Give Thanks - Ungratefulness

Intro:
Remember the story of the dad who gave his son a bible for his birthday? The young man was expecting something different and got angry. He thought his dad would give him money for a particular thing he wanted. In anger, he refused to read the bible and slowly, in ungratefulness, grew apart from his dad.

Years later, he had to find a bible to use at his father's funeral. He grabbed the unused bible from the shelf for the service. As he moved the bible a $1,000 check fell out. The memo read, "Happy Birthday son, I love you."

Ouch!

I wonder how many things we miss because we expected God to give us one thing and we got something different?

Read: 2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Think:
2 Timothy is Paul's last letter, written from prison ... his swan song. This is the last formal communication he will have with young Timothy. What would you write to one of your children if you knew it was the last thing you'd ever communicate?

The letter is full of encouragement, urging and warning. This portion is a strong warning not to fall in with the crowd. Paul warns Tim that as the world moves closer to the end times people are going to get more bold in their sin and rebellion.

People will love themselves & money, rebel against authority, love pleasure, be unforgiving, unholy and uncontrolled.

Sounds like the land I live in. Sounds also like the skin I live in as well at times.

That is a pretty brutal list. There has always been one on the list that made me wonder. Tucked in that pile of ugliness is a 10 letter word .... UNGRATEFUL. Ungrateful? How in the world did that make this list? It doesn't seem as bad as unholy or unloving, does it?

But in God's economy, ungrateful has a value attached to it. It is important to him. It is obvious when it is lacking. It is bad enough to make this list!

We might want to evaluate the expectations we place on God regarding health, wealth and happiness and see if we harbor any ungratefulness toward him.

Do:
Look back over the list of qualities in verse 2. How bad is this really? To God, apparently pretty bad.

Do you tolerate a spirit of ungratefulness in your life? Do you reflect an ungrateful spirit toward God for not meeting your expectations?

What can you be grateful for today and this weekend? Will you stop and reflect on the love of God shown to you in the dying and rising of Jesus Christ? Will that bring a measure of gratitude?

Identify 5 things you are grateful for today! Write them as a prayer of thanks to God.

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Give Thanks: Dealing with Worry

Intro:
Why pray when you can worry. That seems like a good motto for most of our lives! There is so much to worry about. Consider the Top 10 Stressors from a survey:

1. Death 2. Divorce 3. Marital separation 4. Jail term 5. Death of a close family member 6. Personal injury or illness 7. Relationship tension 8. Fired at work 9. Marital issues 10. Retirement.

If you study that list you can sum it up in a few categories that we stress and worry about:
1. Relationships (#'s 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9)
2. Pain (#'s 1, 6)
3. Uncertainty (#'s 4, 5, 6, 8, 10)

Still unclear who worries about going to "jail" enough that it makes it to #4!

Read: Philippians 4:2-7
2I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

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

Read verses 6-7 in a different translation ... it might help to HEAR it!

6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Think:
Do you think it is harder or easier to thank God during stressful times?

Paul wrote to this church while in prison. I think that is #4 above! He had no assurance of his future (#10). He did not know if he was going to live or die (#1). On top of all this stress he was "worried" about the churches he planted and the in-fighting that was happening among them (v. 2).

Yet, we know from the book of Acts that he was singing and praising the Lord while in prison. Who is this guy? No surprise, then, that he calls these believers to rejoice in the Lord no matter the circumstances and to pray to God.

Paul's motto: Why worry when you can pray!

Now, for our purposes, there is a oft missed statement here:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,with thanksgiving, present your requests to God

Don't be anxious. I get that.
Pray. I get that.
Petition or ask God for help. I get that.

With thanksgiving? Hmmm .........

Paul knew something we often have to be reminded of: God is Lord over what happens in my life. He is the author and perfecter of my faith. He is the one at the beginning of the journey and the one that walks with me through the hills and valleys. Nothing surprises Him.

I need to take my worries, my list, and give it to God. I need to talk with Him about it. I need to ask Him to help with it. I need to thank Him through it.

Do:
Make a list of your own. Identify what you are worried about and give it over to God. Oh, and don't forget to thank Him through it.

Look at the list you created. Find 3 things you can thank God for on each item in that list.

God be praised!

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Give Thanks: Starts with our thinking

Intro:

I recently watched a movie about the origin of the world. How did everything come into existence? Was it random (Darwin) or was there some level of intelligence behind it all?

Apparently there is a new cuss word on the market: intelligent design. Ben Stein's movie, Expelled reveals a lot about our culture. There is a concerted effort to not have God in any part of life. Ben's movie is pretty revealing. Please check this link: Expelled.

What does this have to do with giving thanks? The answer might surprise you.

Read: Romans 1:18-25
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Think:
God has left His footprint everywhere. Since the ribbon cutting ceremony for the world, God made sure we would be able to see his power and godness (v. 20). From the microscope to the telescope, from the sunrise to the sunset there is evidence in creation. In fact, there is enough evidence in creation to make us accountable to God (v.20).

The problem: people do not want to be told what to do. We like to do our own thing. This philosophy does not work well with managers & bosses and it works even worse with God!


Paul tells us that men loved the darkness (v. 18) and that they wanted to be free from the "god delusion" by suppressing the truth that is so clear in the microscope and the sunrise.

As a result they failed to glorify Him for his rightful place as Creator God and they refused to give Him thanks for his rightful place as Faithful God. They turned away from what was obvious and became fools (v. 22) & creation worshippers (v. 23). This finding its perfect expression in sexual impurity as men sought to give ultimate value to the creation and to one another (v. 24).

What is striking is the failure to think rightly led to an inability to thank rightly. Reread that sentence. There is a nugget here for us. Proper thinking leads to proper thanking. I have heard that the words Think and Thank share the same root word making them inseparable. We will not thank God if we do not first think God.

Do:
How cluttered is your thinking about God and creation? How influenced is your worldview regarding God, creation, evolution, naturalism, etc.?

How is your thinking about God? Are you aware that He is the Creator, that He is good, that He is the Father of lights from whom all good things come, that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and that He is our daily provider? Think this through and Thank Him!

Are you sexually immoral? What is your thought life like? How about your actions? Do these reflect a world worship that needs to be confessed as sin to God?

Rent Expelled from Blockbuster or stream it online from Netflix. It will open your eyes and help you to think clearer.

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Give Thanks: Managing Expectations

Intro:
I trust you were not chased by any wild bulls or rabid dogs yesterday (see Monday's post). I trust that you also took time to think about what you are thankful for.

Why is it so difficult to be thankful at times? Where does that come from? Clearly part of the answer lies in our expectations. I remember when I turned 40 that I found a lot of inside questions coming to the surface:

Was I where I thought I would be by now?
Am I successful and happy?
What do I have to show for my life?
What impact have I made?
What is undone?

All of these questions are tied to unspoken, yet very real, expectations. If unmet, these expectations can lead to discontentment and ungratefulness.

If I expect happiness, no worries and lots of money then I am going to be sorely disappointed.

Read: Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."
7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 "What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Think:
David had to manage difficulty. This Psalm is a reflection on many difficult events. He had people that did not like him, in fact, folks that wanted him dead. I understand the feeling. I had 3 separate death threats during my 10 years of being a pastor and I can tell you it is a very scary thing!

David also dealt with pain and wailing and mourning (v.11). Many of the expectations he may have had were not being met.

YET ...

He teaches us something very important about managing expectations. We learn something about how to be thankful when we don't get our way. Are you ready for this? Here's how we do it: Change our focus!

So often when we face unmet expectations we do one of a couple of things:
1. We ratchet it up a notch - the Doer
2. We sulk - the Downer

We either try to fix the issue in our own power or we give up. Both of these methods fail because they begin and end with us. Our focus is on ourselves and our circumstances. This is not what David does! He goes hard after the Lord. When faced with difficulty and missed expectations he cries out, he hits his knees, he sings songs to God, he remembers what God has done.

Here is a powerful principle in managing unmet expectations ... change your focus.

Do:
Reread the blue sections above. See David's focus? See his source of hope?

How do you typically manage unmet expectations? Are you more of a doer or a downer? Can you remember things that God has done for you that will help you see Him in the midst of your disappointment?

Sing to the Lord. Lift your gaze to the heavens. Focus on your Father in heaven. Declare to him that you need his favor right now (v. 7).

Listen to There Will Be a Day by Jeremy Camp in the DevoLink Worship Center.

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Give Thanks - In All Things

Intro:
Do you give thanks in all circumstances? Sometimes it is hard to do!

Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn't make it. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer, John. We're in for it!" John answered, "I can't. I've never made a public prayer in my life." "But you must!" implored his companion. "The bull is catching up to us." "All right," panted John, "I'll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: 'O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.'"

Are you good at giving thanks? Is your life marked by gratitude? Can you find something to be grateful for in all circumstances?

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

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.

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

Think:
Paul closes this personal letter with a list of important things for the church to pay attention to. There is much here worthy of our attention: the proper respect for our pastors (v.12), a call to do good (v.15), the need to pray always (v.17) and the need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit (v. 20) to name just a few.

For our purposes we want to say a few things about the need to be thankful in all circumstances (v.18).

*It is essential

*It is vertical

*It is total

*It is horizontal

1. It is essential for the believer to be thankful in all things. Paul uses the Greek command here. this is not a suggestion. Paul knew the need for the believer to see all things as sourced in God and therefore the need to be thankful. He himself was run out of their town by an angry mob and yet called them to be thankful for tough stuff.

2. It is vertical in orientation. Thanksgiving makes it to God. It is the gift of trust we give Him. The Greek word (εὐχαριστέω) is where we get our word Eucharist - the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

3. It is total in that we are commanded to give thanks in all things ... including bull chasings!

4. It is horizontal in expression. When we give thanks to God in all things we are living in the middle of his will. Many believers ask, what is God's will for my life. I am not sure of all the specifics but this I do know, God's will is that you are thankful for where you are and what you are experiencing today.

Do:
Do you struggle with being thankful in all things? I do. I've had my share of being chased by angry bulls! Can we be honest with God about that right now? Ask Him to help you trust Him.

What are you thankful for today? List 5 things that you are thankful for. Express this to God in prayer. As you do you will be in the center of His will.

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