Servants of Grace

Developing a Heart of Gratitude in Christ

By Dave Jenkins | Anchored in the Word

Christian gratitude reaches beyond comfortable circumstances. It rests on the character of God, the finished work of Jesus Christ, and promises that suffering cannot take away.

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Giving Thanks in Every Season

In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins examines 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 and the connection between rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving. These commands were given to believers who knew hardship. They continue to guide Christians facing grief, disappointment, illness, and uncertainty.

Gratitude leaves room for honest lament. We can bring our sorrow before the Lord while remembering His faithfulness. As we look to Christ and recall the blessings of salvation, we learn to give thanks and grow in contentment through changing seasons.

In This Episode

Why biblical thanksgiving begins with God's character.

How gratitude and grief can exist in the same heart.

Four common misunderstandings about gratitude.

The connection between thanksgiving and Christian contentment.

How a grateful spirit encourages faithful service in the local church.

Key Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Psalm 107:1

Colossians 3:15, 17

Ephesians 5:20

Philippians 4:11–13

Five Ways to Cultivate Gratitude

Remember the gospel daily. Give thanks for forgiveness, justification, adoption, peace with God, and eternal life in Christ.

Recognize ordinary providences. Notice God's kindness in daily provision, relationships, rest, His Word, and your local church.

Turn complaints into prayer. Bring your needs to the Lord and remember His faithfulness.

Give thanks during difficulty. Bring your pain honestly to God while remembering truths about Him that remain unchanged.

Express gratitude to others. Encourage those God has used to serve, disciple, and care for you.

For Reflection

Has your attention been focused more on what you lack than on the grace God has already given you? This week, remember His character, His promises, His providence, and the gospel.

Anchored in the Word is a weekly segment of the Servants of Grace podcast or at our YouTube. Share this episode with a friend or someone in your local church who needs encouragement to remember God's faithfulness.

God Gave Them Up: The Judgment of Idolatry

By Dave Jenkins | Servants of Grace Podcast

Series: Romans: The Gospel That Changes Everything

Scripture: Romans 1:24–25

Romans 1:24–25 contains one of Scripture’s most sobering statements: “God gave them up.” When humanity exchanges the truth about God for a lie and worships creation instead of the Creator, God gives sinners over to the rebellion they have chosen. Sin promises freedom, but it produces bondage.

In this episode of the Servants of Grace podcast, Dave Jenkins continues our verse-by-verse study of Romans, explaining the connection between sinful desires, the dishonoring of the body, and false worship. This passage calls us to examine our hearts, repent of idolatry, and find our hope in Jesus Christ.

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What “God Gave Them Up” Means

Paul connects this judgment to humanity’s rejection of God. God remains sovereign as He judicially hands sinners over to the consequences of their rebellion. Getting what we want does not always mean we are experiencing God’s blessing. Sinful desires can become instruments of deeper slavery.

In This Episode

God’s judgment in giving sinners over to their chosen rebellion.

The sinful desires beneath outward behavior.

The goodness of the body and the call to honor God with it.

The exchange of God’s truth for lies.

The danger of worshiping and serving created things.

The freedom and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.

The call to humble repentance, true worship, and compassionate evangelism.

Hope for Sinners in Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ lived the righteous life we have failed to live, bore the judgment sinners deserve, and rose bodily from the dead. Through His saving work, those who repent and believe in Him receive forgiveness and freedom from sin’s mastery. By His Spirit, He renews their minds and reorders their desires toward God.

As we consider this passage, we should respond with repentance, gratitude for God’s grace, and compassion for those who are perishing. Pray for your family, friends, and neighbors, and faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

Continue Studying God’s Word

Explore more biblical teaching at Servants of Grace and subscribe to the Servants of Grace YouTube channel for more verse-by-verse teaching through Romans.

Biblical Holiness in a World That Rejects It

By Dave Jenkins | Anchored in the Word

Biblical holiness flows from the saving grace of God. Christians pursue holiness because they belong to Jesus Christ, who has saved them and is transforming them into His likeness.

In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins examines 1 Peter 1:13–16 and explains how God’s holy character shapes our conduct in a world that encourages us to follow our desires and define morality for ourselves.

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Biblical Holiness Begins with God’s Grace

Peter grounds the call to holy living in the grace and hope believers have in Christ. Those whom God has set apart as His people are called to reflect His character in every area of life, including their speech, relationships, work, entertainment, and private habits.

Justification and sanctification are distinct but inseparable. Our standing before God rests entirely on Christ’s righteousness received through faith. The same God who justifies His people also sanctifies them by His Spirit.

In This Episode

Why God’s holiness shapes the Christian life.

The relationship between saving grace and faithful obedience.

Why holiness differs from legalism, outward respectability, and sinless perfection.

How Scripture helps believers evaluate desires and cultural influences.

Practical ways to pursue holiness through repentance, prayer, and the local church.

Why a holy life bears witness to the transforming power of the gospel.

Key Scriptures

1 Peter 1:13–16

Hebrews 12:14

2 Corinthians 7:1

Titus 2:11–12

Putting Biblical Holiness into Practice

Consider whether you have begun tolerating something God calls you to put away. Bring it honestly before the Lord, confess your sin, remember the sufficiency of Christ, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk faithfully according to His Word.

Holiness is the fruit of God’s grace at work in those who belong to Christ. When believers fail, they return to the Savior whose finished work remains their sure foundation.

Stay Anchored in the Word

Anchored in the Word is a weekly segment of the Servants of Grace podcast. Explore more biblical teaching at Servants of Grace and subscribe to the Servants of Grace YouTube channel. Share this episode with a friend or someone in your local church.

Exchanging the glory of God lies at the heart of humanity’s rebellion in Romans 1:21–23. Although God has made Himself known through creation, sinners refuse to honor Him or give thanks. Their thinking becomes futile, their hearts are darkened, and they give created things the worship that belongs to the Creator.

In this episode of the Servants of Grace podcast, Dave Jenkins continues Romans: The Gospel That Changes Everything, examining the connection between ingratitude, pride, false wisdom, and idolatry. He also points listeners to Jesus Christ, who perfectly honored the Father and gave Himself to bring sinners back to God.

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Exchanging the Glory of God for Created Things

Idolatry extends beyond carved images. Money, approval, comfort, family, success, and even ministry can become idols when they receive our ultimate trust and devotion. Good gifts become objects of false worship when we give them the place that belongs to God alone.

Romans 1:21–23 calls us to recognize this exchange in our own hearts. God deserves our worship because He is our Creator. His gifts should lead us to gratitude, dependence, and praise.

What You Will Learn

What Paul means when he says humanity knew God.

Why refusing to give thanks reveals rebellion against the Lord.

How sin affects both our thinking and our desires.

Why true wisdom begins with reverence for God.

How created things become idols.

How Christ restores sinners to the God they were created to worship.

Jesus Christ Brings Sinners Back to God

Where we have failed to honor God, Jesus Christ honored the Father perfectly. He never exchanged God’s glory for an idol. He lived in perfect obedience, bore the judgment sinners deserve at the cross, and rose from the dead.

Our response to exposed idols must be repentance and faith in Christ. We cannot find lasting satisfaction in created things. By His grace, Jesus turns idolaters into worshipers of the living God.

Reflection and Application

Where are you tempted to seek security or identity apart from God?

How can deliberate thanksgiving help you acknowledge your dependence on Him?

Are comfort, approval, or success shaping your decisions more than Scripture?

What would repentance and renewed obedience look like in those areas?

For more biblical teaching and resources, visit Romans. Subscribe to the Servants of Grace YouTube channel to follow our continuing study of Romans.

Overcoming Evil with Good in Romans 12

Overcoming evil with good begins with trusting the God who judges justly. In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins examines Romans 12:19–21 and explains how Christians can respond to wrongdoing without allowing vengeance, bitterness, or hatred to govern their hearts.

Paul’s command does not require believers to ignore evil or abandon appropriate boundaries and accountability. It calls us to surrender personal vengeance to the Lord while actively pursuing what is good. Through Christ’s example and the mercy of the gospel, we learn to seek justice and remain faithful in our response.

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Overcoming Evil with Good in Romans 12

Romans 12 describes the transformed life of those who belong to Jesus Christ. Christians are called to love sincerely, abhor evil, hold fast to what is good, and bless those who persecute them. Paul brings these instructions together in the command to overcome evil with good.

Someone else’s sin must not determine our obedience to Christ. When we respond to slander with slander or cruelty with cruelty, the wrongdoing committed against us begins shaping our own conduct.

Trusting God’s Justice

Refusing personal vengeance does not mean ignoring crime, abandoning church discipline, or removing every consequence of sin. Christians can report wrongdoing, seek help, and establish wise boundaries while refusing a sinful desire to make another person suffer.

God sees every injustice. His perfect judgment frees believers to pursue what is right without becoming consumed by revenge.

Following Christ’s Example

When Jesus suffered, He did not respond with sinful retaliation. He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly. His example directs our conduct, and His saving work provides the foundation for a life of mercy.

Through His death and resurrection, Christ reconciles sinners to God. Because we have received mercy in Him, we can show mercy to others.

Putting the Word into Practice

Resist the immediate impulse to retaliate.

Bring your anger and hurt before the Lord.

Trust God’s knowledge and perfect justice.

Seek opportunities to do good.

Guard your heart against bitterness.

Seek appropriate help, accountability, and protection when needed.

Reflection

Has someone else’s sin begun shaping the way you think, speak, or behave? Ask the Lord to help you respond in a way that reflects Jesus Christ and honors His Word.

Continue Growing in God’s Word

Explore more biblical teaching at Anchored in the Word and subscribe to the Servants of Grace YouTube channel. Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to respond to wrongdoing with biblical wisdom and grace.

General Revelation and Accountability: Romans 1:19–20

By Dave Jenkins

Series: Romans: The Gospel That Changes Everything

God has made Himself known through what He has made. In Romans 1:19–20, Paul explains that creation clearly reveals God’s eternal power and divine nature, leaving humanity without excuse before Him.

In this episode, Dave Jenkins examines general revelation, our accountability before the Creator, and our need for the gospel of Jesus Christ. These truths call us to worship the Lord, give thanks, and proclaim Christ to a world that desperately needs His grace.

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God Has Made Himself Known

Paul teaches that what can be known about God is plain because God has shown it. Creation’s testimony does not depend on whether people acknowledge it. The world around us continually bears witness to its Creator.

General Revelation Comes from God

General revelation is God’s disclosure of Himself through creation. As Psalm 19:1–2 teaches, the heavens declare His glory. Christians should receive this witness with worship and gratitude, recognizing the Lord’s power and wisdom in what He has made.

Creation Reveals God’s Eternal Power and Divine Nature

Although God is invisible, His works reveal real truth about Him. Creation bears witness to His eternal power and divine nature. The Creator is distinct from His creation, and everything depends on Him.

General Revelation Is Universal and Continuous

Every generation has lived in God’s world and depended on His provision. His witness through creation reaches all people. This gives Christians confidence in evangelism as we proclaim the Creator and call sinners to trust in Christ.

Humanity Is Without Excuse

Humanity’s problem is the suppression of truth God has revealed. General revelation establishes our accountability before Him. It should lead us to examine whether we honor the Lord, give thanks, and submit to His authority.

Our Need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Creation reveals God’s power and glory, but it does not explain how guilty sinners can be reconciled to Him. We need God’s special revelation in Scripture, which proclaims Christ’s perfect life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection.

Jesus bore the judgment sinners deserve. Through repentance and faith in Him, guilty people receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

Responding with Worship and Faithful Witness

Worship the Creator as you consider His works.

Give thanks for His goodness and sustaining care.

Recognize the seriousness of suppressing His truth.

Rest in Christ and His finished work.

Proclaim the gospel with confidence and compassion.

Continue Growing in God’s Word

Continue studying Romans with Dave Jenkins and explore more biblical articles, podcast episodes, and resources at Servants of Grace.

Subscribe to Servants of Grace on YouTube for more teaching grounded in God’s Word.

Biblical Conflict Resolution: Responding with Grace and Truth

By Dave Jenkins | Anchored in the Word

Conflict touches our marriages, families, friendships, churches, and workplaces. In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins explains how Christians can respond with truth, humility, patience, and forgiveness. Drawing from Ephesians 4:31–32 and Matthew 18:15, he shows how God’s mercy in Christ shapes our response when relationships become difficult.

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Biblical Conflict Resolution Begins with the Gospel

Paul calls believers to put away bitterness, anger, slander, and malice, and to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. The foundation for this response is the mercy God has shown us in Jesus Christ. Remembering His grace helps us examine our own hearts and respond faithfully when others sin against us.

Conflict can expose pride, resentment, and a desire for revenge. Rather than focusing only on another person’s wrongdoing, Christians should also consider how Christ calls them to speak, listen, repent, and forgive.

Seeking Restoration with Truth and Humility

In Matthew 18:15, Jesus instructs believers to address a brother’s sin directly and privately. The aim is restoration. Gossip, recruiting allies, and turning private disagreements into public spectacles work against that aim.

Dave also explains why forgiveness, reconciliation, and trust must be distinguished. Forgiveness does not minimize sin or automatically restore a relationship. Reconciliation ordinarily involves repentance and honesty, while rebuilding trust may require time, accountability, pastoral involvement, and appropriate boundaries.

Six Practical Steps for Biblical Conflict Resolution

Examine your own heart. Ask the Lord to expose pride, bitterness, anger, and sinful motives.

Address the matter directly. Speak graciously and truthfully rather than gossiping or assuming motives.

Listen carefully. Seek to understand instead of preparing your next argument.

Repent sincerely. Name your sin, ask for forgiveness, and seek to make things right where appropriate.

Be willing to forgive. Remember the mercy God has shown you in Christ.

Pursue peace with wisdom. Remain faithful without compromising truth or trying to force another person’s repentance.

Scripture Discussed

Ephesians 4:31–32

Matthew 18:15

James 1:19–20

Romans 12:18

Colossians 3:13

A Faithful Step This Week

Consider a conflict in your life. Do you need to have a conversation, listen more carefully, repent, or forgive? Perhaps you have taken the steps Scripture requires and need to entrust the outcome to the Lord. Ask God for humility and wisdom to honor Christ as you pursue truth and peace.

Continue Growing in God’s Word

Anchored in the Word is a weekly segment of the Servants of Grace podcast, helping Christians apply Scripture to everyday life.

Explore more biblical articles and podcast episodes at Servants of Grace, and subscribe to the Servants of Grace YouTube channel.

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend or someone in your church. To submit a question for a future episode, visit our website and use the contact form.

The Wrath of God Revealed

In Romans 1:18, Paul declares that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. In this message from Romans: The Gospel That Changes Everything, Dave Jenkins explains God’s holy opposition to sin, humanity’s suppression of truth, and the glory of salvation through Jesus Christ.

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The Wrath of God and the Holiness of God

God’s wrath is His holy, righteous, and settled opposition to sin. He does not lose His temper or act unjustly. Because God is holy, He hates sin. Because He is righteous, He judges unrighteousness. Because He is good, He opposes evil.

Understanding God’s wrath helps us understand the seriousness of sin and our need for the gospel. God’s grace saves sinners from the judgment their rebellion deserves.

God’s Judgment Comes from Heaven

Paul teaches that God’s wrath is revealed from heaven. His judgment rests on His unchanging holiness. Cultural approval, public opinion, and personal feelings cannot redefine righteousness or make sin acceptable to God.

Our response must begin with the authority of God’s Word. We need to ask what God has said and submit our beliefs and lives to His truth.

Ungodliness, Unrighteousness, and the Suppression of Truth

Ungodliness describes rebellion against God: refusing to honor Him, rejecting His authority, and withholding the worship He deserves. Unrighteousness describes the sinful conduct that flows from that rebellion.

Romans 1:18 also teaches that sinners suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Humanity’s problem involves more than a lack of information. Sin affects our hearts and minds, leading us to resist the truth God has made known.

This passage calls each of us to examine our own hearts. God’s judgment against all unrighteousness should produce humility and repentance rather than self-righteousness toward others.

Jesus Christ Saves Sinners from God’s Wrath

At the cross, Jesus Christ bore the judgment sinners deserve. The righteous One stood in the place of the unrighteous. He lived without sin, died for sinners, and rose from the dead.

Those who trust in Christ are forgiven, justified, reconciled to God, and saved from His wrath. God’s justice is satisfied through the finished work of His Son. For those who are in Christ Jesus, there is now no condemnation.

In This Message

Why God’s wrath flows from His holy character.

Why God’s judgment is independent of changing human standards.

The relationship between ungodliness and unrighteousness.

How sin suppresses the truth God has revealed.

Why the doctrine of God’s wrath should produce humility and repentance.

How Christ’s finished work saves sinners from God’s righteous judgment.

Scripture References

Primary passage: Romans 1:18.

Supporting passages: Romans 1:16–17; Romans 1:19–20; Romans 8:1.

Responding to God’s Word

Do not minimize sin or trust in your own righteousness. Turn to Christ, rest in His finished work, and let the seriousness of sin deepen your gratitude for God’s grace. The holiness of God and the guilt of sinners help us see how glorious the gospel truly is.

Subscribe to the Servants of Grace Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts or on YouTube. Visit Servants of Grace for more biblical teaching and resources to help you grow in Christ.

Christian growth is personal, but God never intended it to be private. Listening to sermons, reading Christian books, and studying Scripture are valuable, but believers also need relationships where they are known, encouraged, and lovingly corrected.

In this episode of Anchored in the Word, Dave Jenkins opens Hebrews 10:24–25 to explain why accountability and biblical fellowship matter for Christian growth. Christ brings His people into a family where they worship together, serve one another, bear burdens, and encourage one another toward faithfulness.

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Accountability and Fellowship in the Local Church

Hebrews 10 connects drawing near to God, holding fast to our confession, and considering how to encourage one another toward love and good works. Gathering with God’s people is part of His design for our perseverance.

The New Testament’s “one another” commands call believers to share life under the authority of Scripture. Biblical fellowship involves prayer, encouragement, forgiveness, service, and helping one another follow Christ.

Accountability Rooted in Love

Biblical accountability means loving another Christian enough to help that person follow Jesus faithfully. It involves honest conversation, wise encouragement, and correction grounded in God’s Word.

Each believer remains responsible to obey Christ. Yet wise Christians welcome mature believers who can identify blind spots, pray with them, and encourage repentance and growth.

Practical Steps Toward Meaningful Fellowship

Commit to a faithful local church and allow yourself to be known.

Develop relationships where honest spiritual conversations can happen.

Receive loving correction with humility.

Encourage others and help carry their burdens.

Pursue friendships shaped by Scripture, prayer, and Christian love.

Freedom to Be Honest Because of Christ

Christian accountability does not earn God’s acceptance. Through His sinless life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection, Jesus reconciles sinners to God and brings them into His family.

Our righteousness is found in Christ alone. Because our standing before God is secure in Him, we can confess sin, receive correction, ask for help, and walk together toward holiness.

Scriptures Discussed

Hebrews 10:24–25

Hebrews 4:14–16

Proverbs 27:17

Galatians 6:2

James 5:16

For Reflection

Who knows you well enough to recognize when you are beginning to drift spiritually? Whom are you intentionally helping to follow Jesus more faithfully?

Subscribe to Anchored in the Word through the Servants of Grace podcast and YouTube channel. Share this episode with a friend or someone in your local church. For additional teaching on biblical manhood, explore Warriors of Grace.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith, Romans 1:17

By Dave Jenkins

Series: Romans: The Gospel That Changes Everything

Our standing before God rests on the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. In this sermon on Romans 1:17, Dave Jenkins explains how the gospel reveals the righteousness of God, why sinners are justified by faith alone, and how believers continue living by faith in Christ.

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Romans 1:17: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

In Romans 1:16, Paul declares that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Verse 17 explains why: in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. God provides through Jesus Christ the righteousness that sinners cannot produce for themselves.

Paul’s quotation of Habakkuk shows that justification by faith is rooted in God’s revelation. The gospel fulfills His saving promises, and those whom He declares righteous through faith in Christ continue to trust Him throughout the Christian life.

What You Will Learn

How the gospel reveals God’s righteousness and His righteous way of saving sinners.

Why our acceptance before God rests on Christ’s righteousness.

Why faith receives Christ without contributing merit of its own.

How Paul’s quotation of Habakkuk connects the gospel to the Old Testament.

What it means to live by faith through suffering, temptation, and weakness.

Justification and Assurance in Christ

Justification is God’s declaration that a sinner is righteous in His sight because of Jesus Christ. Christ’s righteousness is counted to those who trust in Him. Our assurance therefore rests on the perfection of our Savior rather than the changing strength of our performance or emotions.

Holiness matters deeply, but it is the fruit of salvation rather than the foundation of justification. Faith looks away from self and rests in Christ and His finished work.

Learning to Live by Faith Each Day

The Christian life begins by faith and continues by faith. Believers trust Christ in sanctification, suffering, temptation, ministry, and death. Living by faith means resting in God’s character, believing His promises, and walking according to His Word.

When your conscience reminds you of your failures, look to Christ. When pride tempts you to boast or weakness tempts you to despair, look to Christ. The righteousness you need is found in the Savior God has provided.

For Reflection

Where are you tempted to base your acceptance before God on your performance?

How does Christ’s perfect righteousness strengthen your assurance?

What present trial calls you to trust God’s promises and obey His Word?

Continue studying Romans with Dave Jenkins through Romans: The Gospel That Changes Everything. Explore the series at Servants of Grace or watch on YouTube. Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to rest in Christ.