Deep & Wide: Rooted in Gratitude

What’s the most extravagant way you’ve ever thanked someone, or been thanked by someone else? 

We are a group of imperfect people pursuing a perfect God. We exist to help each other find and follow Christ. These are some things we want to be true of our group:

• We create a safe and honest environment, staying transparent and authentic.
• We keep it inside the circle. Confidentiality is necessary for a healthy group.
• We look together to the Bible for help and guidance, and keep out our own politics, sales, or agendas.
• We do not try to fix each other, preach sermons, or give unsolicited advice. We instead encourage, listen to, and celebrate each other.
• We handle conflict between us quickly and honestly by going to the person, owning our part, and practicing forgiveness.
• We respect each others’ time by starting and ending when we say we will.
• We trust that it is God’s role to change people, not ours.
• We believe that in Jesus Christ, there is hope for everyone.

This week, Mike talked about what it means to be Rooted in Gratitude. We’re called to be a people of faith and an example of what it is like to be under God’s goodness. This means not withholding thanks because you think they already know or hear it enough. It also means allowing God to shape us using our circumstances and still be rooted in knowing God is good, confident that He is who He says He is. Mike calls us to be a church that loves others and calls awareness to how much we are already blessed, knowing that we are already rescued. Even more, that we are a community that gives back to grow deep roots.   

Colossians 2:7

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

CONNECT

GRATEFUL PEOPLE
Who’s one of the most grateful people you know? How do you know it?

YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU
How do you feel about the phrase “you can’t take it with you” and how does it affect your priorities and decisions?

APPLY

GRATITUDE BEGINS WHERE MY ENTITLEMENT ENDS
Mike said that ingratitude is often the catalyst for many of our major struggles.

• How can resisting God in this way prevent him from blessing us further because we aren’t allowing Him to work in our lives?
   

GRATITUDE IS THE SOIL OF A GREAT LIFE
Mike mentions that he’s never met an arrogant person that is grateful and always sees humble people being consistently grateful.

• How can being intentionally grateful to God change our perspective and make us more humble?
   

READ THE LEPER STORY (Luke 17:11-19)
Mike said that unexpressed gratitude feels like INgratitude.

• How have you felt when someone has withheld their gratitude when you’ve gone out of your way for them?
   
• What can make it hard for you to share your gratitude for what God has done in your life with others?
   

CELEBRATING OTHERS

Read Ephesians 3:14-21 together.

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

• Celebrating others when they win is a good test of our own gratitude. Where in your life is it easy to feel competitive instead of gracious? Have you uncovered why it’s so hard to celebrate others and still be sure that God loves you just as much?
   

LIVING BY GRACE
The Rooted Journey has been all about learning to give from a place of trust and surrender, instead of just giving to a project or a goal; that’s because God wants us to give from our heart and not out of obligation.

• How has being intentionally generous changed your heart in the past, or along this Rooted journey?

READ. PRAY. DO.

Read

• PROVERBS 3 using SOAP, an easy tool for engaging with the Bible!
  
   (S)cripture: Read the passage highlight, underline and write down the phrases or sentences that stand out to you.
   (O)bserve: Write down your observations or share them with someone else! It’d have to be life-changing or especially insightful.
   (A)pply: How does the Scripture (or your observation) impact your everyday life?
   (P)ray: Pray about what God might want to teach you through this Scripture, and ask for help applying it to your life.

Pray

You can use this prayer as a launching point for your own personal time connecting with God.

• Jesus, I know I can get caught up in myself and what my needs are. Help me remember that everything is yours. Give me the courage to be known as someone that would sacrifice everything for you because I know you are good and I can trust you. I thank you for loving me first so I can have the passion to love others.

Do

• Write a thank you letter to a friend, co-worker, or someone you know does not receive thanks very often. Hand this letter/card to them or snail mail it so it’s tangible.