Grateful - study guide

By Elizabeth McQuoid

How grateful are we? Can we live a grateful life in an age of rampant entitlement? To resist the lure of social media comparisons and see through those carefully curated posts and pictures?

In the Grateful study guide, Elizabeth McQuoid takes us through the Scriptures and shows how gratitude is a heart attitude which every Christian needs to cultivate and the key to consistent daily discipleship and mission involvement.

These seven Bible studies feature prayers, questions and leaders’ notes as well as ideas for going further. Drawing on the theme for Keswick 2022 and acting as a companion volume to Peter Maiden’s Radical Gratitude, Grateful shows that it is possible to be thankful for God’s salvation, gifts and love no matter what our circumstances.

Part of the Keswick Study Guide series, Grateful is ideal for using either individually or in small groups, including both stories and personal application to help you make the most of its studies in every day life. The leaders’ notes also make it perfect for the busy homegroup leader. Practical and insightful, Grateful is a brilliant resource for anyone wanting to understand Biblical teaching on gratitude better or wanting to know how we can being practice being grateful whatever might come our way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IVP
• Release date: Jul 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781789741414

Elizabeth McQuoid

Elizabeth McQuoid is Commissioning Editor for Keswick Ministries. She is married to Jeremy, the Chairman, and they live in Aberdeen. She has written over 20 study guides, including The Transforming Trinity. She edits the Food for the Journey series, and is co-author with husband Jeremy of The Amazing Cross. Elizabeth is a columnist for Evangelicals Now and a former trustee of Keswick Convention.

Book preview

To be grateful is not just a wonderful remedy against much that troubles us, but also a powerful key to receiving blessing. Precisely because gratefulness is so important, I have no hesitation in recommending these thoughtful and thought-provoking Bible studies, which educate, enthuse and encourage in equal measure. Read, use and be grateful!

J.John, speaker and author

Overflowing gratitude should mark out every disciple of Jesus. This book is a wonderful aid to nourishing a grateful heart. Seven studies mine a rich seam of scriptural treasure, stimulating prayer and encouraging practical application. It is ideal for group discussion as well as personal study. Buy it, use it and be blessed.

Paul Mallard, author and pastor of Widcombe Baptist Church, Bath

Titlepage_ebk

INTER-VARSITY PRESS

36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4ST, England

Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.ivpbooks.com

© Elizabeth McQuoid, 2022

Elizabeth McQuoid has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, niv® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations marked esv are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked msg are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

First published 2022

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978–1–78974–140–7

eBook ISBN: 978–1–78974–141–4

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Set in Warnock

Typeset in Great Britain by CRB Associates, Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire

Printed in Great Britain by Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport, Hampshire

eBook by CRB Associates, Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire

Inter-Varsity Press publishes Christian books that are true to the Bible and that communicate the gospel, develop discipleship and strengthen the church for its mission in the world.

IVP originated within the Inter-Varsity Fellowship, now the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk. That historic association is maintained, and all senior IVP staff and committee members subscribe to the UCCF Basis of Faith.

Contents

Introduction

1. Grateful for salvation (Ephesians 1:3–14)

2. Grateful for God’s gifts (Numbers 14:1–12)

3. Grateful for God’s love (Psalm 107:1–22)

4. Grateful for God working his purposes out (Colossians 1:15–23)

5. Grateful, in spite of suffering (1 Peter 1:3–9)

6. Grateful, not entitled (Psalm 73:1–26)

7. Grateful – intentionally, as a daily choice (Philippians 4:4–9)

Notes for leaders

1. Grateful for salvation

2. Grateful for God’s gifts

3. Grateful for God’s love

4. Grateful for God working his purposes out

5. Grateful, in spite of suffering

6. Grateful, not entitled

7. Grateful – intentionally, as a daily choice

Books mentioned in the text

About Keswick Ministries

Introduction

Remember having to write those obligatory Christmas and birthday ‘thank you’ cards?

In our home, technology has taken over and cards have been superseded by text messages or WhatsApp chats. But even though my children are now teenagers, I still want them to say ‘thank you’, not because society demands it but because I genuinely want them to appreciate what they have and be grateful.

As Christians, we are called to be ‘overflowing’ with gratitude (Colossians 2:6), giving thanks ‘always’ and for ‘everything’ (Ephesians 5:20) in ‘whatever [we] do’ (Colossians 3:17). Like a parent, God is not asking for mere compliance but heartfelt thankfulness. So why does God demand our gratitude? Because it appropriately magnifies him and makes us appropriately small.

Gratitude is our rightful response to all that God is and all that he has done for us. When we are grateful, we are explicitly affirming that God has lavishly poured out his grace on our lives in ways that we could never earn or deserve, which changes our posture and attitude. It’s impossible to be selfish, entitled and proud while at the same time saying ‘thank you’. We are humbling ourselves, depending on his goodness and trusting his sovereignty. We lift our eyes from ourselves and our situation and focus on God.

It is tempting to think, ‘I would be more grateful if I had a different family situation, a higher income and fewer health problems’, but you probably