The secret to thankfulness

Introduction

All of this week I have been processing the idea of thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful. I know that in our culture we hear that all the time especially during this time of year. But i think for a lot of us and I most certainly am guilty of this. Its like yea, yea, be thankful but let me get this for christmas and that for christmas. While we pay no regard to just sit back and to appreciate the things that have already been given to us. But I started to think more and more, I wasn't satisfied with “Gabriel be thankful for what you have” i have heard that my entire life and I wanted a greater understanding of this. I decided to turn to a passage that i most certainly am familiar with which is Philippians 4:10-14 .

1. The Key to continuous thankfulness is being content in Christ.

It was this passed week, that I did a lot of thinking for myself. We find in this very text that Paul is sitting inside of a prison. He is at the end of his life and here he is communicating to this church that he is content. I began asking myself “what am I not happy with?”

Philippian Church was willing to serve v10

The Philippians church has found that Paul is in Jail, and over the course of several years they have done everything that they could with the little that they have as a church to give to Paul and to support Paul on his missionary journey. But in this case Paul was in prison. While he was in prison, the church did everything that they could to help him and to comfort him. But it was difficult for them to even get resources and supplies to him.

Paul has learned to be content v11-12

Paul has been through a lot. He has been in some of the highest places in society, he has the educaiton, he has the repuation but at the same time he has been in low points. He has been in prison several times, he has been dragged out of cities, he has experienced ship wreck several times, and here he finds himself at thev ery end of his life in a prison cell in Rome. This church is doing everyting that they can to help him. but he communicates to them. Thank you so much for helping me but i just wnat you to know that I have been through several instances and circumstances in which i had and have everything that i need.

Paul’s contentment and thanksgiving is found only in Christ. v13

Paul says that he can do all things through Chirst. This means that Paul saw that Christ himself was his very source of strength and provision