Thankfulness for God's Gifts

Contentment: Acceptance and satisfaction with one’s situation.

How often do you set back and consider your blessings?

With Thanksgiving being just a couple weeks away many of us will find ourselves setting at a table surrounded by family and friends.

What if blessing doesn’t lead to thankfulness, but rather misery.

Our jobs, our houses, our children, our spouses, our cars, favorite knickknacks, our hobbies, our talents, and our health have one thing in common: they are all blessings from the Lord. And yet we often allow them to lead to misery.

In a letter written to Ben Franklin near the end of his life, a friend asked him to leave a written legacy of the attributes of his life and CONTENTMENT was mentioned:

“Your attributes appear to have been applied to your life, and the passing moments of it have been enlivened with contentment and enjoyment, instead of being tormented with foolish impatience or regrets.” - The Autobiography of Ben Franklin, pg 58

As believers, the way we treat the blessings the Lord entrusts portrays how we think of God, leading to a life of contentment and enjoyment

In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus tells of two ungrateful brothers and how their poor assessment of their inheritance led to their own misery and separation from their father.

Understanding God’s goodness allows us to be thankful for the gifts he gives us.

Move your focus away from the gifts you have and put it on the Lord; this will help you be thankful for his love and provision.

Luke 15:11–32 ESV

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

THE WASTEFULNESS OF THE YOUNGER SON

The younger son asks his father for his share of the inheritance while his father is still living.

In the time of Jesus, much like it would be today, asking for an inheritance before your parent’s death was the same as telling them you want them to die.

The younger son believes his father is standing between him and happiness.

He takes all he can from his father and spends it on “wild living.”

The world is full of people who assume the blessings the Lord gives are simply their for the taking. They take their talents and resources and waste them on simple pleasures.

Wasting out gifts on our own glory and pleasure leaves us unfulfilled and miserable.

Consider the many incredibly talented musicians who sought fulfillment in success and it ends in tragedy.

When success is no longer fulfilling, talent and health are sold to drugs and alcohol, until lives are lose pursuing the pleasures of the world.

Those are extreme cases, but the principle remains the same on smaller scales.

Failing to appreciate and properly utilize our gifts will entice us to leave them for one empty pursuit after another.

Students who think school is a burden rather than an investment in their future waste it.

Spouses who think their families are impeding their happiness become workaholics - or leave their families altogether.

Misuse of our talent does not often result in death, but it does often lead to broken relationships, squandered opportunities, and lost dreams.

THE UNGRATEFULNESS OF OLDER SON

The ungratefulness of the older son is just as offensive as the pursuit of worldly pleasure by the younger brother when we consider both brothers received their inheritance at the same time.

According to Jewish custom, the older brother would have received an inheritance TWICE that of his younger brother, yet ye STILL believed his father did not care for him.

When we find the older son berating his father for not giving him a goat he already owned, the depth of his ungratefulness is emphasized.

Imagine

Let us envision we give imaginary person Bob a fully loaded Corvette.

We tell Bob, “This car has a lot to offer, be sure to check manual for all the features. The car is yours with no loan payment. We will take care of the insurance, and the maintenance. Just drive it and enjoy it.”

Imagine Bob going through all the car’s features and complaining about them.

Power windows: “One more thing to break.”

Sunroof: “Notorious for leaking.”

755-horsepower engine: “They don’t really expect me to pay for premium gasoline, do they?”

He reads though the manual and treats every feature like an item on a list of reason not to drive this car.

With this type of attitude, Bob is not going to get very far in his car, and he is certainly not going to enjoy it.

We do this often with cars, houses, even skills and talents... We focus on the gift and critique until it no longer brings the joy a blessing should.

This level of negative attitude and lack of gratitude leads to discontentment leads to misery.

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

Misunderstanding God’s goodness keeps us from being thankful.

We can act like the younger brother, getting so fixated on the things God can give us that we get angry when he does not give us EVERYTHING we want.

We can act like the older brother, seeing God’s blessing as a burden.

We have to adjust our perspective to remind ourselves to be thankful for the blessings God gives us.

We must remind ourselves that behind every good gift is a loving father who wants to show his love with the gifts he gives.

James 1:17 ESV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

When we feel ungrateful, we should pause and ask him to show us how his gifts can teach us to love him.

Let’s consider the goodness of God.

Do you believe God is truly good to you? Are you able to look at your life and see blessing? I believe that no matter how much you may be struggling today with health, finances, relationships etc., that God has been good to you in someway. Possibly you need help today to see it. From a friend, pastor, or the Holy Spirit himself.

Psalm 84:11 ESV

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

As you walk upright, you may still ask what is the good thing? What is the goodness of God? What is this goodness I can be thankful for?

We need a clear definition to help us focus ton what we can expect from him.

“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and his unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By his nature he is inclined to bestow blessedness and he takes total pleasure in the happiness of his people.” - A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, pg 82.

God’s goodness is God’s kindness showered on his people for their well-being.

God’s goodness is pleasant, fair, desirable, and generous.

says “Good Things” and that’s a wonderful way to understand God’s goodness. He gives us good things.

How are we supposed to respond to God’s goodness?

Romans 2:4 NKJV

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

We are to respond with repentance of unbelief and ingratitude.

Much in the same way God orchestrates suffering in a persons life to build their character and hope and draw them to repentance, he draws us in to him with his goodness as well. Ah…the blessings of God are showing me his love for me.

Understanding God’s goodness allows us to be thankful for the gifts he gives us.

Move your focus away from the gifts you have and put it on the Lord; this will help you be thankful for his love and provision.

I’ll close with this as an invitation:

Chip Ingram writes this in his book The Real God:

“The Bible talks about faith and repentance together. They go hand in hand. If you’re not a believer in Christ right now, God’s goodness can lead you the point where you say, ‘God, I’m sorry I have not recognized all the good, all the kindness that’s come into my life is from you. Please forgive me of all my sin. I want you to know that I’m turning back your way. I’m going to embrace your Son. I ask you, Jesus, right now, to come into my heart, forgive me of my sin, and save me.”

If the goodness of God has drawn you to him, he will accept your prayer.