Thankful for God’s Ongoing Work

📖 Philippians 1:3–6; 2:13 🎯 Big Idea: Be thankful not only for what God has done, but for what He is doing now. ➡️ Application: Live with gratitude for God’s continual, ongoing work in your life.

🎯 Introduction: Gratitude for Yesterday AND Today

Mention Bob Marley & The Wailers’ “Thank You, Lord” — “Thank you for what you’ve done… thank you for what you’re doing now.”

Sets up the biblical truth: gratitude looks backward and forward.

1️⃣ Thankful for What God Has Done

As Christians, we’re naturally grateful for:

Christ’s atoning work

Salvation

A relationship with God

The hope of heaven

These are foundational, but not the full picture of Christian gratitude.

2️⃣ Thankful for What God Is Doing Right Now

📖 Philippians 1:6 — He began a good work and will complete it. 📖 Philippians 2:13 — He works in us to will and act according to His purpose.

God didn’t just save us—He is actively shaping, refining, and leading us daily.

Gratitude means paying attention to the present tense work of God.

3️⃣ True Gratitude Is Rooted in God—Not the Universe

Modern spirituality often teaches gratitude…but points it toward:

The “universe”

Your “inner divinity”

Biblical gratitude is different:

It starts with God as the source of every good thing.

Gratitude is worship—not good vibes.

4️⃣ Gratitude as a Daily Spiritual Discipline

Move gratitude from an event (holidays, ceremonies) to a habit.

Train your soul to look for God’s work in ordinary moments:

A child’s birth ➝ obviously thank God.

Stuck in traffic ➝ look for what God might be saying or slowing you down to hear.

No moment is too small for God to be at work.

5️⃣ Gratitude Helps Us Surrender

Quote: Nathan Foster — “Gratitude brought me to the ability to collapse into God’s providence… ‘You do what You want, and I’ll say thank You.’”

Gratitude teaches us to trust God’s hand and release control.

It opens our hearts to whatever God wants to do next.

6️⃣ Gratitude Makes Us Aware of God’s Presence and Work

Gratitude slows down the soul in a hurried world.

It reveals where God is already moving.

It:

Calms our anxiety

Humbles our ambition

Sharpens our spiritual eyesight

Reorients us to God’s goodness

A grateful heart becomes a present heart—awake to God’s work.

🧡 Takeaway for the Week

Thank God not only for what He has done, but for what He is doing this very moment.