Develop and Attitude of Gratitude
1 Thessalonians 5:18
A woman was visiting some people who lived on a farm, and she noticed a pig limping in the backyard with a wooden leg. She asked the farmer, "What happened to the pig?" The farmer said, "Oh, Betsy is a wonderful pig. One night the house caught fire and she oinked so loud she woke us and we got the fire truck in time to save the house." The woman said, "That’s really something!" The farmer continued, "That’s not all, one day my youngest fell in the pond and Betsy oinked so loud that she got our attention and we were able to pull my daughter out of the pond in time." The woman said, "That’s really amazing! But I still don’t understand why the pig has a wooden leg. The farmer said, "Well, when you have a pig that special, you don’t want to eat him all at once!"
Gratitude didn’t run very deep for the three legged hero.
Just how deep does your gratitude run for God?
Begins with experiencing God’s love and salvation. If you haven’t been born again you will not be able to fully experience the benefits of this verse. Let me say first what it does not say. It does not say we are to be thankful for everything, but in everything or every situation.
“In everything give thanks for this the will of God in Christ concerning You” 1 Thess. 5:18
1. This says that it is Possible to do give thanks in everything.
-I know what you are thinking -That is not possible. What about....?
-There is a lot of situations there is nothing to possibly be thankful for.
2. This says that it is God’s will to give Thanks in everything. (God’s will is always good)
-people wonder what God’s will is
-this is not just a suggestion, option, alternative but God’s will for his children
-this is what pleases him.
3. This implies it is beneficial to give Thanks in Everything.
-Anything that is God’s will is good and He is worthy of and deserves it.
-But also it is beneficial for us also.
-We will explore exactly how it is beneficial in a few minutes
4. It is desirable to give thanks in everything.
-God desires our expression of thanksgiving for what he has done for us.
-If we truly understand even a little of what he has done for us we will desire to do it.
-But sometimes it is not desirable to me, I don’t want to, I want to murmur and complain,
that is your choice, and we have all done it, but it is not the best choice.
5. This says there is something good in everything.
Matthew Henry was robbed.
1. Thankful I have never been robbed before.
2. Thankful they took my wallet but not my life
3. Although they took my all it wasn’t much
4. Thankful I was robbed and not the one robbing
Sometimes the circumstances of our lives are not always the best. In fact, they may be downright bad, but still, we are to look for something to be thankful for! And there is ALWAYS something positive for which we can be thankful!
ILL.- One morning after a terrible snowstorm, Susan was outside shoveling her driveway. She stopped to wave hello to her neighbor, and he asked her why her husband wasn’t out there helping her with the chore.
She explained that one of them had to stay inside to take care of the children, so they drew straws to see who would go out and shovel. "Sorry about your bad luck," he said. Susan replied, "Don’t be sorry. I won!"
Two school teachers who hadn’t seen each other in several years met at a convention, & they began filling each other in on what had happened in their lives since the last time they had visited together.
One teacher said, "I got married two years ago." "Oh, that’s good," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," the first one said. "My husband is twice as old as I am." "Oh, that’s bad," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," she said, "because he is a millionaire several times over." "Oh, that’s good," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," she said, "because he turned out to be mean, & he won’t give me any money at all." "Oh, that’s bad," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," she said. "He did build us a $300,000 house." "Oh, that’s good," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," she said. "It burned down last month." "Oh, that’s bad," her friend replied.
"Well, no, not really," she said. "He was in it when it burned down."
6. Paul practiced this Principle, but his life was not soft and easy.
-You may be saying you may be able to be thankful with your life, but not with mine
-Let’s remember who it was who wrote this
-Annias showed Paul What things he would suffer, etc. at conversion Acts 9
2 Cor. 11
been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. 27 I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along.
7. Practicing this verse (principle) will require you to look for good in Difficult Situations
Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world today is eating turkey with all the trimmings and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog," he said, "all I get is dog food." He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey."
Others look for the worst and grumble.
"A lady known as an incurable grumbler constantly complained about everything. At last her preacher thought he had found something about which she would be happy, for her farm crop was the finest for miles around. When he met her, he said with a beaming smile, `You must be very happy Mary. Everyone is saying how healthy your potatoes look this year.’ `True they’re pretty good, but what am I going to do when I need bad ones to feed the pigs.’"
8. Practicing this verse will require you to focus on the good not the bad or things going wrong.
-At almost anytime in your life there are good things in your life you could focus on and be thankful - resulting in happiness.
-At almost anytime in your life there are bad things (or problems) in your life that you can focus on and be complaining - resulting in misery and gloom and depression.
-There is always some things that are good and some things that are difficult at the same time.
I am Thankful for.........
....the taxes I pay because it means I’m employed.
....the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat. ....my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.
....a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
....the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
....my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
....all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.
....the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear.
....the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.
....the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I’m alive.
....the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.
9. Practicing this verse will require you to look for God’s hand and help in every situation and acknowledge it with Thanksgiving.
Several years ago some German immigrants to America told this story of a woman living on a farm in Germany who brought to her minister an amount in German money equivalent to about $10 in American money.
As she laid down the money she said: “In former years I have had to pay about this amount in medicine. This year there has been no sickness in our family. I want to show my gratitude to the Lord in this way.”
Some time later this same woman again came to her minister with about $5, explaining that many of her neighbors had suffered some losses in a recent windstorm, but that her farm had been spared. “I bring the church this donation as an offering of thanks.” That’s gratitude!
10. Practicing this verse will correct a bad attitude and stinking thinking.
Thanksgiving stops Criticism, Sarcasm, Complaining, Fault finding, Taking for granted, Despising, Bitterness
Dr. Dale Robbins writes, “I used to think people complained because they had a lot of problems. But I have come to realize that they have problems because they complain. Complaining doesn’t change anything or make situations better. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord, and can invoke an invitation for the devil to cause havoc with our lives.” Complaining makes us miserable.
Henry Frost served for many years as a missionary to China. In his journal he wrote of a very difficult time in his life. He says,
"I had received sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed BUT the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, BUT the darkness only deepened. Then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these
words: ’TRY THANKSGIVING.’ I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return.
11. Practicing this verse will require you to begin putting a positive story (spin) on the events of your life with the help of the Lord.
-It could be worse.
-Remember you don’t live with the facts of your life alone, but with the story you tell yourself about the facts. You choose the story and it can be very negative or very positive.
-Its not that bad.
-Don’t make mountains out of mole hills
One young lady wrote home from college,
"Dear Mom: Sorry I haven’t written sooner. My arm really has been broken. I broke it, and my left leg, when I jumped from he second floor of my dormitory...when we had the fire. We were lucky. A young service station attendant saw the blaze and called the Fire Department. They were there in minutes. I was in the hospital for a few days. Paul, the service station attendant, came to see me every day. And because it was taking so long to get our dormitory liveable again, I moved in with him. He has been so nice. I must admit that I am pregnant. Paul and I plan to get married just as soon as he can get a divorce. I hope things are fine at home. I’m doing fine, and will write more when I get the chance. Love,
Your daughter, Susie
P.S. None of the above is true. But I did get a "C" in Sociology and flunked Chemistry. I just wanted you to receive this news in its "Proper Perspective!"
12. Practicing this verse will radically transform your LIFE>
In Los Angeles a parking citation with a five-dollar bill attached arrived at the traffic-fine bureau. An accompanying note said: “I found this ticket on the sidewalk. Not knowing if the car owner has ever seen it, I would like to make the remittance for him—in gratitude for the occasions when I have parked over the allotted time and not received a ticket.”
The young man was feeling very proud of himself. As a brand new college graduate he had taken the C.P.A. Exams and passed with flying colors. Now he was a full-fledged Certified Public Accountant.
His father had been an immigrant to the U.S., and now owned his own little business. Filled with self-importance, the young man began to criticize his father’s way of keeping books. He said, “Dad, you don’t even know how much profit you’ve made. Over here in this drawer are your accounts receivable. Over there are your receipts and you keep all your money in the cash register. You don’t have any idea how much money you’ve made.”
The father answered, “Son, when I came to this country the only thing I owned was a pair of pants. Now, your brother is a doctor, your sister is an art teacher, and you are a C.P.A. Your mother and I own our home. We have a car and we own this little business. Now add that up, subtract the pants and all the rest is profit.”
ADD IT UP! That’s exactly what we need to do at Thanksgiving. Add it all up. We came into this world with nothing but the eternal soul that God gave us. Everything else is profit. We can never give too much thanks to God!
Conclusion: Thanksgiving in every situation is a choice. It becomes a habit and an attitude. Practice it.
Commitment to Thanksgiving -Stephen Shepherd (Illustrations from)
