When I was first asked me to share on thankfulness for a women’s event, I felt “what do I really know about Thankfulness?” It’s not because I am not thankful! The Lord only knows how very very much I have to be thankful for.
I just had never deeply considered the idea of Thanksgiving in the Bible.
I have been learning so much! I am loving this topic.
Gratitude.
We will be looking at
1)what the Bible says about it.
A few verses
2)How Jesus set an example of gratitude.
What do we learn from Jesus
3) How we can develop an “attitude of gratitude”
Practical steps to take
1.What does the Bible Say?
The Bible has much to say about being thankful! (Roughly 150 verses)
I will just touch on three quick verses.
Start with Thanks
Psalm 100:4 Tells us to Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.
Right now, tell the Lord something you are thankful for.
Know He IS Good/ worthy
Psalm 136: 1-3 Tells us to give thanks to the Lord because He is good.
This means we think on who God is, meditate on all the wonderful things He is and all He does, and thank Him for that. We thank Him even when we cannot see goodness in a situation because, by faith, we believe He is good.
Think about something good about God and tell Him or someone near you
It is God’s will
1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to give thanks in all circumstances because This is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Do you ever ask God “What is your will for me? Whatever it is, tell me and I will do it?”
Ok. Here you go. A verse that states plainly “This is the will of God concerning you.” In EVERYTHING give thanks.
Jesus as our example:
Jesus was thankful. He was Constantly thanking the Father.
John 11:41
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would fed 5000.
Luke 22: 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me the passover meal.
As I looked at the scripture, one thing stood out. Jesus usually thanked the Father BEFORE He had what He asked:
Before Lazarus rose
Before The bread was multiplied
Before He suffered. (Mind blown)
When did he give thanks?
I once heard one of my mentors, Chuck Smith, tell the story of the time he and his wife were low on cash. They had a bill coming, a house payment perhaps, and they had no way to pay it. He was fretting, and worrying. Then, the night before it was due he received the money they needed. I remember Chuck saying he grabbed his wife and they began dancing around the room.
Then God spoke to Him.
“Why weren’t you dancing an hour ago?
“Well, I didn’t have the money yet.” He told the Lord.
“But you had my promise.” The Lord said.
We have Gods promises! No matter the situation, we can find a promise to be thankful about. Thank Him IN ADVANCE for the answer.
It does affect our relationship.
2. Why be Grateful?
Please Our Father
We know Gratitude affects us because we see this in our own lives and families. It is why we tell that child to say “Thank you” when aunt Emma gives them a gift. In time they will understand and the words will have meaning.
Recently our son Zach bought Charlie a special, signed football. It was signed by Barry Sanders, one of the best Detroit Lions players, ever. Zach was so proud, and couldn’t wait to give it to Charlie.
Of course, Charlie was thrilled.
Let’s say Charlie said “Oh. I wish you had gotten me Matthew Stafford…” Now Zach is soured on the thought of doing something special for his dad.
Likewise, the heavenly father enjoys being appreciated and thanks. He wants you to see HIS hand in your life, His loving kindness towards you.His special plans for you. He is always thinking of you. He wants you to see that because that’s how much He loves you!
Could it be, as we show gratitude for the Fathers gifts, He is encouraged to continue pouring into our lives?
Healed? Or Whole?
Luke 17:12-19
“And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you whole.”
“Whole” implies a spiritual healing. A complete deliverance. A future salvation.
So many times we settle for being healed. But fall short of wholeness.
And notice: What brought this leper wholeness?
Faith.
How was his faith demonstrated? Through being thankful.
Gratitude Brings Deliverance
Acts 16:25-26
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
Unfairly locked in prison. Falsely accused. Yet they praised. The shackles fell off and the prison doors were open. What shackles are holding you? What prison are you in? Give thanks IN everything.
2 Chronicles 20:21-22
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.
And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
Again they were praising God BEFORE the victory.
This is what I saw over and over. Being thankful BEFORE. THEN, God took down their enemy right in front of them.
God Aligns our Lives as we Praise Him
I have had a clear sense during times of worship, that God is aligning all the things that concern us. There is something about praise and Thanksgiving that pulls things into Gods strategic plan when the enemy is seeking to destroy it.
Recently I left the keys in my truck and the battery died. I was very frustrated. What possible point could there be to this? It threw off my whole day and I missed some of my work hours. Thankfully, my husband Charlie had purchased a portable battery charger for such a time as this. I had to watch a YouTube video to learn how to use it, because I have always been afraid of charging a car. (I must’ve heard some crazy story somewhere in my past) and my truck leapt to life within a few seconds! Still, what is the point of these irritants? We like to think God is aware and involved in every area of our life, but sometimes it just does not add up. In this case, I just chalked it up to “one of those times life is life.”
Then, recently, we were on a trip for my husbands work, and when it came time to leave, my truck battery was dead! We were far from help, my truck parked the wrong way in a parking garage in downtown Lansing Michigan. It was time to go, and the hotel was planning to send our luggage, on the cart, into storage. Argh. How embarrassing! We would have to call somewhere for a jump and who knows how much they would charge?
But then I remembered!
Because of the previous dead battery incident, My husband had told me to put the charger in my truck! It was tucked under a back seat. AND when my husband used it and couldn’t get it to work, I remembered the video and a certain detail that made all the difference. Again, my truck roared to life in a few seconds once we applied the charger correctly.
I was reading a book by Jeane Guyon. In it, she shared how she chose to give thanks to God not just “IN” every circumstance, but FOR every circumstance. (Page 140 Experiencing)
I decided to try that attitude out.
It made me aware of how many little irritants buzz around our life every day! An unexpected bill comes in the mail, one of our offspring has a bad attitude, the item Amazon said would be there today does not arrive. We can go on and on, right?
I have to tell you… it was HARD to always say Thanks! It took a serious spiritual arm twisting to grind out a “Thank-you” for the irritants.
In doing so, I made an amazing discovery. I began to see Gods hand in all of those irritants!
A bus light didn’t work? Turns out that bus would have broken down because the battery wasn’t charging.
The order didn’t arrive before the birthday? Turns out it was a bigger blessing because it was needed in a new way when it arrived later.
A car accident? We were able to afford a new and better vehicle due to insurance.
When we choose to tell the Lord Thank you, He aligns things to make it work out. Honestly, He probably is anyway, but thanking Him helps us to SEE His blessing.
We do not always see the blessing behind the burden
I want to note that the Bible says give thanks IN everything. I do not think we are required, so to speak, to give thanks FOR everything. However, I believe God is so good, and that if we truly understood all He is doing behind the scenes, we WOULD thank Him for all things!
God wants to teach us that HE is in it ALL. And there is always a reason to thank Him, not just IN everything, but FOR everything!
3. Dangers of Ingratitude
We will never be satisfied
Proverbs 30:15 says “The leech has two daughters that say “more, More!”
When we are not grateful, NOTHING will satisfy!
We are not relying on or dependent on God so we cling like a leech to people and want to keep draining THEM. Yet nothing they do will ever fill the true need we have.
Isaiah 56:11
“Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.”
These are shepherds, yet they want something from the people in their care. They take and take and again, it is an endless wanting. An empty hole inside of us that is never filled.
The most famous story of ingratitude comes from Numbers 11. The children of Israel
Numbers 11:1
And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
31-33 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.
Yikes! Pretty serious response to ingratitude.
Why? Why is it so important to God that we are thankful?
Look at the 10th commandment in Exodus 20:17
God COULD have said “Thou shalt not murmur. Or Thou shalt not complain. But He gets to the heart of the issue by saying “Thou shalt not covet.” That is what is at the heart of complaining.
The opposite of Thankfulness is not “unthankfulness” it is Covetousness, or greed. We want something and don’t get our way. So we tantrum.
We are telling God “You are not enough. You do not take good care of me. I cannot trust You.” God takes it very seriously! We THINK we are complaining about a person, or job, or situation, but God hears it as a complaint against Him.
In the wilderness the people always griped to Moses, and Moses would say “Why are they complaining to me? It is the Lord!”
I once heard a great phrase “Be slow to cry to men, but let your cry come unto God.”
Change the atmosphere
It reminds me of many work environments I have been in.
People just like to complain. Something in us wants to digress into the negative.
“That bus route should turn left here, not right. Why didn’t they sweep the bus? Why did they let that person get off work? We don’t make enough…” and on and on the poisonous venom of thanklessness.
What kind of environment does that create?
Does it help or harm the general good?
If you tell everyone how horrible your spouse is, what good thing will that bring him?
I am NOT saying never talk about things that you are dealing with, but be careful it is not coming from a spirit of ingratitude and covetousness.
4. Developing A spirit of Gratitude
Talk to God First
1st Practical thing: Go to God first. Get a verse or a word when you are tempted to complain and fuss to people. Meditate on the promises of God and bring those up when things go away.
Thank Others Instead of complaining
When you want to complain say “Thank you” instead.
Long lines, few workers. Tell them “Thank you for showing up today! You’re doing a great job!”
When the mini mart attendant is listening to heavy metal instead of noticing they are out of coffee, find something to thank him for! “It must be rough to get up so early, thanks for being willing to get more coffee for me.”
You may open their hearts and be able to share the Lord. That sort of attitude is rare and will stand out in a dark and cynical world.
Things to Remember
John 11:41-42: God always hears you. You can say “Thank you because you hear me!”
Psalm 75: 1 God is near. Thank God that He is near.
Find those verses that will anchor you. As Pastor says “Recognize and replace”
Daily Thanks
Make Gratefulness a daily habit. Begin by thanking God.
Write things down. (Journal)
5. Thankfulness and trust go hand in hand.
Sometimes we must make choices in life that go against our feelings. We trust God, so we thank God, even in the valley. Even in the storms. Even when life is dark and scary and does not make. Any. Sense.
We can find this new depth of Thanksgiving when we understand that Our Father will always do the right thing by us. Always. Every time.
On my birthday this past September, as I was hanging out with the Lord, that He began speaking to me. “Should not the judge of all the earth do right?” as Abraham said in Genesis 18:25
Now, this was important to me because just before Bill’s passing I was given a vision of God the Judge, in the courtroom of heaven, considering what He should do concerning the many petitions made for Bills life.
And for whatever reason, (maybe as a birthday gift?) the Lord dumped into my soul the revelation that all that transpired as my former husband was gathered to heaven, was the kindest, most loving thing the Father could do for all involved, including my ex-husband Bill. God quite literally spoke to my heart specific reasons He chose to take Bill home.
God had done the right thing.
God was worthy to be thanked even when our fervent prayers for an earthly healing were not answered the way we hoped, and even expected.
Thankfulness is much much more than choosing to think on everything good and lovely and ignoring the “bad parts.”
This is the way we tend to think: Im having a bad day so I will think about the good things. My job is difficult today, but thank you Lord I have a job!
We sometimes think the “right” thing means the easiest thing.
WE think if God is “in” it, People will always behave, treat us kind, our meals will taste perfect, our lawn will grow unhindered by grubs, it will never rain on our son’s birthday party…”
But the right thing actually means God takes in all the dynamics, relationships, circumstances, and a view of the future we do not have, as He makes His decisions.
Sometimes it takes a real bending of my will to say “Thank you.”
And Thank you to God does not have to mean we LIKE or FEEL good about something! It really means “Thank you” because I trust your judgment!
This is maturity: when we begin to practice saying Thank you for the difficult things in life as well as the enjoyable things because Thanking God is telling Him “I trust you. You always do the right thing.”
I only hope that you and I can begin to get a glimpse of the fact that God’s goodness goes way beyond a warm meal and a comfortable bed. By faith, we can be thankful even when the meals are cold and the mattress is lumpy. It is a thankfulness that is more about faith and less about blessing.
I’ve been sharing a lot on my Facebook page about Baby James.
My daughter Bethany lost James at 4 months, but his short life did become a blessing. A go-fund-me page was started for the medical expenses incurred during the hospital stay which then led to not just the bills from Bethany’s hospital stay during his loss being paid, but a crushing weight of debt from surgeries and other past hospital expenses being wiped out completely, with some left over.
In the process, baby James father saw the hand of God in this situation so clearly, his faltering faith was strengthened and remains firm to this day.
Sometimes, we can see the blessing.
All that said, it does does not resolve all the “why’s.” We face problems and sadness here on earth. Even though we cannot expect to have all our “Why’s” answered, being thankful causes us to look heavenward and lean into the Father. Those times transform us, give our souls rest, and deepen our spiritual walk.
One online friend said “gratitude is part of my daily self care.” I love that. It’s as important as taking vitamin D and putting on your make-up. It affects how you look inside and out.
As Thanksgiving approaches, let’s consider their story of Thankfulness.
What happened
Celebrations Stem From a Life of Thankfulness
Christianity Today Nov3 , 2020
“One of the Pilgrim Fathers’ most striking moments of thankfulness occurred the first Sunday after they reached North America. A scouting party of 16 men returned to the Mayflower with a good report about the land. The collective sense of relief spurred an impromptu worship service. As Bradford put it, “They fell upon their knees and blessed ye God of heaven.”
This scene was not an isolated incident. Bradford’s history of Plymouth references the giving of thanks no less than 30 times. The first Thanksgiving, rather than being an anomaly amid the drudgery of forging a new colony, fell within a rhythm of gratitude in the Pilgrims’ life. ..it underscores the cyclical nature of thanksgiving in Plymouth colony.
Before the Pilgrims faced each day, they first turned to God in gratitude and intercession. The pattern persisted as half their company died that first winter and as crops failed the next year. Weekly, they took seriously observance of the Sabbath, making preparations each Saturday so Sunday could be spent in uninterrupted worship and rest.
By the time their first harvest was gathered, the Pilgrim Fathers’ response was predictable. Despite a winter of widespread death and a fall of crop failure, they gave thanks, confident of God’s providential care. Leaders of the colony doubled the weekly corn ration, and a holiday was declared so all could “after a more special manner, rejoyce together.”
As they continued inThanksgiving, God blessed them:
There were so many ways God honored the thankful attitude of the pilgrims: The wind took them away from what they would later learn was a hostile tribe and to a perfect location where a large supply of corn and a friendly tribe would greet them. God sent Squanto, gave them favor with Indians, provided a good harvest and wisdom to begin a new land.
At one time, the pilgrims rationed a mere five kernels of corn to each person per day.
The pilgrims placed five kernels of corn by their plates the first Thanksgiving to remember how far God had brought them.
Maybe you feel like you only have 5 kernels of corn. Let us thank God for each one of them!
Write this down and record something you are thankful for each one of the five:
5 things to be thankful for
Something about God’s character
Something we love that is a great blessing
Someone in our life that is a great blessing
Something we learned this past year
A difficulty in our life that we don’t understand
Hang it up. Tell God thank you as you put your make up on and take your supplements
In Everything, Give Thanks! You will see a great Harvest in your life!
If you feel this podcast could benefit others, please leave a review wherever you listen and share it freely.
