In All Circumstances
The Heart of Thanksgiving • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Things for which to be thankful:
Trains, cars, and airplanes that need constant repair and maintenance because it allows us to travel great distances to share thanksgiving with our loved ones.
The spouse who complains when dinner is not on time because they are home with you, and not with someone else.
The teenager who is complaining about doing the dishes, because that means they are at home and not on the streets.
The mess to clean after the party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
The taxes I pay because it means I am employed.
The clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
My shadow who watches me work and never lends a hand, because it means I am out in the sunshine.
A lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and a roof that needs fixing because it means I have a home.
All the complaining I hear about out government because it means we have freedom of speech.
The space I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
My huge electric bill because it means I am cool and warm when needed.
The lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear.
The plies of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.
Weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.
The alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.
Getting too many text messages but at least I know I have friends who are thinking of me.
All of this is not a glass half full perspective, it is a life with a heart of gratitude in every circumstance.
We live in a time that complaining is our go to, not gratitude. We complain about everything and everybody and label it “Oh I am just speaking the truth.”
No no BOO BOO you are complaining and gossiping.
I am going to tell on myself.
For the love of all things holy, I hate going through a drive thru, especially McDonald’s.
And especially with my family in tow.
Each one has to have something different than what comes with the meal. These two have to have plain hamburgers but it has to have cheese. This one has to have a fish fillet but it has to have so much tarter sauce that the fish is swimming again.
I order and what comes is what I eat.
But then the total comes up $983.23.
And then you get up there and it doesn’t matter if you have one thing or a thousand, Can you pull up to spot number 73 and wait please. But they give you your drink, and you either let the ice melt or drink it all before your meal gets there.
And still with all that time, they get the order wrong.
Now my blood pressure and anxiety is through the roof.
Now, to be honest, I should be happy that I have a car to get us through the drive thru, a family that is healthy and knows what they want, money to pay that thousand dollar bill, the drink that they give me, and the ability to walk out my car to correct their mistake.
in all circumstances!
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Let’s pray.
We will have ourselves a good old fashion three point message today.
and it starts with
Rejoice always,
What does it mean to rejoice always?
Is it where you are just giddity all the time?
Is it someone who just spews out sunshine and rainbows?
Is it where you just do not have a bad day and live in perpetual positivity?
No!
To understand this better, let’s look at Paul’s character in his ministry
We are not giving anyone an occasion for offense, so that the ministry will not be blamed. Instead, as God’s ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardships, by difficulties, by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, through glory and dishonor, through slander and good report; regarded as deceivers, yet true; as unknown, yet recognized; as dying, yet see—we live; as being disciplined, yet not killed; as grieving, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet enriching many; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
Paul had every right to complain about his circumstances.
He was beaten several times, stoned to near death, shipwrecked, bitten by a viper, and imprisoned.
Yet he counted it all joy to go through what he went through.
Anyone of us would have complained till someone’s ears bled.
Heck, we complain when the A/C is too hot or too cold.
Oh the pastor did not have the words big enough for me to see the slide. Yet, you don’t bring your bible to read it for yourself like I have asked so many times.
Why cause it is so much trouble to bring it with me.
The good majority leave the church, not because they got their feelings hurt, but because they did not get it their way.
Rejoicing always is not about not stating what is going on, it is about proclaiming Christ in it all.
What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Paul is in prison when he wrote Philippians.
It is all about the advancement of the Gospel.
Rejoicing always is not the absence of negativity, it is the continuous realization of God’s presence in it all.
pray constantly,
I want you to start to see prayer not as a request system, It is a tool that is used for battle in spiritual warfare.
Prayer is a way to access God’s strength and authority to act in all circumstances, rather than relying on your own abilities.
Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—
Consistent prayer enables us to wear the armor of God and stay spiritually ready and protected.
It is through prayer, that takes a person from fear and anxiety, to a state where they can take every thought captive and make them obedient to God.
What we must realize is that prayer should never be the last resort. Prayer and worship should be the first thing you put on each day, even before you brush your teeth.
It is a continuous strategy to help us make decisions, to find comfort, and to navigate every circumstance in front of us.
When Jesus was exhausted from feeding the 5000, he went to pray.
When Jesus was about to face the cross, He went to pray.
When Jesus faced every circumstance, He went to pray.
Are your prayers a battle cry in the heavens or a quarter for the vending machine?
Rejoice always, pray constantly
give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
The biblical way to give thanks is to cultivate a constant state of gratitude.
You take the time to acknowledge God’s goodness in all circumstances, by praying and rejoicing in the name of Jesus Christ.
Notice, the verse is clear, when you do these three things, you are in God’s will.
I hear often, “I wonder of I am in God’s will.”
Well, check yourself. Are you rejoicing, praying and giving thanks in Jesus Christ in all circumstances.
I am not saying be over joyed in the bad circumstances, but hold onto thankfulness for who God is and His promises, even when times are hard.
This thanksgiving is not a seasonal thing, like pumpkin spice lattes, it is a continuous action that requires us to remember God’s benefits and His love for us.
God’s enduring love for us should be rejoiced, prayed over and given thanks continually.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His faithful love endures forever.
Let me give you some practical ways to do this:
Start your day with thanksgiving.
Use Song and Praise!
Acknowledge the Holy Spirits presence in your life
Give thanks in everything you do.
Begin your morning by expressing gratitude for a new day and new mercies. Lord knows we need it every morning.
Worship through song and praise, it helps to keep your mind on the Lord and His truths.
Acknowledge the Holy Spirits presence in your life. It is the Spirit of God that dwells inside of you.
Live out your faith each and every day.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
