Recap:

Church, before we dive into James 1, let me say a fact: Thanksgiving is late this year, which means Christmas is basically here, and in my house, that means Dez is reminding me that four kids are expecting presents and we haven’t planned a thing. And look, we all say Christmas isn’t about the gifts… but let’s be honest, there are good gifts, and there are bad gifts.

I’ve experienced both.

Last year, we pulled off one of the greatest surprises in Adams family history, a scavenger hunt, a big box, and a puppy who jumped out at the end. A miracle, considering I don’t like dogs. Zuzu is the exception… I tolerate her. Dez loves her. The kids adore her. Great gift.

But then there was high school me, dating a girl I kind of liked… and giving her a pink shower radio for Christmas, right before breaking up with her in a Soar Park parking lot. It was a bad gift. A terrible gift. And my posture wasn’t any better.

And that leads us to today’s message.

Because life is full of moments like that, moments where we either live with a posture of gratitude or a posture of ungratefulness. Scripture tells us this clearly:

James 1:16–18, every good and perfect gift comes from God.
 1 Thessalonians 5:18, be thankful in all circumstances.

Gratitude isn’t an emotion.
It isn’t seasonal.
It isn’t something that happens naturally.

Gratitude is a position. A posture. A full-body, whole-life stance.

Bad posture just happens, you don’t even think about it.
But good posture must be trained.

I was a bratty kid. I didn’t like clothes as gifts. I counted presents. I compared mine to my brother’s. I had a posture problem. But over time, my parents trained me, and now I’m training my kids.

And that’s the truth spiritually too:

Gratitude doesn’t grow automatically.
 Ungratefulness does.

And yet, God has been so good to us.
If gratitude is the fruit, God’s goodness is the root.

So to understand gratitude, we walked through James 1 and the five seasons James describes, five seasons you might be standing in today.

  1. A Season of Difficulty

“Consider it pure joy…” James writes.
Not because the difficulty is joyful, but because God is doing something in us.

Bad posture: stress, worry, frustration.
Good posture: perseverance, “God, You’re growing me.”

God is good in difficulty.
Not after.
In it.

  1. A Season of Waiting

If you lack wisdom, ask God.
Some of us are waiting for a spouse, a job, a child, restoration, direction.

Bad posture: doubt, impatience, envy.
Good posture: faith, “Even if You don’t, You’re still good.”

Waiting reveals what we believe about God’s goodness.

  1. A Season of Little or Loss

Some of us feel empty, financially, emotionally, relationally.
James says the poor are honored by God.

Bad posture: bitterness, isolation, anger.
Good posture: hope.

Not naive hope.
Not blind positivity.
Biblical hope, “God, You are enough, and You redeem what I cannot explain.”

Even if you’ve lost much…
God has not lost you.

  1. A Season of Temptation

James is clear, temptation doesn’t come from God.
Some are fighting private battles. Shame. Cycles. Patterns.

Bad posture: shame, apathy, self-reliance.
Good posture: reliance on God.

“God, I can’t beat this alone. I need Your strength.”

Where sin grows, death grows.
Where God’s goodness fills, freedom comes.

  1. A Season of Abundance

Some of you are in a good season, family is healthy, life is full, blessings abound.

But even abundance is a test.

Bad posture: stinginess, pride, wanting more.
Good posture: generosity, “God entrusted this to me, so I’ll share it.”

Every season reveals our posture.

The Heart of It All

So the question today isn’t “What season are you in?”

It’s:

What posture are you bringing into the season you’re in?
 Does your life reflect confidence in the goodness of God?
 Does your heart reflect thankfulness in all circumstances?

And if not, God can shift that today.

We ended with prayer, hands open, hearts soft, asking God to reveal His goodness again and reset our posture. Because gratitude isn’t a Thanksgiving sermon. It’s a year-long, life-long calling.

And church,
God is good in every season.
 Every trial.
 Every blessing.
 Every waiting room.
 Every loss.
 Every moment.
 Every breath.

May we live with a posture that reflects that truth.

Amen.

 

Group Questions:

Icebreakers (choose 1–3)

  1. What’s the best gift you’ve ever received, and what’s the worst?

  2. What’s one Thanksgiving or Christmas tradition in your family that always makes you laugh, or stresses you out?

  3. If gratitude were a physical posture, what would yours look like today? Straight spine? Slouched? Leaning forward? Asleep?

Discussion Questions:

Gratitude as Posture

  • In your own words, what does it mean that “gratitude is not an emotion, it’s a position”?
  • Where do you personally notice yourself slipping into “bad posture” spiritually?
  • How does recognizing God’s goodness as the root change the way you view gratitude as a fruit?

The Five Seasons in James 1

The Season of Difficulty

James 1:2–4

  • Why is “consider it pure joy” so challenging when circumstances are hard?
  • What bad posture do you tend to default to under pressure, stress, worry, frustration?
  • Can you identify something God has grown in you through difficulty?
  • Where have you seen God be good in difficulty, not just after it?

The Season of Waiting

James 1:5–8

  • What are you waiting on God for in this season?
  • How do doubt, impatience, or comparison creep into your posture while waiting?
  • How does faith look practically in a waiting season?
  • Where have you seen God’s goodness show up even when He didn’t move on your timeline?

The Season of Little or Loss

James 1:9–11

  • When have you walked through a time of financial, emotional, or relational “little”?
  • What posture did you take in that season, bitterness or hope?
  • What does biblical hope (not positivity, not pretending) look like in your real life?
  • How can God meet someone right in the place where they feel empty?

The Season of Temptation

James 1:13–15

  • Why is it important to know that temptation does not come from God?
  • What does bad posture look like in temptation, shame? hiding? self-reliance?
  • What does good posture look like, running to God? confession? reliance on the Spirit?
  • Where have you experienced God replacing shame with freedom?

The Season of Abundance

James 1:17–18

  • Why can abundance be just as spiritually dangerous as lack?
  • What bad posture shows up when life is “good”, pride, greed, complacency?
  • How does generosity protect your posture in seasons of blessing?
  • In what ways has God entrusted you with something to share?

The Heart of the Message

  • Which “season” describes where you are right now?
  • Is your posture reflecting gratitude or something else?
  • What would a “posture shift” look like for you this week?

Closing Prayer Moment

Have everyone open their hands on their lap and pray:

  • “God, help me see Your goodness in this season.”
  • “Reset my posture where it has slipped.”

“Grow gratitude in me, not as a moment, but as a lifestyle.”