A Grateful Heart Going FORWARD

Devotional

Day 1: Treasure in dented jars, unwavering spirit of faith

You carry God’s life within you, even if the outer jar feels dented, scratched, or tired. Don’t be fooled by the jar; the treasure inside remains pure and powerful. Afflictions may press you, but they do not crush you; confusion may visit, but despair does not get the final say. Choose the perspective that magnifies what God is doing over what the enemy has done. Believe again, and let your mouth agree with your faith—speak life over what still looks fragile. [03:01]

2 Corinthians 4:7–9, 13: We hold a priceless treasure in fragile containers to show that the power is God’s and not ours. We are squeezed but not shattered, puzzled but not hopeless, chased but never abandoned, knocked down but not knocked out. Since we carry the same spirit of faith, we believe—and so we speak.

Reflection: What “dent” are you staring at so closely that you can’t see the treasure God put in you, and what words of faith will you begin speaking over that exact place this week?

Day 2: One thing: devalue the past, press ahead

Paul’s “one thing” is really two parts of the same move: you lower the value of what’s behind so you can reach for what’s ahead. “Forget” doesn’t mean amnesia; it means you stop treating old hurts and even old victories as if they define you. Disappointment tries to train you to stop hoping; gratitude retrains your heart to expect God’s goodness. Close the door on what didn’t happen—and even on what did—so your identity rests in Christ, not in trophies or tragedies. Lift your eyes: the dream God authored is still waiting on your yes. [14:33]

Philippians 3:13–14: I focus on one thing: I loosen my grip on what is behind and stretch forward to what lies ahead, running hard toward the prize of God’s upward calling in Christ.

Reflection: What specific memory needs to be “devalued” today, and what is one concrete step you will take this week toward the God-given dream in front of you?

Day 3: Praise in the middle, not after the miracle

Gratitude is not denial; it’s a decision to honor God right in the mess. Paul and Silas sang at midnight—before the doors opened, before the chains fell, before anything looked different—and their praise shook the prison. You don’t have to call pain “good,” but you can declare that God is present and faithful in it. Let thanksgiving reframe the night; your perspective can rattle bars that effort cannot. Sing while the floor is still cold and the chains still clink, and watch what God does. [20:35]

Acts 16:25–26: Near midnight, while locked deep inside the jail, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises loud enough for everyone to hear. Suddenly the ground trembled, the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains fell off.

Reflection: What is your “midnight” right now, and what specific song, prayer, or words of thanks will you offer God in that exact place before anything changes?

Day 4: Gratitude is our only option—in everything

Scripture calls you to give thanks in everything, not for everything. Gratitude positions your heart in God’s will even when your surroundings haven’t shifted yet. Guard your heart against the “little leaven” of ingratitude—a small lie like “life stinks” can spread and cloud your whole outlook. God inhabits praise, not grumbling; He meets you in thanksgiving with fresh mercy for today. Choose the better environment: grateful words, soft heart, open eyes for new compassion every morning. [23:56]

1 Thessalonians 5:18: In every situation, give thanks; this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: Where has a small lie of ingratitude been creeping in, and what daily practice (like listing three specific thanks each evening) will help you resist it this week?

Day 5: New mercies, open hands, holy expectation

Gratitude does double duty: it removes the bitterness of yesterday and clears the path for tomorrow. Your new season isn’t contaminated by the last one; God’s compassions are fresh when you wake. Open your hands, open your heart, and open your mouth—confess His goodness and give your yes to His dream. Faith brings hopes into reality; if disappointment has silenced your hope, let gratitude revive your expectations so faith has something to build with. You are not behind schedule, not forgotten, and not finished—step forward with a grateful heart and an open future. [32:50]

Hebrews 11:1: Faith gives substance to what we hope for and stands as proof of what we cannot yet see.

Reflection: If faith turns hopes into reality, what one God-dream will you courageously name out loud this week, and what first small act will signal your open-handed yes to Him?

Sermon Summary

Drawing from 2 Corinthians 4, the call is to renew dreams, hope, and strength by holding the “treasure in jars of clay” perspective: human frames may be dented, but the life of God within remains pure and powerful. Afflictions are real, yet they do not define the outcome; perspective does. Magnifying what the enemy has done obscures what God is presently doing. The “same spirit of faith” speaks in alignment with what is written, not with what has been experienced. As the year turns, identity is not tied to trophies or tragedies but to Christ—and gratitude becomes the posture that preserves faith.

Philippians 3 clarifies the path forward: “forgetting what lies behind” and “reaching forward” are one action. Forgetting does not mean amnesia; it means assigning low value to the past so it no longer governs expectation. Disappointment aims to train the heart not to hope. Gratitude interrupts that training; it reorients the heart, resets expectations, and keeps faith alive. Ingratitude, like leaven, quietly spreads and perverts the whole conception of faith until life narrows into cynicism and resignation. Gratitude is not denial or plastic religiosity—no one needs to pretend that pain is pleasant. Instead, gratitude is a deliberate decision to give thanks in everything (not for everything), aligning the heart with God’s will regardless of the environment.

Lamentations 3 promises mercies that are new every morning; therefore, the next season is not contaminated by the last. Gratitude does double duty: it reframes the past (releasing bitterness and seeing grace at work even in removals and reroutes) and prepares a clean path into the future. What bitterness binds, gratitude releases. And only soft, released hearts can carry faith. Hebrews 11 reminds that faith brings hopes into reality; if hope is gone, faith has nothing to build. Carry forward a living expectation. Enter the new year open-handed—grateful, faith-filled, and ready—because promises born of grace do not require perfection, only a trusting heart that keeps speaking what God has written.

Key Takeaways

1. Perspective determines spiritual outcome Perspective is not denial; it is choosing which reality to magnify. When attention centers on affliction, sight of the “treasure” within is lost. Faith lives by what is written, not what is dented. The jar may be struck, but the life within is undefeated. [03:01]
2. Forgetting means devaluing the past Biblical “forgetting” is refusing to give past pain premium influence. Assigning low value to yesterday’s failures and even yesterday’s wins frees the heart to reach forward. Disappointment’s agenda is to train the heart not to hope; gratitude breaks that training. [13:23]
3. Gratitude is a decision, not denial Giving thanks “in everything” rejects religious pretending and embraces God’s presence in real trouble. Gratitude positions a person in God’s will even when circumstances are hostile. Complaining does the opposite—it relocates the soul outside of fruitful alignment. [25:53]
4. New mercies cleanse and reset tomorrow God’s compassions arrive daily, unspent and sufficient. That means the next season is not defined by the last, and setbacks are not sovereign. Gratitude receives this fresh mercy, loosening the grip of regret and reopening the future. [28:14]
5. Faith needs hope to build reality Faith translates hopes into substance; remove hope, and faith has no material to work with. Keep dreams alive, not by force of will, but by grateful attention to God’s goodness and promises. Expectation sharpened by gratitude becomes fertile soil for fulfillment. [32:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:01] - Treasure in Jars of Clay Perspective
[06:47] - Promise by Grace, Not Perfection
[10:19] - God-Given Dreams Are Contested
[13:23] - Forgetting Behind, Pressing Ahead
[16:09] - Gratitude as the Only Option
[17:13] - The Leaven of Ingratitude
[20:35] - Gratitude Is Not Denial
[23:56] - Give Thanks in Everything
[25:15] - Positioning in God’s Will
[28:14] - New Mercies Every Morning
[30:42] - Gratitude Releases Bitterness
[32:50] - Faith Brings Hopes to Reality
[35:54] - Confession and Open-Handed 2026

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-13

Observation questions

In 2 Corinthians 4:7-13, what are the four “this but not that” tensions Paul names (e.g., afflicted but not crushed)? What do these reveal about the clay jar and the treasure within?
According to 2 Corinthians 4:13, what is the relationship between believing and speaking?
What specific perspective warning was given about magnifying the wrong thing, and why does that matter for how we move forward? [03:01]
How was “forgetting what lies behind” defined, and how is it one action with reaching forward? [14:33]

Interpretation questions

If believers carry “treasure in jars of clay,” how should that shape how a person thinks about identity after a dented season? What kinds of “dents” tend to shout the loudest?
“Gratitude is not denial”—it doesn’t rush past grief, but returns to praise. How does that understanding help someone walk through real pain without pretending? [22:50]
“Give thanks in everything” positions a person in God’s will, regardless of the environment. How does that change the way someone evaluates whether they are “in God’s will” day to day? [25:15]
“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” How can a small, repeated statement like “life’s hard and God never helps me” slowly reshape an entire belief system? [17:13]

Application questions

Name one dent from this past season that still feels loud (a setback, a criticism, a loss). What “treasure truth” will you choose to speak over it this week in line with 2 Corinthians 4:13? Write the sentence you’ll say out loud. [03:01]
Where has disappointment tried to train your heart “not to hope”? Identify one area (health, work, family, calling). What one grateful practice could interrupt that training this week? (e.g., a 2-minute daily thanksgiving list, a text of appreciation to someone) [10:19]
Practice “forgetting = devaluing.” Share one win and one wound from 2025. What would it look like to assign both a lower value so they no longer govern your expectations for 2026? [13:23]
What’s one complaint sentence you catch yourself saying often? Replace it with one faith-aligned confession based on what is written. Say the new sentence now and plan when you’ll use it next time the complaint tries to surface. [19:30]
Choose one current hardship. List three specific things you can thank God for “in” it (not “for” it). How might that act re-center you in God’s will this week? [25:53]
“New mercies every morning.” What simple morning ritual could help you receive fresh mercy (Scripture on your nightstand, 3 gratitude breaths before looking at your phone, a short prayer before coffee)? Start tomorrow. [28:14]
Faith needs hope to build. Name one God-breathed dream you’re carrying into the new year. What is one small, doable step you will take in the next seven days to move toward it? Who will you tell for gentle accountability? [32:50]

Sermon Clips

disappointment's not about your feelings it's about training you to not hope anymore this is the ultimate objective of disappointment of when you focus on the mistakes and the tragedies and the betrayal you understand it can come from a lot of different places but when you focus on it you get disappointed by people you get disappointed by what happened you get disappointed by God [00:11:58] (29 seconds) #hopeOverDisappointment

and when you get disappointed it's not about hurting your feelings disappointment's objective is to train you to not have hope anymore and so you'll say things like well I don't want to get my hopes up and I've heard people say this about things like healing well it'd be wonderful if God would heal me but I don't want to get my hopes up I don't want to be disappointed baby you're already disappointed that's why you're saying things like that well I don't want to be hurt again you're focusing on the pain [00:12:27] (35 seconds) #refuseToStopHoping

what I want to say to you is close the door on the disappointment close the door on what didn't happen even close the door on the victories because you're not tying your identity to that because as good as it was in 2025 it can be even better in 26 because God has got greater things he's got things that your mind can't comprehend your eyes have not seen your ears have not heard and it's not even entered into your heart yet but in order to get there we got to do what Paul said forget about it [00:13:18] (36 seconds) #closeTheDoorOnDisappointment

now what does Paul mean when he says forget he doesn't mean have no recollection because Paul's the one who told us about all the C-wrap he went through am I right or am I wrong he's the one who told you about getting stoned if he didn't say it no one would have known it he's the one that told you about getting shipwrecked he's the one that told you about false brethren he's the one that told so what how can he tell you about it if he forgot about it I'm trying to help you this morning the word forget literally means put low value on [00:13:54] (36 seconds) #putLowValueOnPast

powerfully within the kingdom of our Christ gratitude is our only option you know there are some environments God enjoys the Bible says he inhabits the praises of his people but if there are environments God enjoys it also means there are environments he does not enjoy he does not enjoy complaining he does not enjoy bickering he does not enjoy ingratitude in fact there's a there's a verse in the Bible that talks about the ancient Israel's Israelites it says that they would serve their enemies because they refused to serve God with gladness [00:16:13] (48 seconds) #serveWithGladness

that ingratitude will feed on and make bigger and magnify and pretty soon a problem in one area of life you following me one area so you had one thing that didn't work out you had one person that lied to you now everyone's a liar you had one person that betrayed you now they're all hypocrites you got hurt in one church and now no church is good enough are y'all following this? and life closes down life closes in because there is no hope and if there's no hope there's no faith [00:19:48] (46 seconds) #dontLetOneHurtDefineAll

that even in the storm even in the trial even in the middle of trouble we have a God who's with us as a very present help in the middle of the trouble and if I can't give thanks for anyone else I'll give thanks for him and I can say God I'm so grateful that that thing didn't kill me it wore me out made me tired but I'm still here because you know that the devil doesn't come to just wear you out right he came to extinguish your flame and the fact that you're still alive you've got something to be grateful for so again is if we're going to live kingdom sized lives [00:22:04] (46 seconds) #gratefulStillHere

gratitude is our only option but gratitude is not amnesia it doesn't mean we have no recollection it just means we have a different perspective we don't pretend that 25 had no pain we don't pretend that loss is a blessing or a label of holiness and we don't rush past grief we don't find that in the Bible when you read through the Psalms you'll see David cried and David questioned but David always returned to praise gratitude says God this hurts but you're still here that's not weakness that's maturity [00:22:57] (51 seconds) #gratitudeNotAmnesia

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