Sermon Notes
Key Question
How can we become more grateful for our blessings?
The Set-Up
David longed for a drink of water from the well near Bethlehem where he had grown up. Three of his mighty men traveled to get some of the water for him. (23:15-16)
The Take-Away
David realized what he had was far better than what he wanted. (23:17)
1. All of us have occasions when we lose perspective about what matters.
2. It is only as we reflect upon what counts that we realize how much we are blessed.
3. If we are not alert, we focus on what we don’t have and ignore what we have.
4. It is easy to forget our big blessings and focus on what we want.
Application
– Make a list of the challenges which distract you from being grateful.
– Make a list of blessings for which you need to express your gratitude to God.
– Ask God to help you not be distracted by life’s challenges. Express thanksgiving to God for all His blessings to you.
Discussion Questions
TALK IT OUT
- Most of us are more prone to focus on what is bad instead of paying close attention to what is good. Why do we have a tendency to focus on bad instead of good?
- Even when we’re committed to God there are times in our lives when life is anything but easy. Why do so many buy into the false idea that if we fully follow God everything in our life will be perfect?
- We can all easily become blind to how much God has blessed us. Why is it so easy to lose our perspective when it comes to our blessings?
- In this passage one of the things David came to realize was how blessed he was to have wonderful friends. Think through the friends God has blessed you with and reflect on how much those friends enrich your life.
- When we have our health, friends and the basics of life, we are richly blessed. It is very easy for us to take foundational blessings like these for granted and to instead focus on things which are far less significant. Why?
- We have a tendency to get caught up in the insignificant and ignore the things which really matter. How can we fight our tendency to fall into that trap?
- Pastor Tim points out that David poured out the water his men brought to him. At first glance his actions seem grossly inappropriate since his men had to put their lives in danger getting this water for him. Why was offering the water to God such a powerful demonstration of how David properly understood this blessing?
- Why do we tend to always want something new when we have already been given far more blessings than most people in other parts of the world ever have?
LIVE IT OUT
- Make a list of the things you naturally recognize as blessings. Pause to thank God for one.
- Make a list of the blessings which you tend to take for granted. Read your list and thank God for each blessing on your list.
- How does your perspective need to change when it comes to being aware of your blessings? Ask God to help you be more aware of His generosity.
- David took the blessing of the water his men got for him and poured it out as an offering to the Lord. Pick one of the blessings from the two lists you just created and ask God to help you give that back to Him. Don’t just give it back to God, ask Him to help you be aware of how richly you have been blessed.