Robert Morris - The Attitude Of Gratitude

Learn to avoid the spirits of pride and poverty as Pastor Robert teaches how to properly view earthly “stuff” through the eyes of gratitude.

The way we think about our possessions will determine whether we have a heart of greed or a heart of gratitude.

In Luke 12:13–21, Jesus told a parable about a rich man. This man had full barns, but that wasn’t the problem; the problem was that his heart was greedy. Jesus warned us to: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses” (v. 15).

The opposite of gratitude is greed. Gratitude is thankful; greed always wants more. God doesn’t have a problem with us having stuff. Stuff is just stuff. He does have a problem when stuff has us. He cares about how we think about stuff, because it determines whether we have a heart of gratitude or a heart of greed.

Stuff—our stuff and other people’s stuff— is a test of the heart that reveals who we’re looking to for our provision. The Ten Commandments tell us not to covet. Coveting means “to set the heart upon” something that belongs to another person. Coveting is a root of greed. Greed expects to receive from other people, while gratitude looks to God for provision.

The spirit of pride and the spirit of poverty are enemies of the attitude of gratitude. The spirit of pride tells us that stuff comes from our own hard work or talent and we should be proud of it. The spirit of poverty tells us that stuff comes from the Devil and we should be ashamed of it. Both spirits are wrong, because they put the focus on stuff instead of God!

Both pride and poverty cause us to compare ourselves with others. Gratitude compares what we have done (nothing) with what God has done (everything). When we have an attitude of gratitude, we’ll pass the “stuff test.”