The Fruits of the Spirit and Gratitude

Good afternoon, brethren, it is wonderful to see you all, and welcome to the visitors that are here just before the feast begins. As Mr. Schleifer knows, I’m a very wordy and verbose man. He stole many, many minutes from my split sermon this afternoon. I think maybe he gave me a little extra time. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I’m sure we’ll fill the time. Well, again, welcome to all the visitors before we get into the message. Welcome to Headquarters; and looking forward to the rest that will join you in a few days. The campus does look at its prime. God provided us for rain during the Feast of Trumpets and turned the grass green, turned the campus vibrant again. The campus does look its prime, and that is not our doing, but God’s doing, and it’s wonderful that you all can enjoy it, and I look forward to all the other brethren that will see it in a few days.

We will be traveling across the seas to keep the Feast in Belgium, and see all the brethren over there, looking forward to that as well. The message itself, it will fit. For those of us here in the room that haven’t kept the feast yet, the topic will fit very well. Maybe at times through the message, I will mention that maybe my wife will remind me while we’re traveling, certain things I cover this afternoon, you may take note of those as well, but also be very fitting for those after the feast. After the feast, when we are all back home, if we are all back home, the topic will be very fitting. So now I’ll take a moment, and we’ll dive right in.

So it has been said, it has a saying, that gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but it is the parent of all other virtues. Keep that in mind, how the frames we build towards a point, but keep that in mind. Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. Now, let’s turn to saying that is not from the Bible, now let’s turn to the Bible. Let’s turn to First Thessalonians five and verse eighteen. This afternoon, we’re going to discuss the topic of gratitude, and in First Thessalonians five and verse eighteen, we’re going to learn what God says, or an element that God says.

First, we’ve read often... may have read often, may be familiar with, “In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ So in everything give thanks. This is God’s will in us, for us, that we must in everything give thanks. Now, what is gratitude, and what is giving thanks? In the English vernacular, or how we use the words today, gratitude actually is not in the Bible. The word itself is not in the Bible, it’s not used anywhere in the scripture. We’ll learn that what it means and what it is, is definitely in the scripture. But what is giving thanks, and what is gratitude? How do we use it today?

Sometimes, in some ways, thankful is just a momentary feeling at times, it is something that’s typically is in response to an action. Someone holds a door open for us, we say thank you. Someone gives us a ride, we say thank you. Someone does something for us, we’ll thank them for it. Probably had... all of us had parents that told us to say our please and thank yous. Make sure we do that, make sure we don’t... make sure we ask please, and make sure when something is given to us, we say thank you.

But what is gratitude? Gratitude, how we use it, gratitude how it is termed in our society or in our minds, in the English today, it’s a mindset of noticing and valuing something that is good. Either in people, in a gift given, or something that is done. It’s gratitude and seeing growth, it’s gratitude and seeing or a mindset of noticing, valuing change. Maybe when it comes to difficulty, comparing the two. Thankfulness, in some ways it can be narrow. I’m not saying that it is not good, of course.

We say thank you when someone does something for us. We are to be polite, we are to be thankful. But in a sense, it is only brief, there’s only momentary, it is only a quick action because of a positive event. Because of something that was done for you, we often will say thank you. Gratitude is more broad. It endures, it appreciates changes, it is an outlook. If thankfulness and saying thanks is an action, attitude or gratitude is an attitude behind it. We’ll learn more about it. Saying thanks is a once, it is an action, as I mentioned. Gratitude is ongoing, it remembers maybe instructions, it remembers what was done. It is serving, it is giving, it is active in our prayers.

What are some examples comparing what we’ve just gone through? What is an example of... what are some examples? Thanks for the ride. I used that before. Gratitude would be, “I’m grateful to have friends that look out for one another and help each other in a time of need.” I’m sure you can see the difference between the two. One was saying thank you for something that was done, one was having the mindset that you have a group of friends or you have a community that looks out for one another and provides for one another. It’s a little different. There’s a little more depth to it. Or you’re glad that a problem is solved, you’re thankful that a problem is solved, a problem is passed.

How would an attitude of gratitude be? What would grateful be? Grateful for what I’ve learned from the troubles I’ve just gone through. Grateful for how I’ve grown by the troubles I’ve just gone through. It’s two different things. Two different approaches. From that, I’m sure you can see a difference between being thankful and having gratitude. Being grateful. Let’s go to Colossians three verse fifteen. We’re building to a point. Colossians three and verse fifteen. Here’s just some context about being thankful, context of what God’s mind is. God’s mind goes beyond just the event of saying thanks.

Let’s read, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” Make note of peace there, we’ll come back to it. “To the which also you are called in one body, and be you thankful.” It did not say “Be you grateful.” “Let the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” So rejoicing, admonishing one another, encouraging one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing. What a picture that is, not necessarily the point of the message, but it’s just an interesting picture in the scripture for all of us.

“And whatsoever,” verse seventeen, “you do in word or deed,” so whatsoever you and I do, whether in word, whether what we speak, whether what we do, deed, our actions, “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” So all that we say, all that we do, give thanks, say, be grateful, have gratitude to God and the Father by Him, in all that we do. So keep that in mind, that expands it from giving thanks in everything. Here we see in word and deed, give thanks, be grateful by action and by our words.

Back to the statement that I opened with, gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. This afternoon, we’re going to look at the fruits of the Spirit, and we’re going to, as one thread, there are many threads that tie the fruits of the Spirit together. We’re going to look at the fruits of the Spirit and see how gratitude is a thread that connects all of them. Of course, you can look at the fruit of the Spirit, and you see the fruits of the Spirit are the mind of God. They’re all elements of the way God thinks. They are all elements of the way that show the love of God.

There are many other things, those are two other threads or two other elements. There are throughout all the fruits of the Spirit, but today, coming off that statement that gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of them all, I want to look at, with you and I together in God’s Word, all the fruits of the Spirit and how they all have an element of gratitude in them. Let’s go to Galatians five and verse twenty-two. Galatians five and verse twenty-two. We have all read this many times, the fruits of the Spirit. We’re all familiar with it. Maybe some of us can remember it. I have to tell this story. It was out of the mouth of babes.

We had a summer picnic. We had the second summer picnic this year at headquarters, and we had the Amazing Race. And during a part of the Amazing Race, we had to list the fruits of the Spirit. And here we are. You think, “Okay, yes, Mr. Denis was in the group, so I’m a minister, I should name them off like that.” You think the others there that have been in God’s way for many, many years would be able to rhyme off all the fruits of the Spirit in a flash. No, it wasn’t any of us. It was a sweet little girl, daughter of the Fraziers, that hit all nine without missing a beat. It was a sweet moment. I mean, we should all be like her, but it truly was a sweet moment for her to knock them out.

It was an example of what their parents... her parents were doing with her. But let’s read the verses together here. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law.” Well, let’s look at these. Let’s look at all nine of them in the time that we have, and let’s see how behind all of them there’s an element of gratitude. The first one, love, it’s agape love, it’s godly love. Let’s go to Luke seven, verse forty-seven. I’ll actually read forty-four to fifty. An example of love that was shown, care that was shown, as we are to love one another, we are to have brotherly love for one another.

Love that was shown to Christ, the physical action, godly love from Christ that was shown to the lady in this set of scriptures, how it relates to what we’re looking at, gratitude. So let’s read. Let’s begin reading in verse forty-four. Being thankful, being grateful to someone that was there, that’s what this lady did. She served, she cared, she provided for, and then ultimately Christ gave something to her. Let’s read. In verse forty-four, “And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon,” just to break it into the context here, “see you this woman, I have entered your house,” example, learning lesson, I guess Christ here is teaching Simon, and through the scripture teaching all of us.

“See you, this woman, I have entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet,” in the time they would wear sandals, you’d be in the dust of the Middle East, in the dust of the street, “you gave me no water for my feet,” you didn’t clean the dust off my feet, ‘but she has washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head.” Could you imagine that? Could you imagine the service that was given from this lady to Christ, a teacher, God in the flesh, the respect that she gave to Him? In verse forty-five, Christ continues, “You gave me no kiss, but this woman has since the time I came has not ceased to kiss my feet.”

That would maybe make us a little bit, in this day and age, a little uncomfortable. In that culture and that time in the Middle East, that was a show of respect. Verse forty-six, “My head with oil you did not anoint,” you didn’t refresh me, Simon, “but this woman who has anointed my feet with ointment,” she has anointed Christ. “Wherefore I say unto you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.” The love that Christ shows her, “For she loved much/” She loved and cared for Christ much, she showed gratefulness for the servant that came in the room, the Son of Man, Christ, Jesus Christ, who came in the room, she cared for him, she served him, she loved him.

Christ loved her back. “For she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” So God ultimately forgave her because much was forgiven, she loved much, “And he said unto her, your sins are forgiven.” Verse forty-nine, “And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, who is this that forgives sins also?” So who is this? They didn’t see who that was, they didn’t understand who it was yet. And verse fifty, “And she said to the woman, thy faith has saved thee, go in peace.” We’ll come back to that. But we’re all grateful for all God does for us, all the love that God does for us.

We’re grateful for all God does for us. We’ll have more love for God, and we’ll have more love for our fellow man. Let’s look at the next one, joy. Let’s go to Psalm one hundred and seven, the next fruit of the Spirit. Remember, we just saw the fruit of the Spirit being love, let’s look at the fruit of the Spirit being joy. Let’s go to Psalm one hundred and seven. When we read the scripture, you may be wondering why we went here. I’ll explain. Psalm one hundred and seven, and verse twenty-two. Psalm one hundred and seven, and verse twenty-two.

And this one relates to those of us that are looking forward to the Feast, this will apply for those of us looking after the feast, we’re also looking back at what we have done, “And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving.” So let them, past tense, those who’ve given offerings, let them sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, the sacrifice, the sacrifice of gratitude towards God, gratefulness to all that God has done for us, “And declare his works with rejoicing.” So through giving sacrifices, through giving offerings, we are to declare His works with rejoicing.

So the sacrifices we give, and the offerings during the holy days, looking back, we declare God’s works with rejoicing, with joy. Maybe it’s a little easier, let me explain, for us to give our offerings, or the funds, or the money that is in our account, as a blessing, as we count our blessings, but it also should be a sacrifice, should hurt a little bit, but interesting what God says, we declare His works, we declare all the blessings He gave to us throughout the year, and we rejoice.

Put yourself in the shoes of an ancient Israelite, their sacrifices of thanksgiving, their sacrifices of gratefulness may have been the little lamb that followed them around. The little lamb that they fed. The little lamb that ate the grass in their pasture, the one that they cared for, the one that God ultimately provided for, may be their sacrifice they gave. God gave them that little lamb, or whatever they gave as a sacrifice, God gave that little lamb life, or if it was a dove, or other sacrifices of the time, how hard would have that been to give?

But the only way they could have given it, if God had blessed them with animals, blessed them with feed, blessed them with rain, blessed them with sun, with pastures and grass to feed their animals. How much harder would their sacrifices have been? But in the end, what were those sacrifice to declare? What do they declare to us when we do it today? The blessings that God gave us. To be grateful for all the blessings that God gave us, and rejoice, have joy. We go to the feast to learn to rejoice and fear God, afterwards, that’ll be in our minds, all that we learned, to take that joy with us. To be grateful for all that God does for us.

It will, it should, and if we have this mindset, it’ll bring us great joy. Let’s look at the next one. Peace. Let’s go to First Timothy two and verse one to three. First Timothy two and verse one, we’ll read to verse three. So we’ve heard about love, we’ve read about joy, let’s read about peace. How’s gratitude? How’s our gratitude in peace? Or how does gratitude bring us peace? And we were going to First Timothy two and verse one. Almost there.

First Timothy two and verse one, “And I exhort you, therefore, that first of all, of all supplications, prayers, and intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” Let’s look at verse one, “I exhort, therefore, that first of all,” I exhort, that’s for all of us, “that first of all, all supplications, all prayers, and intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.” That’s what we are to do. We are to give thanks, in a sense, to give thanks for all men, that we may live peaceably, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life, to have peace.

But to give thanks to all men, all the men that are around us, I’d say all the kings, and all that are in authority, we are to give thanks for them. No matter the decisions they make, God put them in authority. No matter the stripes that they come from, the leanings they may have, I know in the various countries we all come from, we all have different leaders. Those leaders have different approaches. Those leaders have different priorities. But we are to give thanks for all men, so that we may live peaceably, so that we may have peace.

Give thanks. We are to be grateful for all the men that are in authority, so that we may live peaceably. Let’s turn to Psalm thirty-four, verse fourteen. In addition to seeking peace, or peace here, the fruit of peace, we’re for to pray for all men, we’re praying for all those that are in authority, that we may live peaceably, be grateful that they’re there. It must be tough. Sometimes, they may not make the decisions that we think make sense. Maybe those decisions are made, are there, we talked about gratefulness, being to learn from the grown character, go through times of trouble, go through trials. Maybe there’s things we can learn from them.

The men in this world, we can certainly learn their ways of how not to do things. We can learn to grow in character when we’re under their authority, as we are supposed to yield to their authority. Let’s see in Psalm thirty-four, verse fourteen, really the second half of the verse, peace, we’re to be thankful for all men, but peace here, “Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.” We’re supposed to seek peace. And if we seek peace by being grateful, for all more grateful we are, the more peace we’ll have. If we seek to be grateful for all that is in our lives, we’ll be seeking peace.

The next fruit of the Spirit is long-suffering. Let’s go to James one. Long suffering, I was alluding to it a little bit earlier, but gratitude reframes how we look at trials. Look at hard times, look at things or problems that don’t necessarily go well. We can learn something from it. We can grow from it. We can maybe learn a lesson on how a decision we may have made that brought on the trial. We can learn not to make that decision again, not to do it that way again. If it’s outside our control and a trial comes upon us, the ISA lines for those of us who traveled through the airports was longer than we wanted to because those in Congress couldn’t get along.

Well, maybe we had to show a little more gratitude, a little more grateful of what we have around us, grown a little more patience. Hopefully, as I speak to us before the feast, I don’t speak as those things as though they shall be in front of us. Hopefully, God does make it easy for all of us to travel from the feast, but there will be things that we’ll have to grow in patience, I’m sure. Things don’t always go according to plan or things haven’t always gone according to plan, but gratitude reframes those trials. Gratitude helps us to see how we can grow from them.

We’re all there now in James one verse two, “Brethren, count it all joy.” We just talked about joy earlier. Here we’re talking about long suffering, patience, in a sense. “Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into verse temptations, knowing this, that trying of your faith works patience.” That those trials, those temptations, those trying of our faith works patience, works long suffering in us, helps us to grow in this fruit of the Spirit, helps us to build this fruit of the Spirit. “But let patience have her perfect work.” That you being perfect and entire wanting, “That you may be perfect, entire wanting nothing.”

So ultimately, a little long suffering, a few trials that help us grow in godly character, a few trials that help us grow in all of the fruit of the Spirit, a few trials that help us be a little more grateful for them, as they help us grow in patience. So in the end, what can we be? That you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. What does that sound like? That we may ultimately be part of the family of God. We may be there and be there at the change, become a son of God, become part of the God family, to become perfect. With that, we have to endure those moments of long suffering.

We have to be grateful for those moments, so we grow in character, so we grow in patience, so we have a little more of this fruit of the Spirit. Let’s go to the next one, gentleness or kindness. Let’s go to Ephesians four and verse thirty-two. Ephesians four and verse thirty-two. And here we are at the end of the chapter. Let me read. “And be you kind one to another, be tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Christ... even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you.” So how much kindness, how much gentleness has God given us?

He’s forgiven us for all that we’ve done. He’s been kind to us for all that we have done, immeasurably so. So, how grateful should we be to others? How kindness... how much kind should we be to one another? Tenderhearted, forgiving. How much should we be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving to one another? Even though maybe they rub us just the wrong way sometimes. Sometimes that can happen with brothers and sisters. Sometimes that can happen in the world. What can we learn from that? What can we change in our approaches to that? How can we look at that and be grateful for the moment so we can learn ourselves to be more kind, so we can learn, ourselves, to be more gentle?

Let’s look at the verse just above this, in verse thirty-one, near a list of verses. It juxtaposes what we read, juxtaposes what we’re learning as we go through the fruits of the Spirit. And as I read these words, try and fit in there somewhere, how would you fit gratitude in any of these words? How would you fit being grateful in any of these words? Just this is the verse that sets up what we just read. Let’s read it. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.” So where could we find gratitude, gratefulness? In being bitter, in having wrath, in having anger, in glamour, in evil speaking, in malice? I speak in some way in jest.

How is that possible? Of course not. It’s rhetorical. There’s no way that in any of those words we could show gratitude. We could be grateful about bitterness. No, we can’t have any of that in it. That’s the opposite of the fruits of the Spirit. One of the lists that show the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit. But we are, and we read in verse thirty-two, “Be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you.” What a difference. What a different picture. What a picture of the gentleness we are to have. Being grateful should, in all of us, bring out kindness to one another.

Goodness. The next one. Let’s go to Second Corinthians nine. Second Corinthians nine, a few pages over, and verse eleven. This one may not seem as obvious at first, and I’ll try and bring it out of the Scripture, but goodness. How does it fit? I’m grateful, I’m having gratitude. The connection to goodness should be clear, but let’s see how it is here. So in verse eleven of Second Corinthians nine, “Being enriched in everything,” make sure I’m in the right spot here, “But being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which cause through us thanksgiving to God, for the administration of this service not only supplies the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God.

Whiles by the experiment of the ministrations the glorifying God for your professed subjection into the gospel of Christ and for your liberal distribution unto them and unto all men.” A lot of words there, a lot of depth there, which may be one of those writings of Paul that don’t roll easily off the tongue, but let’s look at it. What is being said here? How does that relate to goodness? If we look at these words here in verse twelve, and here I’ll break into the middle of the verse, “This service not only supplies the want of the saints.” So the service that was given cared for all the needs of the saints. Sounds like goodness. It sounds like caring and serving for others.

And what ultimately did that do, or how did it ultimately close? All the want of the saints was supplied for, was cared for. That’s goodness. “All bountiful,” back to verse eleven, “All bountifulness, which cause through us through thanksgiving to God,” ultimately giving thanksgiving to God, ultimately being grateful to God. And in the end, Paul here is being complimentary to the Corinthians in the second epistle, “And for your liberal distribution unto them and unto all men.” For your liberal distribution, for your liberal care and serving of all men, of all saints, that there was no want.

That would be goodness. That would be care. That would be showing goodness to the saints and goodness to fellow man. For more grateful in life, more grateful for all that is around us, we’ll do more good to others. We’ll care more and serve our fellow brethren. We’ll look out for the needs of one another. If we are more grateful for all that is done in our lives, we’ll share that with all those around us. The next one, faith. Let’s go to Colossians two and verse six and seven. Colossians two and verse six and seven. And faith, how it connects to gratitude, thankfulness and gratitude, ultimately, it strengthens our faith. It builds our faith.

The more thankful we are to all that God has done in our lives, it builds our faith. Let’s go to Colossians two and verse six and seven. We’ll read. Let’s read in verse six, “And you therefore receive Jesus Christ, so walk you in him”. So as we receive Christ, walk with Him, follow Him. And verse seven, “Rooted and built up in him, established in faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” So we received Jesus Christ, we received God, we walked in God’s way, we keep God’s law, we walk in God’s commandments, we do God’s will, we’re rooted up and built up in Him and established, establishing our faith as we have been taught.

And then ultimately, abounding in thanksgiving and bounding in gratefulness for what we have taught, for what has been done for us. Let’s jump over back... let’s jump over to Luke seven and verse five. And I mean, Luke seven and verse fifty. I said we’d go back here, just we got the context of what the woman had done for Christ, how much love and care and concern she showed for Christ, how it was a teaching moment for Simon. And then God, Christ forgave her of her sins. But ultimately, was it her faith? Our faith should be... should follow her example. And here’s what Christ said, “And he said to the woman, Your faith saved you, go in peace.”

If we are grateful and our thankfulness and gratitude strengthens our faith, our faith will grow. And ultimately, our faith will save us. Let’s go to the next one, meekness or humility. Let’s go to Philippians two. We’re on the eighth fruit of the Spirit, working our way through all the fruits of the Spirit, showing how there’s an element of gratitude in each one. Let’s go to Philippians two, and we’ll begin reading in verse one, and we’ll read through to verse five. Philippians two and verse one, “If there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any bowels and mercies fulfill you my joy, that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done, therefore, through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.” So meekness is humility. I want to look at this verse here, verse three., “et nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves.” We are to have meekness. We are to have humility. We are to see ourselves as we are, to see others around us. We are to esteem others better than ourselves. Let’s continue reading. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” We are to have meekness.

We are to have humility. We are not only to look out for ourselves. Not only to look out to get what is needed for us, but to look out and see what is needed for others. And verse five. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ.” So again, whom we follow, who is our example. But meekness, a fruit of the Spirit, which is humility, helps us to see others better than ourselves. Helps us to see the needs of others. So if we have gratefulness in ourselves, if we have gratitude, we can help... it helps us see ourselves and help us to see who others are.

Now, the last fruit of the Spirit, temperance, also can be termed self-control. Let’s go to Hebrews thirteen and verse five. We’ll look to a couple of scriptures on this one, on this particular fruit of the Spirit. Let’s start with Hebrews thirteen and verse five. We’re trying to see how through temperance and self-control, where’s an element of gratitude? Where’s an element of being grateful behind you, or being thankful? And here we’ll read in Hebrews thirteen and verse five, talking about temperance, talking about self-control. “Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with the things that you have. For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

What a great promise. I will never leave you nor forsake you. But before that, be content with what you have. Have temperance in all that you have. Be content with what God has provided for you. Be grateful for all that God has given us. And remember, “For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Be content in all that we have. Even if we have very little, and it’ll be actually harder when we have a lot, to remember that God will always be with us. It’s easy to remember that when we have little. God provides so much for us.

When we have a lot, sometimes we think we have it all. We don’t need God as much. But what does it say in the verse here? Be content with the things that you have, for I will never leave you nor forsake you. Let’s go to First Timothy six and verse six. Expound on this a little. First Timothy six and verse six. Looking at temperance. Being content. First Timothy six and verse six. “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” It’s having temperance, having self-control, being satisfied with all that God has given us, whether that is a lot or whether that is little. But with your content with what you have, when you’re just grateful for what you’ve been given, there’s great gain.

It’s a great blessing to have self-control. It’s a great blessing to have a little temperance. It’s a great blessing to be content with the lives that we’ve been given, with the blessings that we have, with not the endless search for more, with the endless pursuit that this world will be busy with for more, but being content with what we have is great gain. A mindset of gratitude strengthens our temperance. A mindset of being grateful for all that God has given us strengthens our temperance. Give us more self-control. Now, in contrast, as we have just gone through all the fruits of the Spirit and we’ve seen an element of gratitude in each one, let’s go to Romans one and verse twenty-one.

Earlier, we did this a little with a different verse. Let’s do that here in Romans one and verse twenty-one. Just to contrast, how through all the fruits of the Spirit, we have seen there’s gratefulness behind it, there’s gratitude. Let’s read these verses here. This first verse, Romans one and verse twenty-one. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful.” They were ungrateful. They did not have gratitude. “But became vain in their imaginations and foolish, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools, and changed the glory of uncorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, to birds and fowl, four-footed beasts and creeping things.” And it continues. But neither were thankful. We can see that in the world today. That contrasts the fruits of the Spirit. We can see that, that there are many who are ungrateful for what they have. They are ungrateful for all that God has created for them. The world that God has put them in. They’re ungrateful for the fellow man that is around them. Read the headlines. Read the news. Do you think that one nation bombing another nation, they’re grateful for their neighbor?

Do you think they’re showing gratitude for their neighbor? Or the one that takes and steals from another, in the many forms that it is done in this day and age? Do you think they’re grateful for their fellow man? No, of course not. What does God say in this verse? Let’s read it again. What a contrast to what we’ve just read and seen. “But because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were they thankful.” They were ungrateful. They did not show gratitude, “And became vain in their imaginations. And their foolish heart were darkened.”

Look at the world around us. Don’t we see that their imaginations are vain? Can’t we see that their foolish heart was darkened because they are ungrateful for all that they have? They don’t have... as we have seen, they haven’t been led to see the fruits of the Spirit and grow in the fruits of the Spirit. They haven’t been called to God’s way. Let’s go to Psalm one hundred and three. Let’s go to Psalm one hundred and three. We touched on, became ungrateful. An element to juxtapose the fruits of the Spirit and how gratefulness and gratitude is throughout all of them. Mankind generally is not grateful. Not grateful to God. They do not know their God. They do not know their Creator. They will one day.

Let’s go to verse three. Hopefully, I’m turning. I may not have written the right verse down. No, I did. I just looked at the wrong verse. So here we are. Let’s just start in verse one, Psalm one hundred and three. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name.” Those words bless there can be gratitude, can be gratefulness. Giving gratefulness, gratitude to God, blessing God, blessing the Lord. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” That can also be termed as, don’t be ungrateful. Don’t forget all that God has done for us. Don’t forget all the elements through the fruits of the Spirit that are grateful.

Don’t forget all that God the Father has done. Forgetful can also be ungrateful. Let’s turn. And to close, let’s go back to Galatians five and verse twenty-two. I hope through this message, you’ve seen a connection. A connection between gratefulness, gratitude, and the fruits of the Spirit. As a reminder, let’s read the fruits of the Spirit again. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, and against such there is no law.’ Brethren, we have seen, if we are more grateful and have more gratitude in all areas, in all the fruits of the Spirit, as we see it’s in all the fruits of the Spirit, we will grow in all the fruits of the Spirit.