Attitude Of Gratitude

We know that to be ready for special days requires special preparation, such as for:

• Christmas

• Mother’s Day

• Father’s Day

• July 4th

• Veterans Day

• Memorial Day

But when it comes to Thanksgiving, the preparation in many homes involves Mom going to the grocery store and buying a big ham or turkey, ingredients for dressing and vegetables and deserts.

She then spends a couple days cooking for all the family members to eat on this very special day.

But the Word of God tells us that Thanksgiving should be recognized every time we enter the house of God.

Psalms 100:1-5, Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate:

• A war

• Anyone’s birthday

• An Anniversary

It is a day set aside to express our nation’s thanks to God.

Thursday, our nation will pause once again to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

I think that the 100th Psalm was written to remind us of our need to be thankful, and maintain an attitude of gratitude.

We need to recognize how blessed we are today as we approach THANKSGIVING.

Let’s look at several things that will help us to prepare our hearts for this very special day we call Thanksgiving.

We see . . .

I. THE BASIS OF OUR THANKSGIVING

In the 100th Psalm, God was saying to Israel, "When you come into the Promised Land and settle down in your warm homes, and you have plenty to eat, remember I led you out of the wilderness and I brought you into the land flowing with milk and honey. Don’t forget who made all this possible."

Today we live in a society that want to give the impression that God did not give it to them…everything they got they worked for it!!!

Really:

• Who gave them the healthy bodies they have.

• Who gives them the air to breathe.

• Who gives them the eyes to see.

• Who gives them the ears to hear.

AND THEY CLAIM THAT THEY DO NOT NEED TO GIVE GOD THANKS…BECAUSE THEY WORK FOR WHAT THEY HAVE!!!

The least they could do is give God some praise and gratitude for the blessings of God on their life.

Illus: They remind me back in the days in our churches we had the old pump organ.

There was a church that had one and the fellow who did the pumping was behind the old organ in another room.

He would pump that organ and this fellow would play some beautiful hymns and at the end he would stand up, take a bow.

Week after week he would pump and he organist would play and the organist getting all the credit.

After each hymn the congregation would honor him as he stood they would clap for the great job he was doing.

The fellow that did all the pumping was in another room and he got no praise for his pumping whatsoever.

One Sunday he got tired of the organist getting all the praise. The organist set down and began to play but there and was no air being pumped in.

He hit the keys several times and each time and there was no air.

The organist got up, open the door to where the man did the pumping and said, “What’s wrong, why aren’t you pumping.”

The man that did the pumping said, “SAY WE!”

We need to give the Lord the praise for all His blessings. IT IS NOT WE, BUT HIM THAT GET ALL THE PRAISE AND GLORY!

God had us in mind, also, when this Psalm was written. Did you notice to whom it is addressed?

• The first verse says that it is addressed to, "all the earth."

• The last verse says that it includes, "all generations."

This message of thanksgiving applies to everyone!

It’s sad, isn’t it, that we are the only country in the world, except Canada and the Philippines that has a Thanksgiving Day?

WHY AREN’T PEOPLE THANKFUL?

There are at least two reasons:

A. THEY FEEL ENTITLED TO THE BLESSINGS OF GOD

Illus: The story is told of two old friends who bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked almost on the verge of tears.

• His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"