The Power of Gratitude Changes Everything

What a Day!

How was your day today?

Last Friday…Crazy driver, rocks thrown, someone’s in my spot, get an emergency call while hunting, diverted the hunt, got out again that afternoon and had a family go on a hike with their toddlers and dogs, walked right past us.

What a Day!

How did that make you feel as you listened to my “bad day”?

Most of you are in one of two camps.

my story frustrated you and brought your mood down as you felt my frustration

or, your sitting there thinking, “every day is a good day when you live it for the Lord”! Get over it Peter!

Trust me, this is not a “self help” “positive talk” message, not even when I give you the theme for tonight....

“The Power of Gratitude Changes everything”

Every year American’s sit around the thanksgiving table and share one thing that they are thankful for.

You’ve taken a few moments tonight to write down on the paper table clothes things that you are thankful for. So many times as we thank the Lord for the things we have, they are just that, THINGS!

I’m sure some of you wrote down things like:

Family

Mom

Dad

My Dog

My House

My Car

My Truck

That I got a deer or elk this year

What about those who don’t have those things? Not everyone has a family, a mom, a dad, a dog or a house, even a car or truck, and I know not everyone got their deer this year.

What’s my point in saying all of this? So many of those things are not constants in everyone’s life. Those things are more tied to our circumstances instead of anything eternal.

Hebrews 12:28 ESV

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

To be a member of God’s family is available to anyone who desires it! It is true that sometimes our circumstances can get us down but when we reflect on the fact that we have received a kingdom that CANNOT be shaken, what do we have to worry about? NOTHING! If we were to begin and end each day with a grateful heart towards God for the fact that the kingdom we’ve received is unshakable, it will change our entire outlook on life!

Biblical Facts of this Unshakable Kingdom

We are a new creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

We have become the righteousness of God

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

In Ephesians 6 Paul talks about the armor of God, right?

Ephesians 6:13 ESV

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Think at all the elements of the Armor.

Truth - we are sanctified in Truth

Righteousness - Imputed, credited to us

The Gospel of Peace - The good news of Jesus Christ

Faith - we are all given a faith of equal standing, given by the righteousness of God

Salvation - is due to something Jesus did for us, not anything we can do

The Word of God - it is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path

Prayer - Approaching the throne of Grace with Confidence

We must put on and take up the full armor of God, things that we possess only because of what God in Christ has done for us, in order to Stand Firm on the foundation of a Kingdom that is Unshakeable!

We are Chosen

We are Saints

We have regeneration through Christ

We are Justified by His Blood

We are being Sanctified by His word and Spirit

We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who will lead us into ALL TRUTH! John 16:13

John 16:13 ESV

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

We have security in Christ. We’ve done nothing to earn salvation and we can do nothing to loose it.

John 5:24 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 6:37 ESV

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

2 Corinthians 1:22 ESV

22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

I could go on an on!

Rocks

What circumstances are you dealing with right now that might prevent you from being grateful?

As you reflect on Who God is, his character traits or attributes, what about Him causes you to be grateful?

As you reflect on what God has done for you spiritually, what are you grateful for?

Psalm 100 ESV

A Psalm for giving thanks. 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.