The Value Of A Thankful Spirit
Overcoming The Perils of Prosperity With A Thankful Spirit
Text: Deut. 8:1-20
Deut. 8:1-20
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. [2] Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. [3] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. [4] Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. [5] Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
[6] Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and revering him. [7] For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; [8] a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; [9] a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
[10] When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. [11] Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. [12] Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, [13] and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, [14] then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [15] He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. [16] He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. [17] You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." [18] But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
[19] If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. [20] Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
A man writing at a post-office desk was approached by an elderly fellow who asked, "Sir, could I get you to address this postcard for me?"
The man did so gladly, and then agreed to another request, which was to write a message on the card, and to sign it. He then asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
The old fellow thought a moment, then said, "Yes. Add this at the end: ’P.S. Please excuse the handwriting.’"
John Henry Jowett, a British preacher of an earlier generation, said this about gratitude: “Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” What did he mean? He meant that gratitude, like a vaccine, can prevent the invasion of a disgruntled, discouraged spirit. Like an antitoxin, gratitude can prevent the affects of the poisons of cynicism, criticalness, and grumbling. Like an antiseptic, a spirit of gratitude can soothe and heal the most troubled spirit.
In this season of Thanksgiving may we know what it is to have a thankful spirit...
It was very clear in Deut. here that Moses was giving the people a warning not to forget what God has done for them, and in so doing will receive great blessings as a result...
Moses was clearly letting the people know that there was going to be a time in the not too distant future that they would be tempted to believe they were the reason for their own prosperity, and that God would be pushed to the background.
What are some of the lessons we can learn from this portion of scripture in regard to having “A Thankful Spirit”?
I. A THANKFUL SPIRIT CONSERVES THE BLESSINGS OF THE PAST
We often sing the song "Count Your Blessings" and we would do well to heed the words of that song often, yes, even on a daily basis to remember the great blessings of the past...
Moses was giving instruction to the people here not to forget what God had done for them in the wilderness...
Moses urges them in Vs. 2 to think back and remember all the way the Lord had led them, whether it seemed at the time a good way or a bad way...
As we were once again in West Virginia, we drove past the church where I started out as a Youth Pastor at the age of 22 ready to conquer the world, and realized that the church had changed, as well as many things in the town, and of course, I had changed. And I’m sure if you knew me then, and know me now, many of you would say, thank the Lord he changed!
But while I can’t say every event in my life of ministry from that point on was all runs, all hits, and no errors, I can say that I do thank the Lord for ALL the way He led me. I think anyone who can look back over the last 26 years of their life, and say they’ve lived it error free is either lying, or has already made it to heaven.
To be perfectly honest, If I had it to do over again, there are probably some paths I wouldn’t have taken, and others I would have, but we serve a faithful God today who is able to take all of our ways, and if we will commit them to Him, can lead us along the right path.
Moses didn’t just tell the people to look back, and ignore the hard times, and only appreciate the good times, but he said these words: And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
If you look at a map of the journey of the Children of Israel, you will see that they definitely took the long way to the Promised Land, and at one point they literally wandered around in a circle, and a trip that should have lasted only a short time lasted for 40 long years...
He said to remember with thanksgiving the times that God miraculously provided food and drink in the wilderness and be thankful for those times...
The people no doubt remembered the times they were without food to eat or clean water to drink and murmured time after time against Moses, and against God...
What was the good that came out of all that? The Bible says in vs. 3 that the Lord used those times to "humble" them...
Many people think that life is based on satisfying their appetites. If they can earn enough money to dress, eat, and play in high style, they think they are living "the good life." But such things do not satisfy our deepest longings. In the end they leave us empty and dissatisfied. Real life, according to Moses, comes from total commitment to God, the one who created life itself. It requires discipline, sacrifice, and hard work, and that’s why most people never find it.
Just like these people we often need to be brought to the end of our solutions, and man-made way of answers, and realize that unless we receive manna from heaven, and the water is touched, and a miracle happens, we won’t even survive another day...
It was humbling for the people to wear clothes for 40 years without having them wear out... This doesn’t necessarily mean that the clothing grew as the children grew, but that the clothing that was used could easily be used and re-used without wearing out. No doubt they had a lot of hand-me-downs during these 40 years.
Before God can ever give the good land of promise, there must often first be a humbling... Notice I didn’t say a humiliating, but a humbling...
There are some who come by the good land by mistake...
How often do we hear of a son who inherits the family business that has taken years of effort, and hard work to build up, and then see it wasted away in a matter of a few short months or years...
What happened? The humbling process had not taken place. The process that helps one remember where he/she came from, and the thanksgiving for the price that another paid to get them there...
It’s humbling to realize that everything we have is not our own, but it’s the Lord’s, and without His blessings, we would have nothing...
A Thankful spirit will thank God for the blessings He has given, and the “blessings” He has not given.
I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful for a lot of things that God didn’t do for me that I thought at the time would be a blessing, but looking back, it all clicks as to why it didn’t happen...
Times when the scripture from Romans 8:28 comes rushing into my mind that didn’t make a whole lot of sense at the time, but on the other side of the storm or situation it does...
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Many of you too, can be thankful for the fact that there are times that God didn’t do Your Will, but He accomplished His... As I think about some of those times, I have to say Thank You Lord!
A thankful spirit will lead us to the same action of the 1 leper out of 10 that were healed who, as he was walking away from Jesus healed of his leprosy, turned around and went back to the healer for Thanksgiving...
With a thankful spirit the fountain of gratitude can never get frozen up, for the springs are daily flowing from a warm heart.
One of the reasons I believe David was a man after God’s heart is the following portion of scripture..
Psalm 103:1-4
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name. [2]
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-- [3]
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases, [4]
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
He has forgiven us of our sins, and heals all our diseases, and has redeemed our lives from the pit, and takes it a step further by crowning us with love and compassion.
A Thankful spirit keeps alive the memory of the goodness of God in times past and also...
II. A THANKFUL SPIRIT ENABLES US TO USE THE BLESSINGS OF THE PRESENT CORRECTLY.
A thankful spirit guards against proud self-sufficiency...
It leads us away from saying what vs. 17 says that "I have done it"...
Any success you see around me is something that only I have done without the help of anyone at all... I got it the old-fashioned way, "I earned it", Look at what I have done!
It’s all right to work hard, and to even have a pioneering spirit when it comes to that work, but we must always give credit where credit is due!
Whatever we have, whoever we are, the friends we have, and the blessings that are around us are a divine gift from God, and should be treated in that manner...
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
When we sense God’s goodness and blessing daily renewing itself, it makes the heart kind and sympathetic to others...
Not always looking for the next mess up, or ready to expose the next shortcoming or sin, but appreciative of those around us...
When we think that "we" have gotten our blessings, pride overwhelms us, and we see no need of depending upon God for anything at this point, or in the future.
But when we recognize that without the breath that God gives, and the strength he pours through our bodies on a daily basis, we would be nothing, or have nothing, the spirit is sweetened and softened...
Thanksgiving becomes just that, "Thanks, then Giving"
A Thankful spirit will keep us in touch with the Giver of the Blessings, not just the blessings alone...
Alexander Whyte, the Scottish preacher, always began his prayers with an expression of gratitude. One cold, miserable day his people wondered what he would say. He prayed, "We thank Thee, O Lord, that it is not always like this."
Not only does a thankful spirit help us to be grateful for the past, and use our blessings right in the present...
III. A THANKFUL SPIRIT HELPS US TO PRAY FOR BLESSINGS IN THE FUTURE
Philip. 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
How can we not be anxious about anything concerning our future? when we pause and think about the blessings of the past, the future looks very bright!
It says to pray and intercede, but it also says to do it with Thanksgiving!
There is a legend about two angels who were sent to earth to gather up the prayers of men. One was to fill his basket with the petitions of mankind. The other was to gather their prayers of thanksgiving. Sometime later they went back to the Father’s house. One had a basket heaped high, and running over, with an unimaginable amount of petitions of men. The other returned with a sad and heavy heart, for his basket was almost empty. The thanks of men were heard but rarely on earth, even though the angel had searched diligently. Do not let us forget the thanksgiving side of prayers.
Giving thanks helps us to pray in submission to God’s will...
If there is bitterness in our spirit about the past, there can hardly be optimism concerning the future...
Too many people allow events, failures, and tough times of the past make them feel like there is no hope for the future, but Vs. 2 says that we need to be thankful for ALL THE WAY the Lord has led us including the tough times...
When we can honestly look back and say thank you Lord for the good times, and the bad times, and the wisdom reaped through all of it, we are encouraged and strengthened for the future in front of us...
The words of that song comes to mind...
"Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand,
but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.
Thanksgiving is a time of remembering God’s blessings and dealings...
It also helps to maintain a safeguard against pride over present blessings...
And a thankful spirit helps us pray for future blessings in the right manner as well...
The Bible tells us that there are great blessings in remembering the Lord as we see in vs. 7-9...
Moses was telling the people that as long as they continued to remember God which means in turn thanking Him, there would be blessings they had only dreamed of before...
This is the report that the spies brought back from the Land, which was a good report!
We also see in vs. 19,20 the importance of remembering the Lord as well to avoid disaster and calamity...
[19] If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. [20] Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
What an awful penalty of unthankfulness!
Basically, unthankfulness at it’s root is pride, and self-sufficiency instead of allowing God to be seated on the throne of our hearts...
God does not demand that we thank him, but he is pleased when we do so. And he uses our responsiveness to teach us more about himself.
Our desire should be to know Him in a greater way than ever before! A thankful spirit allows us to do just that!
The leper who returned realized what Jesus had done for him, and found it easy to go back with praise and worship!
We too will do that when we are thankful for what the Lord has blessed us with...
In some parts of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side -- and because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon the women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs and then rinse them in the cold ones. A tourist, who was watching this procedure commented to his mexican friend and guide: "I imagine that they think old Mother Nature is pretty generous to supply clean hot and cold water here side by side for their free use?" The guide replied, "No senor, there is much grumbling because she supplies no soap."
Thank the Lord for blessings and the contentment that comes with a thankful spirit!
It would be nice to say that the people Moses spoke to truly remembered the blessings that God had given them, but we see time after time that they failed, and each time it could be attributed to unthankfulness and a self-sufficient spirit...
