s will for you to practice radical gratitude “in all circumstances”? How does that habit affect other areas of your life? Are you ready to start a new life with Christ? The Bible says you can get to heaven only by trusting in God’s Son, Jesus Christ: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). If you’re ready to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, start by praying this simple prayer: “Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe that he died for my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust him as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [What Does It Mean to Have Radical Gratitude?]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= [Get the Verses of Hope Scripture Box when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Jesus made it clear that in this world, we will have trouble. And whether you’re facing a personal trial or are simply overwhelmed by the troubles in our world, you know this is true. But Jesus also said that you can take heart . . . because he has overcome the world! We want to help you anchor yourself in this hope with Pastor Rick’s Verses of Hope Scripture Box, featuring a very special collection of verses to encourage you daily. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Radicalis: Developing Spiritual Roots. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Radical Gratitude Message 2: Radical Faith Message 3: Radical Joy Message 4: Radical Hope Message 5: Radical Generosity Message 6: Radical Freedom [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2022 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States