Thanksgiving

Thankful

12-27-15

Have you ever noticed how our ability to be thankful has really depended on our circumstances?

I know that there are acceptations to that rule but in general, it is a true statement, do you agree?

For instance, with Christmas right around the corner, how many of us will hear, I didn’t get the one thing that I really wanted?

They may have gotten dozens of things only to be disappointed about the one they didn’t get.

In the society that we live in, there is such a focus put on what we don’t have, that it can rob us of the joy for not just the things we do have, but the people that are in our lives.

For instance, one time I owned a 28’ sailboat that was given to me for free.

After more than 2 years of working on it while it sat in my yard, I started thinking about what it would be like to have one that was actually floating on the water.

In my disappointment for what I had, I started looking on Craigslist at boats that didn’t need repairs, only to create a bigger disappointment for what I already had.

John D. Rockefeller was at one point the world’s richest man and first ever American billionaire. When a reporter asked him, “How much money is enough?” He responded, “Just a little bit more.”

On the flip side of that, what if our ability to be thankful didn’t depend on our circumstances but how good the Lord has been to us?

From our study in Romans so far we know that the greatest gift we could ever receive is eternal life because of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection.

Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

How we live this life shows Him how grateful we are for the gift He gave.

Jesus tells a great story in to illustrate my point.

ESV

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

I love the illustration of this story not only because of what Jesus did, but how it is so relevant to our lives today as well.

Lepers were a group of people that were unclean, unable to live with family and friends but only with other broken sick people with no hope.

Jesus was just on His way, and an opportunity for ministry just happened

As followers of Jesus the same thing is supposed to happen in our lives!

I am getting ahead of myself. I always want to jump into application. In fact, I find it a law lol

Back to the story

Jesus didn’t tell them they were healed.

In fact they never even asked to be healed, only that He would have mercy on them.

Application point: how often do we expect mercy without giving it?

Verse 14 simply says, go show yourselves to the priests.

According to the Levitical law, if someone was cleansed of a disease they were to go and be inspected by the priest and make an offering.

Their healing came as they went to do what Jesus told them to do.

Notice that Jesus healed 10 but only 1 returned to give thanks.

Verse 15-16: Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

Samaritans were considered half breeds, because they were descendants of other nationalities who mixed with the Jews so there was always conflict, and yet it was a Samaritan that returned to give thanks.

I don’t know about you but I like to think of myself as a dog that was rescued from the pound. A mutt

You never see pure breads in the pound, but the dogs you get from the pound are just so grateful to be saved that they spend the rest of their lives giving thanks to the one that saved them.

The Bible doesn’t tell us what happened to the other 9, however we do know that they were all healed.

They failed to give God glory for what had been done for them.

Application point: How often do we not receive what God has for us because we don’t go?

The 1 that returned,

Verse 14 tells us that all were cleansed but only the one received something more

Verse 19; And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

My Wesleyan commentary had this to add to the story.

While all were physically healed, the one who came back to Jesus experienced a deeper work of being “made well,” a word most often translated “saved” or “made whole.” It is possible to be free from disease but not be whole. It is possible to be whole and yet have a physical disability. Wholeness involves well-being, spiritual and emotional, not just physical health. Physical healing should never be our primary goal, but rather wholeness.

Sometimes we forget to show gratitude for the little things that people do for us, like holding the door or letting you go first in line etc.

But to forget to give continual thanks to the One who changed the entire course of our lives is a whole different story.

So how do we begin to adjust our way of thinking from allowing circumstances to dictate our happiness and thankfulness?

Begin by giving thanks to God for what He has done.

; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Our current circumstances might be really rotten, but as we learn to give God thanks to Him for what He has done, we begin to realize that we may not be healed but we are whole!

Lord I thank You that as I walked through the darkness this year You never abandoned me.

Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for it is the will of God for you

I don’t know about you but I am tired of being like the Jews that were cleansed but never returned to give thanks, and the result was they weren’t made whole!

Another great way to give thanks is to tell others what God has done for you.

Before starting CR up in Anchorage, I was ashamed of my past so I kept it hidden so nobody would know the old me.

The result was that the monster in the corner doing pushups knew he could use that to stop me from being all that God had for me to accomplish.

It wasn’t until I came out of the closet and shared my testimony about what Jesus had done in my life that left him powerless and silenced his voice!

Who needs to know your God story?

NLT is called a psalm of thanksgiving

Shout with joy to the Lord of all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.

Will there be circumstances that rob you of your thankfulness?

OF COURSE, however we choose whether or not we stay that way!

NLT

Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with Your commands.

As we give thanks to God, what happens is that we are telling our circumstances that they don’t sit in the place of authority in our lives.

Thanksgiving and praise to [JESUS] begins to take first place

boldly tell us not to worry!

; Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer with thanksgiving is confident prayer because it is based on God’s hearing of our prayers in the past, which gives the assurance that He is hearing our prayers in the present.

To give thanks in everything means that we are to thank God, not only in great things, but also in small things; not only in rare things, but also in common things. It means that we are to thank God, not only in present things, but for past mercies as well, and even for what is laid up for future enjoyment. It means that we are to thank God, not merely in things affecting ourselves, but also in things affecting others. It means that we are to thank God, not merely in prosperous things, but also in adverse things.