An Attitude of Gratitude

Does anyone have a reason to give God praise this morning? I know we all do so let’s give Him some praise in the house! Hallelujah!

This time of year during the Thanksgiving holiday it is a time for all people to reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for. Due to the pandemic last year many families did not get a chance to celebrate together so that makes this year even more special now that things have returned to normal in most cases.

Originally, Thanksgiving was a time to thank God for the year’s bountiful harvest. And in our time we reflect on many things we are thankful for such as our families, our friends and most importantly Jesus Christ.

And while for some people Thanksgiving is a time in which they think there is little or even nothing for them to be thankful for the truth is that for Christians no matter what circumstance a person is in we still have much to be thankful for.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Gratefulness in All Circumstances

I want to draw your attention this morning to the words all circumstances.

For most of us it should be easy for us to be grateful for our blessings. When something good happens to us it makes us happy and provided we give God all the glory, honor and praise we cannot help but be grateful for His provision.

However, in the natural it is not logical to be grateful when bad things happen to us or those we love. I mean who is grateful for loss or sickness or disease or struggles? Unpleasant or painful situations are things people dread not things people are grateful for.

But the Bible is teaching us that it is God’s will that we are grateful in all circumstances?

Only The Holy Spirit Gives Us God’s Peace

That my brothers and sisters is something that is simply impossible to do without the Holy Spirit of God Himself dwelling on the inside of you. Don’t be deceived by so-called self-help gurus or false teachers or religions. There is only one way to true peace and that is by the Holy Spirit which can only be received by having a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

John 14:25–27 NLT

25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

As in many areas of our walk Jesus does not expect us to be able to follow His instructions in the natural but rather, He equips us to be able to follow His instructions in the supernatural and the natural.

It is our faith in Jesus Christ which gives us all we need to move any mountain. And putting our faith in Him is something which we are able to do, and the Lord expects us to do by trusting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and the reading of God’s word.

So that when we make the commitment to follow Christ we then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who will equip up us to understand God’s word, to recall all that Jesus teaches us and to give us the gift of peace of mind and heart.

As you hear me say at the end of every message I preach our joy is found in Jesus. This simply means that my happiness is circumstantial but my joy is a literal gift from Jesus Christ! Amen!

Furthermore, Jesus makes it perfectly clear that not only has He given us this gift but also that peace is a gift that the world cannot give! And that my friends is the promise of God Himself given to everyone who trusts in Christ and lives for Him.

So when the seasons of life change and we go from the mountaintop to the valley and we don’t think we have the strength to move forward the things of this world cannot give us peace. The devil will try to convince people to turn to things which provide a temporary pleasure or escape but they are a snare seeking to trap us and distance us from Jesus.

So it is critical to understand that the only true peace we can have is a gift of God which is the Holy Spirit and only comes from a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

How to Remain Grateful

So you may be thinking yes, I love Jesus and yes, I do my best to walk in the Spirit but how can I be sure to remain grateful in the good times and the difficult days.

The answer to that question is found in verses 16 and 17.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NLT

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Always Be Joyous

Verse 16 tells us to always be joyful. Again our minds will immediately go the condition of our current state to gauge if we are happy. But as I said before joy and happiness are two completely different things. Since our joy is found in Jesus the best way to remain joyful is to remain in Him.

If I take a moment and just remember what He did for me by demonstrating the greatest love which is to lay down ones life for another and that by His stripes I am healed I can’t help but be grateful. You see the Bible teaches us that there is none righteous no not one and that all have fallen short of God’s glorious standard. So when I remember that Jesus loves me so much that He paid my debt so that heaven can be my home that gives me great joy! Hallelujah!

When I think about how God has given me His word written down and I can reference it any time day or night. So that I do not have to wonder if I am on the right path. So I don’t have to wonder who He is or what His promises are or what He expects from me because every page of God’s holy book reveals His loving character and that brings me great joy.

When I think about the Great Commission and how Jesus has given me an identity and a plan and purpose for my life. That I don’t need to stumble though this world wondering what is my purpose but rather that I am a part of the body of Christ that God uses to know him and to work through so that countless people will be saved, loved, reborn into a better life and have the promise of heaven as their home. This too brings me great joy.

When I think about my family, friends and brothers in sisters in Christ which the Lord has given me so that I will always have someone to talk to or share life with that too gives me great joy! Amen!

You see when I feel great joy I want to praise Jesus! I want to declare His goodness to the world around me. I want to worship Him and praise Him and know Him in ever deepening ways. I want to live my life for Him and be more and more like Him because no matter what happens in this world I have Jesus! Somebody give Him praise! Hallelujah!

Then Verse 17 tells us directly to never stop praying.

When Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave the veil was torn and we now have direct access to Almighty God!

Anytime day or night that we desire to speak with the Lord He is there for us. We can pray to Him in the morning time as we start our day. We can pray to Him before we eat our meals. We can pray to Him at our workplace. We can pray to Jesus when we need wisdom. We can pray to the Lord when we are excited and want to celebrate and thank Him. We can pray to God when our hearts are broken and we need comfort. We can pray for ourselves, we can pray for other people, we can pray for our land, and we can pray for our world. We can even pray for future generations. No matter when or where we desire Jesus He is there for us through our prayers. Amen!

Friends I literally cannot tell you the number of times that I have needed something and the Lord was there for me with exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. I cannot tell you the number of times I have cried to Him feeling like no one could understand what I was going through and He comforted me. I cannot tell you the number of times I have asked the Lord for wisdom and He has given me an answer. I cannot tell you the number of times I have asked Him to help or protect my family and He has. I cannot tell you the number of times I have felt His presence and power flowing out of me as I have prayed for others glory to God.

Said directly God not only hears our prayers but He actively communicates with us through our prayers! Amen!

This brothers and sisters enables us to remain joyful and grateful no matter what the circumstance because we know that we are not alone and that as long as we trust and believe on Jesus that everything is going to be ok on this side of heaven or beyond but either way we will have our victory! Amen!

Closing

So while it may seems impossible to some people to be grateful in all circumstances for Christians it is not only possible but expected.

We can do this through the peace we have when we put our trust in Jesus Christ knowing our sins have been forgiven and heaven will be our home.

Because of the gift of the Holy Spirit which God the Father gives us so that we may have the power to understand the word and recall all that Jesus has taught us.

We have the Lord’s peace which can only come from Him and that the world can never provide.

And we have the joy found in Jesus Christ and the many blessings He provides.

And by praying continually in all times we know that we have direct access to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Though in this world we will have trouble we can in fact remain grateful in all circumstances knowing that Jesus has overcome the world!

Prayer

Thank you for joining me today and remember our joy is in Jesus!