Give Thanks

The first celebration of Thanksgiving took place after the successful harvest of 1621 by Plymouth colonists. It was a three day celebration that was attended by Native Americans and the colonists. 22 men, 4 women, 25 children and teenagers.

78% of the women that journeyed from England had died in the previous winter from disease.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NASB95

16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Be thankful for your blessings

James 1:17 NASB95

17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

The last verse in an old hymn says this:

So amid the conflict, whether great or small Do not be discouraged, God is over all Count your many blessings, angels will attend Help and comfort give you to your journey's end

Count your blessings, name them one by one Count your blessings, see what God hath done Count your blessings, name them one by one And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done

That is great advise. Have you ever seen someone that has far less than you, but seems so much more satisfied than you? Or the opposite, someone that has so much, but it’s never enough? Nothing is ever good enough?

The difference is perspective.

If you want to change your perspective, you have to change where your focus lies.

What I wake up and focus on, sets my whole day. If I wake up thinking about what needs to get done at work, or at home, or for my family, or the church…It just seems like I overwhelmed before I every get out of bed. My feet haven’t even hit the floor, and I’m worn out looking forward only to getting back in bed in 17 hours.

But on the days, and it truly is most days, I wake up and start by thanking God that He chose me to wake up one more day. An I thank God for my wife, and my family and that I have a roof over my head, and that we have coffee....

Ten good gifts. Raise your hand.

In everything give thanks......doesn’t just mean the good things...

The Bad

Romans 5:1–2 NASB95

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Exult: brag, boast, rejoice.....Give thanks

Romans 5:3 NASB95

3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

tribulations: trouble, distress, oppression....

Perseverance:

We try to avoid tribulation when we can. We move away, go around....we don’t go looking for trouble, but trouble seems to always find us.

I can’t take it any longer. Calgon take me away.....

Ephesians 6:10 NASB95

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

Having done everything to stand....Stand firm.

Romans 5:4 NASB95

4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

character: who you are when no one is looking…

Romans 5:5 NASB95

5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Then rather rinse and repeat......

You are always going to have trouble. That is no surprise to anyone.....

Christ said that we would.....

John 16:33 NASB95

33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Trouble

persevearance

character

Hope

James 1:2–4 NASB95

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Joni Eareckson Tada

17 years old broke her neck when she “took a deep dive into shallow water.”

I heard an interview with her when she was 67 years old. Having spent 50 years in a wheelchair. When the interviewer brought that up… and almost emphasized the 50 years part. She talked about the first verse that came to mind... 1 Peter 5:10

1 Peter 5:10 NASB95

10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

For her: suffering was the depression and loss of hope that she experienced immediately and shortly after the accident.

That is not to say that tragedy, trouble and turmoil are good things…They aren’t. But there is a purpose.....

This is a hard truth.....Everything bad or that you see as bad) that has ever happened to you was either caused by God or allowed by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3–5 NASB95

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

The most tragic thing to happen is that a man who had done no wrong whatsoever, was betrayed, abandoned, mocked beaten, whipped, shamed, cursed and killed.

There is no greater injustice that that. That Christ would suffer for what we did...

Yet that is exactly what God worked through to save the world.

How our trouble pales when we compare it to the suffering of others.

The sheep probably don’t feel thankful for the sheep dog, that barks at them, and scares them and nips at their heels and makes them run… But if they saw the big picture, that the sheepdog is directing them away from trouble and into the company of their shepherd.

Joni Eareckson Tada, when asked why we should give thanks for the bad, said this: Because that incident, that deep disappointment, that disease, divorce, stroke, injury, whatever, that thing that has dragged you down is going to be the very thing that will push you into the arms of your savior Jesus.

The Ugly

The majority of the time, when people ask me how I am doing, I tell them: “Better than I deserve.” It is a line that I have borrowed from Financial Peace University founder Dave Ramsey.

On his radio show, every caller that asked him how he was doing, he would answer, “Better than I deserve.”

And when I tell people that.....many will say, aren’t we all? or I don’t believe that.

The ugly truth is this: What I deserve is to die and spend eternity separated from God in a place called Hell. That is what I deserve.

Romans 6:23 NASB95

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In ancient Greek, there is no punctuation. Let me tell you I’m glad that when this verse was translated into English, I’m thankful that that is a comma, not a period.

I’m thankful that God the father is a loving father and doesn’t give me what I deserve.

We will close with this:

Psalm 103:10–13 NASB95

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.