Thankfulness 2021 (11/28/2021)

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 1 Thess. 5:16-18 The Message

1. We need to be more concerned with our position than our location.

· Many looking for the will of God when they are not doing His will first.

· Rejoicing, prayer, and thankfulness are all choices.

o Happiness is a choice too.

· Our Attitude will determine your altitude.

2. We can Stay thankful/grateful when we keep a proper perspective.

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. Philippians 4:4-7

Matthew Henry story: Many years ago, Matthew Henry, a well-known Bible scholar, was once robbed of his wallet. Knowing that it was his duty to give thanks in everything, he meditated on this incident and recorded in his diary the following:

Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.

3. Be the exception to the rule.

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19 NKJV

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17 NKJV

· Being thankful is like faith- if it's not expressed by your mouth its dead.

· The expression of thankfulness is an expression of Faith. (Mark 11:24)

For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body 1Cor 11:29-30 - I wonder if part of this is being ungrateful.

Some guesses as to what the other 9 thought. Keep in mind that these are only suggestions, but they reveal a whole lot about human nature:

One man waited to see if the cure was real. One waited to see if it would last. One said he would see Jesus later. One decided that he had never really had leprosy. One said he would have gotten well anyway. One gave the glory to the priests. One said, “Oh, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything.” One said, “Any rabbi could have done it.” One said, “I was already much improved.”

The only one who came WAS A SAMARATIN He understood he didn’t deserve the blessing. Jesus noticed who came back and who didn’t None of us deserve any of the blessings we have in Christ – we can be thankful in all Circumstances.