A Thankful Heart
Selected Scriptures
Introduction-
This morning we are going to look at Thankfulness.
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we need to take a look at what the Bible says about being Thankful.
We express thankfulness in a variety of ways.
I have heard unbelievers “Thank Jesus” for things.
I have seen kids get what they want and say “Oh thank God”.
I don’t doubt they are words of thanksgiving, but is it being thankful?
If you would enter thanksgiving in the Google bar, you would think that something about the pilgrims and Indians getting together that first thanksgiving would appear.
Do you know what topics appear?
Thanksgiving recipes
Favorite dishes to use at thanksgiving
Walmart preparing for Black Friday Sale.
What stores will be open and closed on Thanksgiving.
There are nearly 100 verses that I found that directly or indirectly talk about thanksgiving.
30 verses directly tell us that we should be giving God thanks for the things that He has done.
There are verses that tell us to be thankful to each other.
The Bible does have a lot to say to us about thankfulness if we take the time to read it.
Let’s start with that famous last Thursday of November we call Thanksgiving.
Let me set a picture for you.
Maybe it is not like this at your house, but I think it is a typical Thanksgiving. It begins days before as someone goes to the store to get all the necessary groceries. Prep time includes baking desserts, stuffing the turkey, setting the tables, cleaning the house, keeping the kids from eating the food before thanksgiving, invitations, cancelations, making phone calls, running for all last minute things- that is what mom does.
The rest of us are in the way, placed and positioned at our favorite spot yelling when will the food will be done and that we are starving and we are ready to dig in on the food as soon as the food gun goes off.
Some are fighting over the remote between early Christmas movies, thanksgiving parade and the anticipation of the NFL game. We devour our food unmercifully until we cannot walk properly and as we are watching the game through our eye lids, we allow mom to clean up and put everything away. As soon as she get’s that done, we desire to attack the food again until we are almost in a comma. People stay and people have to go to other parties of thanksgiving and we hug at the door and tell everyone that we see them again at Christmas, and we go to our mom or spouse and say “That was a good thanksgiving”
Is that being thankful? Because to me it would depend which side of this llustration you are on wither you would be thankful or not.
I really do like thanksgiving- it usually comes with drama, yours and my dysfunctional family has its moments, but the family is together. I don’t know about you, but because I am a pastor, my family as we pray always warns me to keep it short- “Rub a dub, dub, thanks for the grub” is their prayer of choice.
Psalms 9:1-2 (Text)
“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart, I will tell of your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will say praise to your name, O Most High.”
This Psalm is a declaration of praise- It is praise from the heart of David expressed in a public setting because praise is not only a private matter but made public by our acts of thanksgiving.
I will praise you
I will tell others about you
I will rejoice and lift up your name
Thanks…giving!
One version of Psalms 9:1 “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”
I will recount, I will remember.
What are you thankful for?
Well, you cannot escape these verses that God has to be first in your life. You must be thankful to God for what He has done for you. (More in a minute about that)
What are you thankful for? Thankfulness to God is also expressed to the people God has put in your life to be a blessing.
I am thankful for my wife.
I am thankful for my children and the grandkids that they have given us.
I am thankful for my family, friends, church family, a place to worship, and my health.
(None being perfect)
I am most thankful for Jesus. I am thankful for the salvation that comes through Him and the relationship I have with Him.
Most people forget Jesus because their basis of thanksgiving is on the here and now.
If I am happy and things are going well, I am thankful.
If things are not well and life is a struggle, and not what I would like, I am not thankful and have a hard time thinking of something to be thankful for.
I say this because our relationship and thankfulness in Christ is not based upon weather we are happy at the moment, but on a heart of gratitude for what he has done. Say Amen.
I say this the Sunday before Thanksgiving so that as we all get together around that table that we acknowledge those in our life that mean something to us. Don’t forget to say thank you to those you are grateful for. Don’t forget God!
It is easy to lose track of what is important to us in the hectic struggles of life.
But just imagine some things that you take for granted and if they were suddenly gone- it would change your life.
Illustration-
You heard of the lady that was fighting to find a parking spot in a busy mall, had a lot to do and it started to rain, asked God to help find her a spot near the front door. As soon as she said that a car began backing up right in front of the doors, she went right for it and said “Never mind God, something just opened up.”
We laugh about it, but how many times do we ask God for something and when we receive it, we behave as though it was a coincidence and we fail to give credit where credit is due.
Being thankful does not come easy to us because we live in a world of being told that you deserve the best, you are entitled to this lifestyle and we come away with an attitude of selfishness instead of an attitude of gratitude.
Luke 17 tells of a time that Jesus is in ministry healed 10 lepers that were brought before him. They were all healed and told to go to the priest and show themselves so that they could be a part of society again. Only one of the ten came back to Jesus and said thank you.
Please and thank you are words of gratitude.
We like to center on the one that came back, that is what it should be, not that it is so unusual. I am concerned that 9-10 did not do the right thing and went away without saying thank you.
Can we take a moment to look at what we are thankful for and where we put our gratitude?
I think in God’s word there are things we can do to make sure we keep our attitude and gratitude to the right people.
I. Expressing our live for God (Foremost)
Psalm 95:2 (ESV)
“Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise.”
The psalmist is telling us that the way we love God is by expressing our live not only in words but by our actions. We love God by coming into His presence and desiring that intimate relationship and we bring Him our best when we present ourselves and offer up songs of praise-worship. And we acknowledge what He has done for us instead of always what we need Him to do.
Attitude of gratitude
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
For what He has done- Amen.
“And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”
Psalm 7:17 (ESV)
“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, The Most High.
Our lives as well as our words are love being given back to God.
II. Express our love to each other
Phil. 1:3
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you”
We are to be an extension of God’s love to each other, as God has loved us, we are to love each other.
John 13:34-35
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We have an opportunity everyday to tell someone what they mean to us.
Expressing it not only in words but by our actions.
It does not cost anything to tell someone thank you.
It does not break the bank to go an extra mile and express gratitude.
Instead of living a give me, live a life of thank you!
Your neighbor needs to see it, your family needs to see it, those we come in contact with need to see a heart of gratitude not only for God (foremost) but also expression of love to each other.
Mervin Newland talks about the phrase “much obliged” He said the first time he heard it said was in an old western on T.V. Forgotten phrase, it means that someone has done us a favor and therefore we are indebted to return the favor, to do something in return.
As we close, Let us remember how good God has been to us. Let’s remember those that are important in our lives and if they were gone, it would change our lives.
This week go out and return the favor of how good God has been to us. Show it to someone else. Don’t approach this week with the attitude of lets see who will do something for me, but what will I do for someone else. Anonymously works- God is the rewarder of anything we do for the kingdom of God. Amen.
