What does gratitude mean to you? I’ve had people give me gifts for which I have been extremely grateful. Some of them came as surprises and most of them felt underserved. I’ve contemplated the things in my life for which I am thankful. My family, my kids, my house, friends, job, the material things that I have. I’ve felt grateful as I’ve traveled to places in the developing world seeing the comparative poverty in which much of the world lives. All these things leave most of us with a feeling of thankfulness and gratitude.
It makes me think of the Hobby Lobby signs hanging in many of our homes. I have one on my fireplace mantle. The word we toss around quite a bit is “blessed.” We feel blessed. We are blessed. We are thankful for our many blessings. What does that really mean, though? We find that word in the Bible. Jesus uses it.
Matthew 5:3-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…
Jesus goes on to mention nine total “blessings” for the people of God. The Greek word, Makarios, used here denotes a person who is this: happy, fortunate, flourishing, blessed. This word leaves us wanting, however. Because Jesus didn’t natively speak Greek, but he spoke and taught in the Hebrew dialect Aramaic. The Aramaic word most commonly translated into Greek as “blessed” is the word, Ashrey. This word gives us a deeper more profound meaning used 45 times throughout the Old Testament.
Psalm 1:1-13
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wickedor stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
Here, the word Ashrey describes a person who delights in God’s word, voice, and presence in her life. She is compared to a tree that bears fruit and whose leaves never wither. She is grounded in God’s heart and produces fruit year-round from her groundedness in Him. The word in Psalm 2 describes a man who finds refuge, protection, and safety in God.
What’s the point of all this? We are wrapping up a series this weekend at White Oak entitled Acts of Gratitude. We’ve been looking at how the early church responded to the movement of God’s power and grace in their lives in the book of Acts. God’s movement sparked a boldness in their evangelism, extravagant generosity to one another and the poor, a true dependance and surrender to his power, and healing for many.
Did you catch that? The early followers of Jesus would not have described their lives as “blessed” because of their material possessions, life experiences, or relationship status. They didn’t define “gratitude” as a feeling brought about by the things they received or owned. Instead, their gratitude manifested in their identity in Christ. Their gratitude was aimed at God in Jesus for his death, resurrection, and Spirit-filled presence in their lives. As a result, their gratitude became their response! They bore fruit in their lives because they delighted in the word, presence, power, and grace of God! They connected their hearts, faith, and obedience to God and found refuge and security in him. For this, they were truly blessed.
My personal conviction and challenge for you this season is to check your blessedness and gratitude. What does that really mean in your life? How are you acting grateful for God’s movement of power and grace in your life? Walk with me as I pray for the strength to live the truly blessed life.
With gratitude,
Nathan
P.S. Be sure you are preparing your heart for worship and gratitude for December 8, Shaken Culmination Sunday! We will celebrate what God has been doing in and through our church over this two-year season and we’ll worship him looking forward to where he leads us next! You won’t want to miss this day!
Nathan Hinkle
Lead Pastor