"BE THANKFUL!"
One of the most important qualities we can develop as a Christian is that of "Thankfulness!" There are few characteristics that will influence our lives more than this one ... it can affect every area of our lives positively if we are careful to nurture it in our life! For the Christian this characteristic should not be an option ... this is to be a quality that defines us in this world!
You will never be the Christian you need to be without
"THANKFULNESS" as a major quality of your life!!
The Bible teaches that "GRATEFULNESS" is the normal quality of a Christian’s life ... without it our Christianity would be warped and unproductive!
I. WHEN TO BE THANKFUL
1 Thess. 5: 18 In every thing give thanks
Many times we offer thanksgiving to God only after our prayers have been answered!
Dan. 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
Daniel went home to pray and “GIVE THANKS TO GOD AS WAS HIS CUSTOM” ... IN the midst of trouble even when no answers were in sight Daniel still gave thanks to God in prayer!
Many of us our prayers at such a moment would have consisted mainly of requests and petitions to the Lord ... Daniel’s prayers were mostly THANKSGIVING!
This was the great secret to Daniel’s life of power and victory!
DANIEL DID NOT WAIT FOR ANSWERS TO THEIR PRAYERS TO CRY OUT TO GOD IN THANKSGIVING ...
If we included more thanksgiving early in our prayers our petitions would have greater force ... God responds much more clearly to people with THANKFUL hearts than those who do not have one!
Notice we pray and give thanks to God before our meals, not after!
Philip. 4:6: “… but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
What follows prayer with thanksgiving – PEACE OF MIND!
Philip. 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Our faith would be revolutionized ... and our complaints diminished if we took seriously this command in 1 Thess: 5:18 "THANKFUL IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!"
ILLUS: One little boy started to grasp this importance when he prayed before a meal that included some items he noticed he didn’t like! "Lord, I don’t like the looks of it, but I thank you for it, and I’ll eat it anyway ... AMEN!" Some of us could use this prayer for many of life’s circumstances! – Source Unknown
Too often we wait until we get the answers we want to offer thanks to God!
Learn IMMEDIATE THANKFULNESS ... don’t always wait for the answers!
Eph. 5: 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
What do I thank God for, is it open ended or are there exceptions?
a. Do I even thank Him in advance for painful experiences?
b. Do I thank Him for things that make things worse in my life rather than better?
c. Do I thank Him when people I don’t care for are blessed?
d. Do I thank Him for the sermons on tithing the Pastor sometimes preaches?
e. Do I thank Him for trials before I see the reasons behind them?
It is not so much giving thanks for the pain or loss ... but for the good that our Lord can bring even out of terrible circumstances!
It therefore is not a denial of suffering, it is not the absence of tears when hurt comes, it is JUST THE CONFIDENT KNOWLEDGE THAT GOD WORKS OUT HIS GOOD WILL IN US NO MATTER HOW TERRIBLE THE ORDEAL - TRUST!
So, yes we cry in trials, we get discouraged in trails we don’t understand,
we are not walking around with a silly grin on our face trying to pretend we don’t hurt or are not confused ... but we hold steady in our faith knowing God will bring fruit out of pruning, that something good can come from trials!
Sometimes trials can simply be God’s way of keeping us from greater dangers or harm, even when we don’t see them immediately!
Unthankful ness will rob us of our confidence in God ... and the joy and peace of our salvation!
II. WHY WE ARE THANKFUL Philip. 1:3-6Rom. 1:21
Why is it so important for Christians to be THANKFUL people all the time?
Because the Bible teaches that the spirit of the age in the last days will be characterized by UNTHANKFULNESS!
2 Tim. 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
God doesn’t want our lives to be like those of this world. If unthankful ness is to be the normal character of people’s lives in the end time we are to be different from this world ... God’s people should be the MOST THANKFUL PEOPLE ON THE PLANET!
ROMANS 1: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened
IT IS VERY CLEAR FROM BOTH 2 TIM. 3:2 AND ROMANS 1:21 THAT THE EASIEST WAY TO FALL AWAY FROM GOD IS TO BECOME AN UNTHANKFUL PERSON!
(1. It was at the foundation of man’s fall away from God!
(2. It will be true in the end times with fallen man!
The best protection for you to be true to God is to keep a thankful spirit! It is AN INVALUABLE QUALITY OF THE Christian life!
Wilson Johnson, the founder of Holiday Inn motels, once said, "When I was 40 years old I worked in a saw mill. One morning the boss told me I was fired! Depressed and discouraged, I felt like the world had caved in. When I told my wife what had happened, she asked me what I was going to do. I replied, ‘I’m going to mortgage our little home and go into the building business.’ My first venture was the construction of 2 small buildings. Within 5 years I was a multimillionaire! At the time it happened, I didn’t understand why I was fired. Later, I saw that it was God’s unerring and wondrous plan to get me into the way of His choosing!" Thus Johnson was able to bring great glory to God in his testimony and life and helping the kingdom of God! – Source Unknown
Why do we give thanks to God? 1 Thess. 5:18b FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS CONCERNING YOU.
Philip. 1: 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
This brings us to the final reason why we can give thanks ... IT IS HIS WILL IN CHRIST!
Because we are identified with Christ by being IN HIM!
WE belong to Him; therefore all things must pass by his OK before they are allowed in our lives!
The longer we are saved the easier this THANKFULNESS will come. We will have learned along the way to trust our Lord through experience as well as through teaching:
We CAN be thankful always, not only because He says it is His will to do so but because we know that we are HIS CHILDREN ... and therefore all that He has is ours, we cannot be losers!
If you were the child of the richest man in the world you would find it easy to be thankful for your secure financial condition!
“Ps 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
Therefore, we can be THANKFUL! IN HIM ALL THINGS ARE OURS!
God’s Will (and His wisdom!) commands us to be THANKFUL in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!
This will guard our hearts and spirit from bitterness.
It will keep us from anger.
It will strengthen us for any and all trials we might face.
It will establish our testimony for Christ to others.
Paul to the Philippians (1:3-6) demonstrates that this thankfulness and joy comes from that knowledge that "HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN US WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS."
And so we can carry on in confidence and in THANKSGIVING!
Don’t lose out on one of the most productive qualities of Christianity ... that of THANKFULNESS!
This quality has effects on all areas of our lives.
CONCLUSION: One of the most productive qualities God desires us to develop is that of "THANKFULNESS!"
It is not so much "Thankfulness" for pain or troubles as much as it is “Thankfulness” for the fruit that will result from such experiences!
God has absolute control over all things so that we can give "thanks" with assurance.
MAKE GRATITUDE YOUR ATTITUDE! It will bless everyone ... you and God!
