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.
Galatians 5:22-
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit on our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
Talked to several people this week struggling in their faith-
How much more faith would be in your life if you had more of the Holy Spirit of God In your life and the fruit of the Spirit operating in your life?
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. “
Amen. Thanks for coming! In everything can be done only when the fruit of God’s Spirit is operating in your life. This is not something you can do on your own.
Do you thank God for the pain in your life?
Do you thank Him for times when things get worse?
Do you thank him when the preacher hits you right between the eyes and you know those words are from the Lord?
Yes… if you are allowing God to work in your life through the fruit of the Spirit.
Not thank you sir may I have another
But thank you I am not doing this alone Lord.
Thank you that though I cannot see you working, I know that you are.
Thank you Lord for the good that can come out of tough circumstances.
Why we are to be Thankful
The Bible teaches us that in the last days that people will be characterized by un-thankfulness.
2 Timothy 3:2-
“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.
People are angry, they are ready to fight, their ready to hurt other people. We see it every day in the news. We see it every day in churches in America.
God calls us to be different, not to act like the world. Peculiar? Yes, …different! Acting not like the world.
Football players on TV that score touchdowns, and then do a ho-down dance. That is their job… act like you been there before instead of the first time. God tells us to act like we are suppose to… and live his principals to a world that desperately needs him and needs to see how Christians should be acting.
The best way to protect your heart is to keep yourself thankful to God.
The best way to fall away from God is to be unthankful.
Romans 1:21
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Why are we thankful?
It is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!
Illustration-
Years ago when I was first getting into ministry an old man of the church (Corpus Christie TX.) pulled me aside and gave me some advice. I never forgot him and the advice he gave me.
Ministry is hard and few make it without being hurt several times.
Scripture is like a diving board where you launch out into deep waters.
You must keep your heart open to God and His principals and not let circumstance dictate your response.
Those stick for life!
You will never be able to do spiritual warfare with an ungrateful heart.
You will never see a revival in your life or the life of the church with ungratefulness.
Here is what happens in our heart once we allow God in with grateful and thankful hearts-
We see what we have been overlooking in our relationship with God and want it back or receive it for the first time.
When seek renewal instead of being dead right and winning meaningless arguments that don’t build the kingdom of God.
We humble themselves and allow the Spirit of God to work in our lives.
We allow the fruit of the Spirit to work
Even the ones we struggle with.
One preacher put it this way-
Move of God in one service is – “Touch of the Spirit”
Longer period of time- “Move of the Spirit”
Extended time where God moves and you just want to get out of the way so you don’t stop it- “Revival”
I want revival- How about you? I want it to begin in my heart, and this congregation, and then I want it to flood over into our families and in our work places and wherever God brings us into contact people. Amen.!
“If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and confess their sins, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land.”
It comes from humbleness
It comes from thankfulness to God first and then lived out in our lives to God and too others.
I had God move mightily one time many years ago when I did not expect it. I will never forget it. I was praying and studying at the kitchen table when God’s presence fell where I could not deny Him and I was drawn to His presence.
I did not want to leave him.
I did not want it to stop.
I did not want to mess it up.
I began weeping before the Lord wanting so much to please Him.
I was thankful, grateful, sorry, humbled, energized all at the same time.
You get into the presence of God and you will be grateful! You will be humbled. You will not want to leave his presence.
We say that we would be more thankful if we had more.
The truth is if you are not thankful with what you have, you would not be thankful if you were given more. It is why most people that inherit a great deal of money quickly in their life they cannot handle it. Sports, actors, kids with inheritance. It is because ungrateful is ungrateful, it does not have a dollar value.
Close with this scriptural illustration
Luke 17:11-18 read from Bible
Ten people crying out to God for a healing, God heals all ten and only one comes back with a grateful heart to thank God for it, nine never gave it another thought.
Which one are we this morning? Thankful ? or ungrateful?
Remembering what God has done for us or only thinking about what we do not have?
Not just Thanksgiving- everyday.
Amen.
