Wisdom in Thanksgiving

In his autobiography, Breaking Barriers, syndicated columnist Carl Rowan tells about a teacher who greatly influenced his life. Rowan relates: Miss Thompson reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper containing a quote attributed to Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. I listened intently as she read: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans, aim high in hope and work. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us."

More than 30 years later, I gave a speech in which I said that Frances Thompson had given me a desperately needed belief in myself. A newspaper printed the story, and someone mailed the clipping to my beloved teacher. She wrote me: "You have no idea what that newspaper story meant to me. For years, I endured my brother's arguments that I had wasted my life. That I should have married and had a family. When I read that you gave me credit for helping to launch a marvelous career, I put the clipping in front of my brother. After he'd read it, I said, 'You see, I didn't really waste my life, did I?'"

(Talk about money raised for Turkey Baskets)

We may never know the effect of how giving turkey baskets to those in need Was able to be a blessing to them. It could be the push needed to help a family get over a rough mountain or obstacle in their lives. I do know that the Lord will bless you for your obedience to give, and to be an extension of God’s love.

Our Scripture passage this morning comes from Ephesians 1:15-17

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him…”

This is such a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving that Paul makes to his readers. It extends on to verse 23 which I would encourage you to read at another time.

1. If you want to have a heart of Thanksgiving, GIVE.

It has been often said that if you want to truly feel happy, give to others…

We have seen this recently through the giving of the Thanksgiving Baskets… The joyful atmosphere that has been created through the act of Giving is contagious.

Likewise, Paul demonstrates a beautiful act of leadership by giving thanks to God for those whom he is writing to.

F. Foulkes in his book Ephesians: an introduction and commentary makes this great statement.

“After the great doxology of verses 3–14, the apostle’s mind turns to those to whom he is writing. He now gives thanks and prays for them, but this also is not simply in the conventional manner of contemporary letter-writing but in the spirit of true Christian prayer. In particular—as the opening For this reason signifies— he prays in the light of the wealth of spiritual blessing of which he has just been writing. The thought of the purpose of God in Christ, the blessings of election, sonship, redemption, revelation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, leads naturally and inevitably to praise and prayer for the members of his church.”

Paul prays a blessing over them, he asks that God would give them “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.”

Paul can give them such a beautiful blessing because of what was said in verse 15.

“Because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints”

Foulkes makes a declaration that

Paul’s “meaning must be that their faith was evident, not only in their inward spiritual lives but in their relationships with all their fellow-Christians as well.”

There was a popular statement that went around in the late 90’s by evangelist Tony Campollo, it was this: “If Christianity was suddenly to become illegal tomorrow here in America, would there be enough evidence in your life, to convict you?”

Church my prayer for everyone in this room, is that we would be so consumed by the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit That we would truly harbor the spirit of Thanksgiving in our hearts

That we would have so much joy, that we would not be able to contain it, That we would want everyone to know about what God is doing in our lives and in the life of Christ Chapel, that it would dominate our interest and our speech.

We cannot expect people to know about what God is doing at Christ Chapel unless we are talking about it

And if we truly live our lives with a thankful heart and are giving to others,

People are going to take notice, just like Paul did with the church in Ephesus

2. If you want to have a heart of Thanksgiving, PRAY

Ephesians 1:16 says: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers…”

We need to be praying for others daily, Lifting each other up to the Lord

I truly do believe that if we are giving thanks to God for others in our lives, That the Lord is going to bless us with opportunities to be a blessing to them, and for them to be a blessing to us.

Find out how you can be praying for others, And when you do not know what to be praying for,

James 1:5 tells us that: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him”

Asking the Lord for wisdom is one of the easiest things for us to forget to do, James tells us to simply ask God, and He will give it generously. But for some reason, we forget to do this simple thing, and then wonder what we should do next…

3. If you want to have a heart of Thanksgiving, PRAISE

vs 17a “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory”

Foulkes mentions that “He is the Father to whom all glory belongs; for all the power and majesty revealed in creation, providence and redemption are his, and he the source”

Church if we want to have a heart of Thanksgiving, we need to be consistently giving praise to One Whom we owe all thanks too.

Psalm 105:1 tells us to “Give thanks to the Lord!” Psalm 106:1tells us to “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Psalm 118:1 tells us to ““Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Psalm 136:1 ““Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”