November 19, 2023
Morning Service

Today with our children in the service with us, I thought it would be good to pause our study of I Peter for a week and focus on the season we are in; thanksgiving.  Last week Peter directed us to greatly rejoice in times of suffering and persecution. In today’s society we are struggling to be thankful for the blessing we have been given to us let alone rejoicing in trials.  People are not thankful for these blessings, but seem to be expectant to receive them as if they deserve them.  Gratitude does not seem a central part of our society or culture today.  That is why is important for us to take a time to refocus and be sure we are being thankful for all the things we are blessed with on a daily basis.  Thus the timing is perfect for Thanksgiving to arrive.

Thanksgiving-An acknowledging and confessing with gladness, the benefits and mercies, which God bestows either upon ourselves or others.

Thanksgiving was established as a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 as time for us as a nation and individuals to take time to be thankful for all that we have been blessed with.   Our history teacher however reminds us that it was the pilgrims that began the celebration back in 1621 thanking God for a chance to begin a new life of religious freedom here in America.  We can actually trace the origin of setting aside time to be thankful to the time of Moses and the children of Israel in Leviticus 23. Thanksgiving needs to be an attitude we have with us constantly, not just on one certain day.  Let’s not skip over the meaning of thanksgiving this year and simply use it as a kick off for our celebration of Christmas.  This is a great opportunity for us to slow down and reflect on the many blessing God has bestowed upon us.  “Count your blessing” if you will.  I have asked for help today from you to compile a list of things that we are thankful for:

Read the list:

One important thing we need to establish before going forward is the origin of these blessing in our life.  James tells us quite clearly:

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

God is the provider of all the good things in our lives.  Our health, jobs, relationships, good times, good food, beautiful sunsets, and our list had many other things on it.  It should be easy for us to remain thankful when things are going good, but we often fall short there as well.  We often take these blessing for granted thinking God owes us these good gifts.  We seem to focus more on the things we don’t have than to take time to be thankful for the things we do have.

  Many of the things we are blessed with are on physical side of our lives and we seem to focus in on them, but God does not stop there He goes deeper.  Many of the blessing He gives us are spiritual and come from our faith.  These are things we cannot hold in our hands, but we cling to them tightly.  He gives us hope of a future that will never change, peace beyond understanding, love unconditional, and joy unspeakable.  He offers us His constant presence, a purpose to live for and a contentment that can be there no matter what our circumstances are.  How can we be so blessed yet not be thankful?  Our physical conditions do change and sometimes beyond our control, but these things hope, peace, love, joy, His presence, purpose, and contentment will not change.  These blessings are constants and anchors in our lives if we allow the Spirit to control us as James states with God there is “no variation or shadow of turning.”  God is the same though our circumstances change.  So we are not only to be thankful during the good times but also the difficult ones.  Suffering, as we have found out in this study in I Peter, will be part of our journey.  Here is a scripture we read last week as James again encourages us to be thankful and joyful even when we find ourselves in those trying, difficult situations.

 

Jas 1:2-4  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  (3)  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  (4)  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

 

 

We are not only to be thankful during our struggles, but raise it a level and be joyful as well!  How are you doing on that front?  We can be thankful that these struggles have purpose and lead us to a deeper faith even to perfection and completeness in Christ.  We learn to be thankful in times of rejoicing and times of struggle knowing God is in control.  We learn true gratitude and happiness are found in Him, not in the things of this world.  Notice how Paul repeats this command to be thankful in many of his letters to the churches.

 

Eph. 5:18-21  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,  (19)  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,  (20)  giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,  (21)  submitting to one another in the fear of God.

            “Giving thanks always for all things.”  We need to constantly be in an “attitude of gratitude” not just one day a year being led by the Spirit within us.

 

Php. 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

            Gratitude helps with anxiety and is a part of attaining the “peace of God which surpasses all understanding.”

 

Col 2:6-7  As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,  (7)  rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

            Paul commands us to “abound in thanksgiving” along our journey of following Jesus.  It is one of the things we need to be “doers of and not hearers only.”  Put thanksgiving into your daily walk.

 

Col 3:15-17 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  (16)  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  (17)  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

          Our “giving of thanks to God the Father” is a big part of our worship to Him.  As we “let the Word dwell in us richly” the spirit of thanksgiving will become manifest in our lives.

 

Psalms 100:1-5   A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you land!  (2)  Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  (3)  Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  (4)  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  (5)  For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

            Enter into God’s presence (in prayer or coming into the fellowship) with thanksgiving.  Thankful that God hears you and invites you to spend time with Him.  Don’t always come seeking what you need, but bring your worship and gratitude with you into church and into your prayer life.  “For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to generations.”  I challenge you to approach this season differently this year, with our hearts and minds focused on gratitude.

 

Heavenly Father open our understanding that all good and perfect gifts come from you and let that create within us an attitude of gratitude towards You in our lives.  Thank You for loving us.