I Choose Thankful

Intro - This morning, we are going to revisit a message that was preached one year ago today. God changed my direction this week and I feel this reminder today is extremely timely.

Thanksgiving is a time of year in which we gather with friends and family, enjoy a time of fellowship, a time of food, and prayerfully, a time of giving thanks. Church, we have much to be thankful for! But this year… this season… is overwhelmed with a situation that seems to be charging ahead that is impacting families all over this nation.

Covid 19 has shaken things up a bit. Many find themselves in situations they never thought they would be in. I bring this up today to make this point. Church, WE STILL HAVE MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!

Behind this tremendous holiday is an attitude… an attitude that comes by way of choice… an attitude of gratitude, that we share and express. My only issue with this is… this attitude should not be reserved for one day or for one season of the year. I pray this attitude would be lived out every single day. Why? Because again, we have MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR! And no matter what circumstances we face in life… no matter what difficulties may or may not lie ahead, I pray, we will all do what the title of the message suggest to do - CHOOSE THANKFUL. In line with our Good Faith series - Main Point: Good Faith Christians Choose Thankful - the Attitude of Gratitude!

There are MANY attitudes that can be expressed in the season we find ourselves in. Yes, we are facing a hard situation that is disrupting even our holiday traditions… but we still have much to be thankful for!

Diving right in, the greatest blessing, or gift, this world has ever received was given to us by God for the purpose of redemption, for the purpose forgiveness of sin.

John 3:16 makes clear that God so loved the world that He gave… HE GAVE. This gift was undeserved, and I fear underappreciated, as Jesus’ life was given so that those who would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.

God did not have to give… but His love for us compelled Him to Give. God did not have to act… but His mercy and grace compelled Him to act. God desires that none would perish… so He has given ALL the opportunity to repent.

If I stopped the message right here this one truth alone should cause us to wake up every single morning with thanksgiving in our hearts!

When it comes to expressing gratitude… Attitude is… everything. Attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.

Attitude is a SETTLED way of thinking – a resolved or steadfast way of thinking. ATTITUDE IS A CHOICE. In other words, your mind has been made up.

This way of thinking can be directed about someone or something – attitude is targeted.

Attitude WILL show in up in our behaviors. It WILL come to the surface.

Attitude can make or break a situation. Attitude can make or break a relationship. Attitude can make or break an opportunity, an experience, or even a season of life.

If not kept in check, attitude can quickly spiral out of control. However, when attitude is examined and kept in line – it can make all the difference in the world.

I’m curious - how many would admit today that the circumstances regarding this virus have - at times - effected your attitude in negative ways?

It is important that we keep our attitudes in check - especially in this season. Church… THIS TOO SHALL PASS! This storm will come to an end… reaching the end of the storm is not the only goal. HOW we respond… HOW we live out the journey is as important as completing the journey.

So what resource do we have to measure our attitude against to help keep it in check today? What standard is our attitude to be held to? The standard of God’s Word.

The world will demonstrate one way… the Word will instruct another. And what we will see today is… God’s Word makes clear His people ought to display an attitude of... GRATITUDE!

Today we look at Philippians 4 to see how effective an attitude of gratitude can truly be. Again, keep in mind this attitude finds its footing in Christ.

God GAVE. We have received. Say that with me… GOD GAVE, WE HAVE RECEIVED. He gave out of love, He gave in accordance with His redemptive plan – of which both – those who believe ARE THE BENEFACTORS!

Paul demonstrates what this attitude looks like in Philippians 4 and gives anointed counsel to the readers of his letter. AND… it’s important to note that this epistle was written by Paul WHILE IN A ROMAN PRISON and the theme of the book is… ULTIMATE JOY IN LIVING FOR CHRIST!

Paul, in prison, writing on thanksgiving and joy? Does that make sense??? It does when… you have a deep understanding of what… rather WHO God gave.

Today we examine the behavior’s of Paul in Philippians 4 that reveal his attitude of gratitude. We look deeply at why Paul was so thankful and how it affected his current circumstance. What I want us to realize is that no matter what circumstance we may find ourselves is… in Christ, we have much to be thankful for!

Choose Adoration over Anxiousness.

Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Right out the box Paul encourages something unexpected… Praise! Adoration! Appreciation that is targeted toward who? The Lord!

Remember, Paul is in prison for His faith yet the world has not stripped him of his praise. He could have become depressed, angry, worried, frustrated, or fearful of his situation but instead he says to rejoice!

Rejoicing is not just a simple “praise God,” but is an exuberant outward demonstration for the Lord our God. To rejoice is to be glad!

Along with the encouragement to rejoice comes instruction not to be anxious. To be anxious is to be concerned.

Now… what would drive Paul to make this statement while behind bars? Because He has learned that no matter the circumstance – God will see you through! God gave to meet our greatest need and continues to give through Jesus.

Anxiety is often a result of focusing on what we don’t have where rejoicing is a response to remembering… who has us! We serve the almighty God!

Lastly, we see a charge that leads to an amazing result: In every situation, with thanksgiving in your heart, go to God in prayer.

And what can we expect in return? God’s peace will respond – God’s peace will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now is a season in which our minds and hearts need to be guarded with the peace of God - a peace that Paul says “transcends” or goes beyond our limited understanding!

God’s peace will help shape your attitude as we show gratitude!

Recall the definition of attitude – a settled way of thinking OR feeling. Paul just stated God’s peace will guard your mind (thinking) and you heart (feelings)! Thus, your attitude comes into alignment with God through the proper expression of gratitude.

It all comes down to a choice: Rejoice or be anxious. Choose to be glad instead of being concerned or worried. CHOOSE THANKFULNESS.

This is not to downplay the situation you might find yourself in… this is to promote the power and glory of God over the situation you might be in! In other words, Drop the woe is me and start declaring how Great is He!

Church, we have reason to give thanks! We have reason to rejoice! If you know Jesus, no matter what season of life you may be in… choose to have an attitude of gratitude. God doesn’t owe you anything… but He has given you everything through His son Jesus!

Remember who you serve: Jesus is the greatest gift this world has ever received.

Your attitude in serving makes a difference. As we present our requests before the Lord, such should be done with thanksgiving in our hearts. Trust in His power and love and never doubt… for the Lord ALWAYS answers prayer. Choose adoration over anxiousness. Choose to rejoice in all things!

Set your Mind on the Things of God

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

This world makes a lot of… noise. It works to get our attention. There are a lot of things a person can easily get worried about! Notice Paul instructs for his readers to not focus on those things, but to focus on God, His goodness and His ways. In a sense, Paul is telling believers to count their blessings!

Remember our message from last week - God IS GOOD! And His goodness is something this world cannot take away. We live in His goodness and experience His goodness every single day.

This instruction given by Paul in our text is certainly not limited to the material… but must begin with the immaterial. Again, the greatest blessing a person can have is a relationship with Jesus! The greatest blessing this world has received is the love and life of the Son of God!

Jesus set forth a pattern of life that leads to the Father… a pattern that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. He demonstrated what it means to be about the Father’s business all the way up to His death on the cross. His mind and heart remained in the will and plan of God. This is certainly an example we should follow! But is it enough to merely know the example?

Verse 9 makes a very important point… not only must our minds be focused on the things of God, but such things must be placed into practice in our lives.

Here is where the attitude becomes lived out gratitude. It’s one thing to know of and receive blessing from God… it’s another thing to become a blessing of God! How do we become a blessing? By blessing others!

Dropping the woe is me for the great is He begins to set the stage for what comes next. As our minds come into alignment with God’s ways… so must our behaviors reflect our acceptance of His truths. In other words, life is no longer about serving our own interests, but is focused on serving the interests and will of God. Suddenly… even if we find ourselves in prison… locked away for our faith… we can remain on mission with a thankful heart no matter our circumstance BECAUSE our minds are set on the things of God! Suddenly, if we find our selves fighting a virus… fighting fear with our faith… we can remain on mission with a THANKFUL heart no matter our circumstance BECAUSE our minds are set on the things of God!

Choosing Thankful

So where do you find yourself today? No… I’m not talking about your current circumstance… I’m talking about your level of gratitude! Let’s push through for a moment… Push through your current circumstance and focus on God.

You might be doing well… things are lining up, finances are in order, life seems to be going pretty good.

You might be struggling… car not running right… or no car at all. Health is struggling, job is suffering… and the list could go on.

Push through the circumstance and focus on… attitude. How is your attitude of gratitude today? Do you find yourself rejoicing or feeling anxious? Do you find yourself dwelling on negativity or meditating on the things of God?

Today I believe God is wanting to reset some attitudes… and how this will be done is through the guarding of our hearts and minds… with His peace.

It begins with praise…. It continues as we lift up our needs to Him with thanksgiving… and is applied as we set our minds on the goodness of God and put into practice His truth.

Here’s one thing we know… life will include the good times and bad. Storms will come… seasons change. But be reassured in this: GOD NEVER CHANGES. His love remains. His grace remains. His truth remains. His power remains. His presence remains. The question is: will thanksgiving remain in our hearts? Will we choose an attitude of gratitude?

Prayer

The greatest thing we can do to show our appreciation for the life Jesus gave… is give our life back to Him. We can personally know the one who gave His life for you. Although He didn’t owe us anything, Jesus gave you everything… do you believe in Him? Are you willing to give all back to Him?

Jesus laid down His life that you might be forgiven of all sin. It truly is the greatest gift this world has ever recieved. He offers you forgiveness of sin and eternal life, but you must first offer - your heart. You must place your faith in Him.

PRAYER – Salvation

Choosing Thankful - Attitude resets begin as we dig deep and ask God to guard our hearts and mind with His peace. I’ve got a feeling there are some who could use God’s peace right now. As we prepare to approach the Lord in prayer… will you choose to rejoice and be glad or will you remain in anxiety and worry? Will you focus or set your mind on the goodness of God or will you listen to the noise of the world?

Attitude is everything… let’s settle our way of thinking or feeling to be thankful for all that the Lord has done.