Being Thankful

Being Thankful

Selective verses

Introduction-

This morning we will look at being thankful.

Thankfulness is usually associated with getting something and showing your appreciation for it.

But the principal that God wants us to understand is that thankfulness is a lifestyle.

Not only thankful for what you get but grateful for all that has been done for you.

Don’t believe me…look at some other people’s kids. They could never be our kids, someone else’s… (wink wink.)

You give them something and please and thank you seems like words they never heard of. It carries up to adults also. We have all seen people that were very ungrateful for things that were done for them and given to them. They almost approach life with an entitlement mentality. Like everyone owes them.

Illustration-

You heard the story about the little boy that hollered at his mother… give me an orange. The mother hands the little boy an orange and says in a sweet voice-what do you say? Peel it!

Last week we looked at settling issues in our life

You have to settle the internal issues that cause you to go backwards instead of forward.

You have to settle the internal and external fears that keep you from God.

Settling these issues you find peace with God.

Settling these issues you find thankfulness and gratefulness.

These are the two things we will unpack this morning.

Gratefulness

Thankfulness

And living out those two things, we find God gives us peace with God.

Some Scriptures to meditate a minute on- think and write down

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” 1 Chronicles 16:34

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Psalms 9:1

“Do not be anxious for anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Phil 4:6-7

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great king above all gods. Psalm 95:2-3

Directives Here-

Give thanks-

I will (personal)

Do not (warning)

Let us. (Community)

Individually and corporately we should be grateful for what God has already done for us and corporately we should be worshiping and responding to his love with an attitude of praise.

Even when things are not going well

Especially when things are well and we have a tendency to forget what God has done.

T.V. Anchor Matt Lauer was asked this week if he could talk to a younger Matt Lauer what he would do different?

He said that he would take more notes and remember the things that he went through in life.

I think that is good advice because we forget how many times that God has intervened in our lives.

The times we remember most are the times we think that God did not intervene the way that we thought He should.

For a Christian, Thankfulness, and Gratefulness should be qualities that are lived out in our lives.

You will never be the Christian God meant you to be without it.

Without them we are wrapped up in ourselves and wrapped up in circumstances.

I know some of you are saying, pastor, this has been a theme for 3 weeks now. These are fundamental Principals of God.

Wash, rinse, repeat. Wash, rinse, repeat. Do it until it comes natural.

When it becomes natural, you begin to see something happen… God intervenes.

Truth is, when you allow God in your life, and you are living the principals of God, you will notice that God in your life.

When are you to be Thankful

Apostle Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing and thankful in everything.

There is a difference in being thankful “in everything” and “for everything.”

“In everything” we see God intervening for our good and we wait patiently for God to complete what He has started in our lives.

In everything, means we trust God even in those times that we cannot see him working in our lives.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Many times, we offer thanksgiving to God only after He has done something or answered a prayer.

Paul’s understanding of God’s will for our lives is that we are to be always joyful and the only way we can be always joyful is to not look at our circumstances to find Godly joy and that true Joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God and is not dependent on good or bad circumstances.