Thanks Living: Embracing a Lifestyle of Gratitude

And so when we come to this being thankfulness, it's a lifestyle, it's a holiness of being different from the rest of the world. And God just doesn't want you just to feel grateful. He wants you to live grateful. It's one thing to just feel grateful all of the time. But we're called as Christians to live out that gratefulness. Not just in November, but every day of our lives. 365 days out of the year, we are called to be thankful. Every season, every circumstances. [00:42:44] (33 seconds)  #LiveGrateful365

We need to be radically different than the rest of the world by being thankful 365 days. Not just being thankful, but replacing our complaints and our grumbling or crumbling, whatever we want to call it, with something to be thankful for. Paul says this. He says, give thanks in all circumstances. Does he say in some circumstances? When it feels good, you know, sometimes I wish that we could go back and reword like Paul's saying. Like I wish Paul said, when you're in a good mood, to just, you know, be, give thanks when you're in a good mood. [00:43:52] (39 seconds)  #GiveThanksAlways

So we need to catch ourselves and say, not just the good times, but even in the bad times. So thanks, living sees God's hand in everything. Romans 8.28 says, And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. And if you're saying, well, what's His purpose here? What does this mean? It means that every believer is called according to His purpose. If you are a believer today and you're a Christian today, you are called according to His purpose. [00:46:45] (38 seconds)  #GratefulLifeChanges

``Thanksgiving refuses to say, though, that God, where are you? Instead it says, God, I know that you're here with me. So you don't have to thank God for every circumstance, but you have to thank Him in everything, even through those circumstances. God's always working behind the scenes. Sometimes we don't always see that. Sometimes He's working in the shadows. Sometimes He's in the delays. He's working through the disappointments. So thanksgiving seizes the hand of God before the blessing even shows up. [00:49:36] (38 seconds)  #ThankGodInEverything

If you're living a lifestyle of saying, you know what, everything's going to work out because I know that God's in control, well, then you're living a life of thanksgiving. If you're living a life of, oh, man, I can't believe this happened again. What's the outcome going to be? We need to switch into that thanksgiving part. So thanksgiving speaks life, not complaint. Proverbs 18.21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Grateful people talk different. [00:50:14] (35 seconds)  #FaithOverFear

But thankful people brighten up the whole room. Complaining makes the problem bigger. Have you ever complained a problem to go away? Have you ever complained about something so much that it just went away? No. It makes the problem bigger. It magnifies the problem. But gratitude magnifies God. When we are grateful and we give God that gratefulness, now it magnifies God. And then it makes the problem go smaller. I mean, I used to be a chronic worrier. I used to worry at night about bills that maybe I'm not going to be able to pay. [00:52:20] (41 seconds)  #ContentmentIsKey

He can't do this on his own will, is what he's trying to say. Verse 13 isn't this prosperity gospel message that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, because I've tried. I've tried to lose weight and eat ice cream at the same time by saying, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, right? It doesn't work that way. What Paul's saying is, I can only be content with what I have because Christ lives inside of me. And that doesn't come natural. [00:55:16] (33 seconds)  #DailyThanksChoice

So contentment though, it's the backbone of being grateful to be content with what we have, to be content in our, every circumstance to be content. Now it doesn't say to be happy. Does it say to be happy? No. It says that we need to be content in every situation. What it's saying is, Lord, you have given me enough. Lord, you have given me more than I have deserved to have is being content. In a world that's always shouting more, more, more, more, thanks living whispers, God has already been good to me. [00:55:50] (46 seconds)  #ChooseGratitudeToday

Thanks living is a daily decision. It's a 365 day, wake up in the morning, the first thing that comes out of our mouth is thank you, Lord, for this breath of air that you've given me this morning. Thank you that I'm alive. Thank you that I slept good. You know what? I didn't sleep good last night, but thank you that you listened to my prayers all night long. Psalm 118, 24 says, this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Notice it says, let us. That means thankfulness is a choice. [00:58:19] (39 seconds)  #ThanksgivingLifestyle

And so if I'm looking for my thankfulness to be in people, I'm going to be disappointed because the only thankfulness that can give us that true thankfulness is Jesus Christ. So this morning, thankful people are powerful people. Colossians 3.15 and be thankful. Short, simple, commanding, not optional, but vital. Be content. Be thankful. Thanksgiving is an event and I love Thanksgiving. I love the fact that we get to gather together as families and we get to have this meal together but Thanksgiving is a lifestyle. [01:01:21] (58 seconds)