Embracing Acceptance and Gratitude in Suffering

 

Summary

In our journey through life, we often encounter suffering and challenges that seem insurmountable. Today, I want to explore the profound themes of acceptance and gratitude, which are essential in distinguishing us as Christians. We began by acknowledging the harsh realities of life, the "terrible truth" of our fallen world, and juxtaposed it with the "wonderful facts" of God's promises. Abraham, despite the daunting facts of his life, did not waver in his faith. Similarly, we are called to look at the facts of our lives and trust in God's promises without staggering.

Acceptance is a crucial step in our spiritual journey. Paul accepted his thorn, and Jesus accepted the cup of suffering, both demonstrating a profound submission to God's will. This acceptance is not passive resignation but an active acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and love. It is through this acceptance that we can truly express gratitude, even when the gifts we receive from God are not to our tastes or preferences. God's gifts are always appropriate for the tasks He has set before us, and understanding this allows us to say, "Thank you, Lord."

Gratitude is not just a response to favorable circumstances but a deliberate choice to honor God in all situations. It is a powerful testimony to the world, setting us apart as Christians. Our response to life's challenges, whether it be gratitude or complaint, reveals the depth of our faith. The world is filled with people who complain about what they lack, but as Christians, we are called to be thankful for both what we have and what we do not have.

In my own life, I have witnessed the transformative power of gratitude. When faced with my husband's cancer diagnosis, I was reminded of the importance of offering our suffering to God as a sacrifice. This act of gratitude prepares the way for God to reveal His salvation. It is a shortcut to knowing God, a way to acknowledge His sovereignty and love even in the midst of trials.

Ultimately, gratitude and acceptance are not just about enduring suffering but about recognizing it as a gift. It is through these very challenges that God teaches us His way of salvation. By casting our burdens upon the Lord, we find that they are, in fact, gifts that lead us to a deeper understanding of His love and purpose for our lives.

Key Takeaways:

1. Acceptance as a Path to Gratitude: Acceptance is not passive resignation but an active acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. By accepting God's will, even when it is not to our liking, we open ourselves to gratitude, recognizing that His gifts are always appropriate for our growth and redemption. [02:03]

2. Gratitude as a Distinguishing Mark: Gratitude sets Christians apart from the world. It is a deliberate choice to honor God in all circumstances, reflecting our trust in His promises and sovereignty. Our response to life's challenges reveals the depth of our faith and our commitment to Christ. [06:40]

3. The Transformative Power of Gratitude: Gratitude is a powerful testimony to the world. It prepares the way for God to reveal His salvation, transforming our perspective and allowing us to see our burdens as gifts that lead us to a deeper understanding of His love and purpose. [19:55]

4. Gratitude in the Midst of Suffering: Even in the face of suffering, gratitude acknowledges God's sovereignty and love. It is not about thanking God for the suffering itself but for His presence and purpose in the midst of it. This perspective transforms our trials into opportunities for spiritual growth. [28:00]

5. Seeing Burdens as Gifts: By casting our burdens upon the Lord, we begin to see them as gifts that lead us to a deeper understanding of His salvation. This transformative truth allows us to embrace our challenges with gratitude, trusting in God's ultimate plan for our lives. [31:20]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:35] - Introduction to Suffering and Acceptance
- [01:00] - Abraham's Faith and Perspective
- [02:03] - Acceptance of God's Will
- [03:06] - Distinguishing Christians: Acceptance and Gratitude
- [05:07] - Receiving God's Gifts
- [06:40] - The Christian Response to Life's Challenges
- [08:15] - Lessons from the Auca Tribe
- [10:02] - The Power of Non-Complaining
- [12:11] - Teaching Gratitude to Children
- [14:15] - Honoring Parents and Obedience
- [16:24] - Gratitude Honors God
- [19:55] - Gratitude as a Shortcut to Knowing God
- [22:27] - Trusting God in Fear and Anxiety
- [28:00] - Gratitude in Suffering
- [31:20] - Burdens as Gifts and Conclusion

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

1. Romans 4:19-21 - "Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."

2. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

3. Psalm 50:23 - "Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation."

---

Observation Questions:

1. How did Abraham respond to the daunting facts of his life, and what does this reveal about his faith? [01:00]

2. What examples of acceptance are given in the sermon, and how do they demonstrate submission to God's will? [02:03]

3. According to the sermon, what are the two things that should distinguish Christians from the rest of the world? [03:06]

4. How did the Auca tribe's behavior challenge the speaker's understanding of gratitude and acceptance? [09:39]

---

Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does acceptance of God's will, even when it is not to our liking, open us to gratitude? How does this relate to the concept of God's gifts being appropriate for our growth? [06:03]

2. How does the speaker's personal story about her husband's cancer diagnosis illustrate the transformative power of gratitude? [19:55]

3. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between gratitude and spiritual growth, especially in the context of suffering? [28:00]

4. How does the concept of seeing burdens as gifts change one's perspective on life's challenges? [31:20]

---

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a recent challenge in your life. How can you actively choose to accept it as part of God's will and express gratitude for it? [06:03]

2. Think of a situation where you have struggled to be grateful. What steps can you take to shift your perspective and see it as an opportunity for spiritual growth? [28:00]

3. How can you incorporate the practice of gratitude into your daily routine, especially in moments of difficulty or suffering? [19:55]

4. Identify a "thorn" in your life, similar to Paul's. How can you accept it and find strength in God's promise that His grace is sufficient for you? [02:03]

5. Consider a time when you received something you didn't want. How can you reframe your response to see it as a gift from God, meant for your growth and redemption? [05:07]

6. How can you be a testimony of gratitude to those around you, especially in a world that often focuses on complaints and dissatisfaction? [06:40]

7. What practical steps can you take to cast your burdens upon the Lord and trust in His ultimate plan for your life? [31:20]

Devotional

Day 1: Acceptance as Active Acknowledgment
Acceptance is not a passive resignation to circumstances but an active acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and love. It involves recognizing that God's will, even when it doesn't align with our preferences, is ultimately for our growth and redemption. By accepting God's will, we open ourselves to gratitude, understanding that His gifts are always appropriate for the tasks He has set before us. This acceptance allows us to say, "Thank you, Lord," even when the gifts we receive are not to our tastes. Acceptance is a crucial step in our spiritual journey, as demonstrated by Paul, who accepted his thorn, and Jesus, who accepted the cup of suffering. Both showed profound submission to God's will, teaching us that acceptance is a path to gratitude. [02:03]

"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to accept God's will? How can you actively acknowledge His sovereignty in this area today?


Day 2: Gratitude as a Deliberate Choice
Gratitude is a distinguishing mark of Christians, setting them apart from the world. It is not merely a response to favorable circumstances but a deliberate choice to honor God in all situations. This choice reflects our trust in His promises and sovereignty, revealing the depth of our faith and commitment to Christ. While the world is filled with complaints about what is lacking, Christians are called to be thankful for both what they have and what they do not have. Our response to life's challenges, whether it be gratitude or complaint, is a powerful testimony to the world. [06:40]

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent challenge you faced. How can you choose gratitude in that situation, and what would that look like in your daily life?


Day 3: The Transformative Power of Gratitude
Gratitude has the power to transform our perspective, preparing the way for God to reveal His salvation. It allows us to see our burdens as gifts that lead us to a deeper understanding of His love and purpose. When faced with trials, offering our suffering to God as a sacrifice can be a shortcut to knowing Him. This act of gratitude acknowledges His sovereignty and love, even in the midst of trials, and transforms our burdens into opportunities for spiritual growth. [19:55]

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." (James 1:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a burden you are currently carrying. How can you view this burden as a gift that leads you to a deeper understanding of God's love and purpose?


Day 4: Gratitude in the Midst of Suffering
Even in the face of suffering, gratitude acknowledges God's sovereignty and love. It is not about thanking God for the suffering itself but for His presence and purpose in the midst of it. This perspective transforms our trials into opportunities for spiritual growth, allowing us to see them as part of God's plan for our lives. By casting our burdens upon the Lord, we find that they are, in fact, gifts that lead us to a deeper understanding of His salvation. [28:00]

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." (Romans 5:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: How can you acknowledge God's presence and purpose in a current trial, and what steps can you take to express gratitude in the midst of it?


Day 5: Seeing Burdens as Gifts
By casting our burdens upon the Lord, we begin to see them as gifts that lead us to a deeper understanding of His salvation. This transformative truth allows us to embrace our challenges with gratitude, trusting in God's ultimate plan for our lives. Recognizing our burdens as gifts helps us to grow spiritually and to understand God's love and purpose more deeply. It is through these very challenges that God teaches us His way of salvation, leading us to a more profound relationship with Him. [31:20]

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a burden you are currently facing. How can you cast this burden upon the Lord and begin to see it as a gift for your spiritual growth?

Quotes


Abraham looked at the facts of his life -- his own age and his wife's barrenness -- and it says he staggered not at the promise of God. He looked clearly at the facts, and Christians ought to be people who are prepared to look most steadily at the facts, the awful facts, and then look at the other level on which those facts may be interpreted, and stagger not at the promise of God. [00:01:03]

Paul accepted the thorn, even though it wasn't to his tastes and preferences. Jesus accepted the cup, and said, "Not My will but Thine be done." And that same vision and that same principle ought to characterize each of us Christians as we receive from the hand of God the cup of salvation, with whatever it contains, for our ultimate redemption and perfection. [00:02:04]

Gratitude is my subject today, and I'd like to give you three things to think about under this subject. I'm very gratified to see that there are some note-takers here, and I know I haven't been helping you very much with following points one, two and three or anything like that so I'm going to do my best to make that a little bit better this morning. [00:02:49]

If we can accept a gift then we can say, "Thank you." Now, we all have the experience of receiving all kinds of gifts from friends, and relatives, and great aunts, and people for which we have to say, "Thank you," but we really aren't exactly tickled with their choice. I mean how many crocheted toilet paper covers can a woman use? [00:05:04]

But when we're talking about the gifts of God, we're talking about gifts that come from One who knows exactly what we need, even though it is not necessarily to our tastes and preferences. And He gives us everything which is appropriate to the job that He wants us to do. And so, understanding that, then we can say, "Yes, Lord. [00:05:38]

It's not the experiences of our lives that change us; it is our response to those experiences. And that should be a very noticeable distinction between the Christian and the non-Christian. I mentioned, in an earlier talk, the responses of various people that I saw in Logan Airport one day last February when the airport was closed. [00:06:28]

We all know people who have gone through terrible things and have turned out to be pure gold. I think every one of us knows somebody like that who has been through awful things, and yet that hot fire has refined that steel or that gold. We also know people who have been through equally bad things -- maybe not quite as bad -- but they have turned out to be angry, bitter, resentful, querulous, and generally un-get-along-with-able. [00:07:07]

I think we could divide the world into two classes: the people who make a habit of complaining about what they haven't got -- or what they have got -- and those who make a habit of saying, "Thank you, Lord" for what they haven't got and what they have got. And you remember my basic definition of suffering: having what you don't want, and wanting what you don't have -- which covers the whole gamut from the smallest things, like a toothache or taxes, to a tumor. [00:07:59]

And I remind you of these things because, so often, we can get completely preoccupied with theory, metaphysics, invisible principles up here which are very hard to put into practice in our own lives. So what is your place of need today? Has the wine run out? Are you hungry? Is it something more desperate, like the man who had been crippled for 38 years, or the child who had died, or the widow who had lost her only son, or the baby born blind, or the storm that came up when the disciples thought they were perishing? [00:26:54]

Now, I, personally, have never thanked God for cancer. I have never thanked God specifically that certain Indians murdered my husband. I don't think I need to thank God for the cancer and for the murder, but I do need to thank God that, in the midst of that very situation, the world was still in His hands. The one who keeps all those galaxies wheeling in space is the very hand that holds me. [00:27:55]

And, to my amazement and delight, I discovered that that word "burden" in the Hebrew is the same word as the word for "gift." This is a transforming truth to me. If I thank God for this very thing which is killing me, I can begin, dimly and faintly, to see it as a gift, and to realize that it is through that very thing -- which is so far from being the thing I would've chosen -- that God wants to teach me His way of salvation. [00:31:20]

I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will say, "Yes, Lord." I will say, "Thank you, Lord." [00:32:06]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Jul 15, 2020. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?