Overflowing with Thankfulness

Ps David Jones 

Sunday Morning’s message 14^th December 2025

citywestchurch YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NOV1HuHHTM

Leaders note:

This study is a guide—use it flexibly. Adapt the questions and follow the flow of your group. Keep it simple, keep it fun, and create space for God to move as you grow together.

Introduction:

Thankfulness is more than a polite response or a personality trait — it is a spiritual posture. Scripture repeatedly links gratitude with faith, maturity, and spiritual stability. Yet over time, it is possible to drift from wonder into routine, from gratitude into familiarity.

This study explores Paul’s encouragement to the church in Colossae to continue walking in Christ, remaining rooted, growing strong, and overflowing with thankfulness. As we reflect on what God has done — not just what we can see, but what only He could do — we are invited to break open the dam and let thankfulness flow again.

Walking in Christ:

Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness

Paul reminds the Colossian believers that the Christian life begins the same way it continues — by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Salvation was never achieved through effort or perfection; it was received as a gift. In the same way, growth is not about striving harder, but about continuing to walk daily in dependence on Christ.

The phrase “continue to live” literally means to walk. This points to steady, day-by-day faithfulness rather than dramatic spiritual highs. Life with Jesus is not a sprint; it is a lifelong journey of submission, trust, and intimacy with the Holy Spirit. When we forget how we received Christ, we risk drifting into self-reliance instead of gratitude.

Discuss:

• What does it look like practically to “walk in Christ” day by day?

• Why do you think it’s easy to forget the simplicity of how we first received Jesus?

• Where do you sense God inviting you to slow down and walk more intentionally with Him?

Rooted and Built Up

Colossians 2:7a (NIV)rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught

Paul uses rich imagery to describe spiritual maturity. Christians are not meant to be tumbleweeds, blown around by culture, emotions, relationships, or trends in belief. Instead, we are to be deeply rooted in Christ — drawing strength, nourishment, and stability from Him.

Roots are unseen, but they determine health and growth. Being rooted in Christ allows believers to be built up and strengthened over time. This growth does not come from chasing new or secret knowledge, but from holding firmly to the truth already revealed in Jesus. A grounded believer is resilient, discerning, and steady, even when challenged.

Discuss:

• What kinds of things can cause believers to feel spiritually uprooted today?

• How have you seen being rooted in Christ bring stability during difficult seasons?

• What practices help you stay grounded in the faith you have been taught?

Overflowing with Thankfulness:

Colossians 2:7b (NIV) and overflowing with thankfulness.

Thankfulness is not presented as an optional extra but as a natural overflow of a life rooted in Christ. Gratitude flows when we remember that salvation was God’s work from beginning to end. We were chosen, forgiven, adopted, filled with the Holy Spirit, and sealed for eternity — none of which we earned.

While it is right to thank God for family, work, church, and health, Paul draws our attention to what only God could do. A thankful believer is spiritually protected. Gratitude keeps our hearts soft, our faith active, and our perspective aligned with truth. When thankfulness fades, discontent and deception find easier access.

Discuss:

• There are things that only God can do, reflect on some of these together.

• What are some spiritual blessings you are most thankful for right now?

• How can we intentionally cultivate a lifestyle of gratitude rather than momentary thankfulness?

The Danger of Forgetting:

Luke 17:15–19 (NIV)One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The story of the ten lepers reveals how easy it is to receive God’s blessing without returning in gratitude. Only one came back — and he was the outsider. Thankfulness distinguished him, and Jesus links his gratitude directly to faith and wholeness.

Over time, religion and routine can quietly erode wonder. Law-based thinking focuses on effort and entitlement rather than grace. But gratitude restores perspective. Thankfulness fuels faith, changes spiritual atmosphere, and often releases breakthrough — not because God withholds, but because our hearts become open again.

Discuss:

• Why do you think only one leper returned to thank Jesus?

• How can routine or familiarity dull our gratitude toward God?

• In what ways have you seen thankfulness strengthen faith?

A Life of Thankful Overflow:

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s instruction is simple but deeply challenging. Thankfulness is not dependent on circumstances but rooted in Christ. This kind of gratitude flows from confidence in who God is and what He has promised — forgiveness, resurrection life, eternal hope, and His abiding presence.

When believers live thankfully, they become life-giving people. Like the Jordan River, which flows with life, we are not meant to be stagnant like the Dead Sea. Thankfulness breaks open the dam, allowing God’s life and joy to flow through us into the lives of others.

Discuss:

• What does it mean to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances?

• How does thankfulness influence the atmosphere around us?

• What is one practical way you can choose gratitude this week?

Close in prayer