WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:02.990 Let's open our Bibles together, please, to Colossians 00:00:02.990 --> 00:00:08.470 3, verse 15, where we find today the verse that 00:00:08.470 --> 00:00:12.410 we will focus on, and the theme of Thanksgiving. 00:00:14.849 --> 00:00:20.750 Right at the end of Colossians 3, 15, the Apostle 00:00:20.750 --> 00:00:28.420 says, and be thankful. Be thankful. One of the 00:00:28.420 --> 00:00:30.879 characteristics of those godless days at the 00:00:30.879 --> 00:00:34.780 end of the age writes the Apostle Paul is That 00:00:34.780 --> 00:00:37.780 they will be characterized by lack of gratitude 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:41.840 That being the case we must surely be living 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:49.299 in those days Thankfulness is an evidence of 00:00:49.299 --> 00:00:53.899 grace in the life of a person Thankfulness is 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:59.100 evidence that a person rightly understand his 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:03.039 creaturehood, that he is dependent upon God. 00:01:04.939 --> 00:01:09.400 Ingratitude is evidence of self -centeredness, 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:12.760 one's lack of realization that he's a creature 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:15.680 who is dependent upon one who is greater than 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:21.260 he. Merrill Unger writes, regarding Thanksgiving 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:24.840 that it is the gratitude for all the benefits 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:29.159 of divine providence, especially for the general 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:37.180 and personal gifts of redemption. Daniel Rosetti 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:41.299 has said that the worst moment in an atheist's 00:01:41.299 --> 00:01:45.780 life is when he is thankful but has no one to 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:54.010 thank. We are God's creatures. We are the sheep 00:01:54.010 --> 00:01:58.790 of His pasture. We are the people that He has 00:01:58.790 --> 00:02:02.629 made. And as such, it is right for us to enter 00:02:02.629 --> 00:02:06.709 into His gates with thanksgiving. And here we 00:02:06.709 --> 00:02:10.610 see the Apostle commanding that we who know Jesus 00:02:10.610 --> 00:02:16.909 Christ are to be thankful. Now in a sense, that's 00:02:16.909 --> 00:02:23.509 like telling someone, be happy. Be happy. It 00:02:23.509 --> 00:02:27.330 is possible for us to follow that command and 00:02:27.330 --> 00:02:32.389 to act happy, but when we say to someone, be 00:02:32.389 --> 00:02:36.650 happy, we're asking them to do something inside, 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:39.909 in their heart. And I want you to notice the 00:02:39.909 --> 00:02:44.710 apostle doesn't merely say, act thankful. Rather 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:49.669 he says, be thankful. It is a matter of the heart. 00:02:51.430 --> 00:02:54.569 Now, Thanksgiving is a duty before it's a feeling. 00:02:55.430 --> 00:02:59.289 It's a duty before it's a feeling. But how do 00:02:59.289 --> 00:03:03.370 we get that feeling of gratitude in the heart? 00:03:04.330 --> 00:03:07.930 The question is, how do we cultivate a grateful 00:03:07.930 --> 00:03:12.129 heart? Above anyone else, we as believers should 00:03:12.129 --> 00:03:16.889 see who the source of all things is. And yet, 00:03:16.990 --> 00:03:20.819 we too, as did these Colossians, struggle with 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:25.620 being thankful people. Now we all have bad days, 00:03:25.699 --> 00:03:27.580 and we think, well, why should I be thankful 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:31.000 for a day like this? But Charles Lowry tells 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:35.699 about a certain Mr. Jones who had a really bad 00:03:35.699 --> 00:03:39.020 day. His wife, whose name was Mrs. Jones, by 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:42.599 the way, decided to get rid of some bad hairspray 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:45.319 that she had, and so she thought a good way to 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:48.080 do that would be to spray it all out in the commode, 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:52.099 and she did that. Shortly afterwards, her husband 00:03:52.099 --> 00:03:56.599 came home from work. And as his custom was, he 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:58.919 immediately went to the reading room, so to speak, 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:03.000 to relax there. And as soon as he was comfortably 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:07.300 seated, he lit a cigarette and tossed the mat 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:11.460 between his legs into the commode. Well, you 00:04:11.460 --> 00:04:14.379 might be able to envision what happened. The 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:19.560 hairspray exploded and blew Mr. Jones heavenward. 00:04:20.689 --> 00:04:24.750 He hit his head on the shower bar and his assent, 00:04:25.629 --> 00:04:30.149 and then collapsed into the bathtub. The ambulance 00:04:30.149 --> 00:04:32.829 folks came to pick him up. They put him on the 00:04:32.829 --> 00:04:35.089 gurney, taking him down the steps. Mrs. Jones 00:04:35.089 --> 00:04:37.410 explained what had happened, and they got so 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:42.089 tickled they dropped him. And as a result of 00:04:42.089 --> 00:04:46.149 that, broke both of his arms. Now you think you've 00:04:46.149 --> 00:04:48.810 had a bad day. Consider Mr. Jones, will you? 00:04:50.580 --> 00:04:53.139 Those who have been given as much as you and 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:57.199 I have a lot to be thankful for. George Herbert 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:01.459 said in prayer, God thou who has given so much 00:05:01.459 --> 00:05:05.860 to me, give me one thing more, a grateful heart. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:10.800 But then again, how do you cultivate that kind 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:14.899 of a heart? I want to share with you this morning 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:20.089 five secrets to doing that. by secrets to gaining 00:05:20.089 --> 00:05:24.709 and cultivating a heart of gratitude. So that 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:28.509 we're not merely acting thankful, but we are 00:05:28.509 --> 00:05:32.930 being thankful. The first thing that we must 00:05:32.930 --> 00:05:39.649 do is to reckon honestly with ingratitude. We 00:05:39.649 --> 00:05:42.750 cannot put our sin behind us until first we face 00:05:42.750 --> 00:05:49.819 it. Most of us Do not perceive what a blasphemy 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:54.620 in gratitude really is. Like some other heart 00:05:54.620 --> 00:05:58.379 conditions, it's one of the acceptable transgressions. 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:04.040 But in fact, it is a heinous sin in the sight 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:09.279 of God. Because it is an attitude of the heart 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:11.920 and not an act of the body, we tend to excuse 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:19.509 it. But you see, God sees the heart. Since we 00:06:19.509 --> 00:06:22.310 are commanded by God to be thankful, we know 00:06:22.310 --> 00:06:26.769 that that is pleasing to Him. Furthermore, we 00:06:26.769 --> 00:06:29.410 know that it's appropriate for any creature of 00:06:29.410 --> 00:06:35.769 God to be thankful to the Creator. James 4 .17 00:06:35.769 --> 00:06:39.170 tells us, anyone who knows the good he ought 00:06:39.170 --> 00:06:45.860 to do and doesn't do it, sins. We know we ought 00:06:45.860 --> 00:06:50.379 to be thankful. We don't do it. It's sin. Sin 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:54.839 is a terrible indifference of the heart. Sin 00:06:54.839 --> 00:06:58.199 is an offense to a holy God who is the provider 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:03.259 of everything. Once we have understood that ingratitude 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:08.060 is truly a sin against God, how do we rightly 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:12.120 reckon with it? Well, the answer is, first of 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:16.360 all, we must confess it to God. Confess it honestly. 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:19.779 Confess it openly. Confess it transparently. 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:25.519 And say, God, I am ungrateful. God, I do not 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:28.980 have a heart that sings to you as it ought to 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:32.439 thank you. And when we have openly confessed 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:35.279 it, then to thoroughly repent of it in attitude. 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:39.839 I don't think that we will be very successful 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:43.240 in cultivating. a heart of gratitude until we 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:47.680 first see how ugly ingratitude is in the eyes 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:53.079 of God. The first thing we have to do, the first 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:58.040 secret to cultivating a thankful heart is to 00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:02.259 reckon honestly with the ingratitude that is 00:08:02.259 --> 00:08:05.019 in our lives, and none of us is free from this. 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:09.420 All of us, to some degree, are infected by ingratitude 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:12.699 because of the culture that we live in. The world 00:08:12.699 --> 00:08:16.339 is this way, and it's increasingly becoming ungrateful. 00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:20.759 Therefore, we who are God's people must repent 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:24.639 of this terrible sin and deal with it honestly 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:29.379 before Him. Secondly, we need to recognize humbly 00:08:29.379 --> 00:08:36.000 our undeservedness. Ingratitude basically says, 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:42.139 I deserve what I get. I deserve what I have. 00:08:43.559 --> 00:08:46.259 But the fact is that there is no merit in any 00:08:46.259 --> 00:08:51.519 of us to lay claim to God's bounty. There is 00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:57.620 no entitlement for us for what belongs to God. 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:04.399 We are today facing a great crisis in our culture 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:10.929 because we have developed a a mentality where 00:09:10.929 --> 00:09:14.250 people think that support from the government 00:09:14.250 --> 00:09:20.110 is something they deserve. And many of us would 00:09:20.110 --> 00:09:22.490 decry that. We say, no, it's not that at all. 00:09:22.529 --> 00:09:24.350 People should be grateful that the government 00:09:24.350 --> 00:09:27.190 is willing to support them. And thankfully, the 00:09:27.190 --> 00:09:30.190 government can support people who really are 00:09:30.190 --> 00:09:34.029 in need. But it's that attitude, well, I deserve 00:09:34.029 --> 00:09:40.379 this. That is a terrible cultural sin. But we 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:42.500 have to be careful. We don't develop the same 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:46.899 attitude toward God. I deserve the things that 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:50.440 God gives to me. The air, the water, the sunlight. 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:54.659 Even the pulse of our heart are all gifts from 00:09:54.659 --> 00:09:58.740 God. None of us can demand these things from 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:03.539 God. We can't imagine that we have a claim upon 00:10:03.539 --> 00:10:07.580 them. The Apostle Paul says in Acts Chapter 17, 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:11.159 God is not served by human hands as if He needed 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:16.720 anything, because He Himself gives all men life 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:23.940 and breath and everything else. God gives us 00:10:23.940 --> 00:10:28.960 life and breath and everything. We need to humbly 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:34.120 recognize our undeservingness. He goes on to 00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:38.629 say, for in Him we live and move. and have our 00:10:38.629 --> 00:10:42.649 being. That is, apart from God, we have no being. 00:10:44.389 --> 00:10:51.590 We have no being. No matter how high a man rises 00:10:51.590 --> 00:10:56.350 in life, truly he must always look up to give 00:10:56.350 --> 00:11:00.169 thanks. We do not deserve the blessings of God, 00:11:00.210 --> 00:11:03.570 and yet God has graciously made commitments to 00:11:03.570 --> 00:11:09.009 us based upon His providence. His grace in Christ 00:11:09.009 --> 00:11:13.029 Jesus. And God will keep those promises. Not 00:11:13.029 --> 00:11:16.610 because we deserve it, but because that keeping 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:20.730 of His promises is an expression of His person. 00:11:21.149 --> 00:11:25.669 That's who He is. If we're going to develop a 00:11:25.669 --> 00:11:30.809 grateful heart, we have to realize our undeservingness 00:11:30.809 --> 00:11:35.179 of all that God puts into our hands. If somehow 00:11:35.179 --> 00:11:38.419 we think we deserve what God gives us, we will 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:43.159 not learn to be grateful. That brings me to the 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:46.399 third secret to developing a thankful heart so 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:49.700 that we can obey this command, be thankful, and 00:11:49.700 --> 00:11:54.379 that is to recover happily your contentment. 00:11:55.399 --> 00:11:57.700 Someone has said all the world lives in one of 00:11:57.700 --> 00:12:06.740 two tents, either content or discontent. Nothing 00:12:06.740 --> 00:12:11.940 makes life more miserable than living in discontent. 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:16.299 Contentment, on the other hand, is the soil in 00:12:16.299 --> 00:12:20.440 which thanksgiving thrives, and it produces within 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:26.120 the heart joy as a fruit. But contentment is 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:31.019 not natural for the human being. Contentment 00:12:31.019 --> 00:12:35.610 has to be studied. It has to be learned. The 00:12:35.610 --> 00:12:38.190 Apostle Paul tells us this in Philippians chapter 00:12:38.190 --> 00:12:43.370 4, I have learned to be content whatever the 00:12:43.370 --> 00:12:47.450 circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, 00:12:48.149 --> 00:12:51.350 and I know what it is to have plenty. I have 00:12:51.350 --> 00:12:56.330 learned the secret of being content in any and 00:12:56.330 --> 00:13:00.190 every situation, whether well fed or hungry, 00:13:00.370 --> 00:13:04.399 whether living in plenty or once. I can do everything 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:09.259 through Him who gives me strength. Interesting, 00:13:09.419 --> 00:13:11.539 isn't it, the context of that verse that a lot 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:17.360 of us claim? Paul says, I have learned, I have 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:20.759 been through the school to learn contentment. 00:13:21.379 --> 00:13:24.860 You and I need to recover happily our contentment. 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:28.379 The apostle says to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 00:13:28.379 --> 00:13:33.690 6, but godliness with contentment. is great gain. 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:37.149 We brought nothing into the world. We can take 00:13:37.149 --> 00:13:40.570 nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, 00:13:40.690 --> 00:13:46.870 we will be content with that. In Hebrews chapter 00:13:46.870 --> 00:13:50.610 13 verse 5 it says, keep your lives free from 00:13:50.610 --> 00:13:54.629 the love of money and be content with what you 00:13:54.629 --> 00:13:59.470 have. Because God has said, never will I leave 00:13:59.470 --> 00:14:06.259 you. Never. will I forsake you. You see, contentment 00:14:06.259 --> 00:14:10.120 is not found in things. Contentment is found 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:17.039 in trust. In trusting God to know my needs and 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:20.419 to provide them in a way and at a time that He 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:25.559 appoints. That's what contentment's about. Trusting 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:29.620 God that He knows my needs and that He will provide 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:35.980 them. in a way and at a time that he appoints. 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:40.899 The one who lives content with little possesses 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:45.940 everything. You think about that. The one who 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:49.840 is content with little possesses everything. 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:53.980 It is difficult, frankly, to be content in a 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:56.200 materialistic culture like you and I live in. 00:14:57.150 --> 00:14:59.889 Every day, whether we're driving down the road 00:14:59.889 --> 00:15:02.389 or watching television or reading a newspaper, 00:15:03.029 --> 00:15:06.789 we are bombarded with the idea you need this. 00:15:10.049 --> 00:15:13.330 The advertising industry is built upon that premise 00:15:13.330 --> 00:15:21.049 that we need what they are promoting to us. Billions 00:15:21.049 --> 00:15:25.100 and billions of dollars are spent to convince 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:29.200 you and me that we need something more than what 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:33.639 we have. That our society comes along with credit 00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:37.500 cards and offers immediate gratification. So 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:39.460 that if we don't have the money to buy this thing 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:41.919 that we're told we need, we can put it on credit. 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:50.539 Immediate gratification is one of the sins of 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:55.269 our culture. Happiness is not found in having 00:15:55.269 --> 00:15:59.250 the things that you want, but in wanting the 00:15:59.250 --> 00:16:05.269 things that you have. And so in cultivating a 00:16:05.269 --> 00:16:08.250 thankful heart, come to this place too, for you 00:16:08.250 --> 00:16:12.669 will recover happily your contentment with what 00:16:12.669 --> 00:16:18.230 God has given you. The fourth secret to cultivating 00:16:18.230 --> 00:16:22.769 a grateful heart is found in these words, respond 00:16:22.769 --> 00:16:32.230 heartily to others' needs. There's an African 00:16:32.230 --> 00:16:36.350 proverb that says, he who has carried on another's 00:16:36.350 --> 00:16:40.629 back does not appreciate how far the town is. 00:16:42.590 --> 00:16:46.269 He who has carried on another's back does not 00:16:46.269 --> 00:16:52.289 appreciate how far the town is. Let's not be 00:16:52.289 --> 00:16:55.429 those who expect to be carried on somebody else's 00:16:55.429 --> 00:16:59.649 back. But let's be the kind who will carry, if 00:16:59.649 --> 00:17:02.990 necessary, someone else and respond to their 00:17:02.990 --> 00:17:09.230 needs. The covetous miserly heart is itself ungrateful. 00:17:10.930 --> 00:17:15.710 It must learn to share, to impart its blessings 00:17:15.710 --> 00:17:20.890 to others, and to God's cause in the world. In 00:17:20.890 --> 00:17:24.890 Luke 638, Jesus said this, Give and it will be 00:17:24.890 --> 00:17:29.210 given to you. A good measure pressed down, taken 00:17:29.210 --> 00:17:32.329 together, and running over will be poured into 00:17:32.329 --> 00:17:37.289 your lap. For with the measure you use, it will 00:17:37.289 --> 00:17:41.390 be measured to you. Those are interesting words, 00:17:41.509 --> 00:17:45.509 aren't they, by our Lord? When we bring our offerings 00:17:45.509 --> 00:17:49.500 to the Lord and we put them in the plate? Jesus 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:52.599 says, the measure that you use in writing that 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:57.839 text is the measure that God will use in measuring 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:02.940 to you. Therefore, make it a good measure, a 00:18:02.940 --> 00:18:08.740 good measure. I don't know about you, but I like 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:10.900 to go to the bins at the store where things are 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:13.900 sold in bulk. I don't know if you get a better 00:18:13.900 --> 00:18:15.819 deal there or not, but you feel like you do. 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:19.799 You feel like you do. And so you get the container, 00:18:19.900 --> 00:18:22.480 whatever size it may be, and you reach down in 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.539 there. What kind of a container do you bring 00:18:25.539 --> 00:18:27.759 out of there? Now, one of the things that I buy 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:30.400 is brand. Now, I'm not going to tell you why. 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:35.319 It's a little personal. But I buy brand every 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:37.279 now and then in the store. It's a very expensive 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:39.980 proposition. You get a whole bag up for about 00:18:39.980 --> 00:18:44.460 a quarter. But when I dig that container down 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:47.319 in there, and I'm going to buy brand. I don't 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:50.220 just get a little bit. I keep it in there. And 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:52.579 that's what Jesus is saying here. When you're 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:55.880 going to give, get a big measure out and take 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.819 it around and press it down and make sure you've 00:18:58.819 --> 00:19:02.299 got as much in there as you possibly can. Because 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:05.500 that is exactly how God is going to measure to 00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:13.660 you. First Timothy chapter 6, verses 17 to 19 00:19:13.660 --> 00:19:17.740 say this. Command those who are rich in this 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:20.240 present world not to be arrogant nor to put their 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:24.220 hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to 00:19:24.220 --> 00:19:27.000 put their hope in God who richly provides us 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:31.960 with everything for our enjoyment. God richly 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:35.019 provides everything for our enjoyment, he says. 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:37.819 Put your hope in God, not in the things that 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:41.319 he provides. He goes on to say, command them 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:46.140 to do good. to be rich in good deeds and to be 00:19:46.140 --> 00:19:49.200 generous and willing to share. In this way, they 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:51.980 will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm 00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:55.220 foundation for the coming age, so that they may 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:59.680 take hold of the life that is truly life." You 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:02.299 know what he's saying there? He says, if you 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:05.400 and I are really going to take hold of life, 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:09.220 the true life, of eternal life, if we're going 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:13.079 to get a hold of that and enjoy it in this world, 00:20:13.339 --> 00:20:16.160 then we need to be the kind of people who give 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:20.819 generously. We need to lay up treasures in heaven, 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:24.720 not upon the earth. If you and I are going to 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:28.039 cultivate a grateful heart, not as at thankful, 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:31.660 but if we're going to cultivate a grateful heart, 00:20:32.019 --> 00:20:37.259 that means responding heartily to others' needs. 00:20:39.619 --> 00:20:41.680 And then there's a fifth and final secret I want 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:46.599 to talk about. In cultivating a grateful heart, 00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:50.799 remember, hopefully, its source. You see, we're 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:53.519 not left alone to work on this project of cultivating 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:57.240 a grateful heart. The Spirit of God is within 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:01.299 us, and it is He who will change us and cultivate 00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:06.180 our hearts to be like Jesus. He will empower 00:21:06.180 --> 00:21:10.970 us to be truly thankful. In Ephesians 518 it 00:21:10.970 --> 00:21:13.829 says, do not get drunk on wine, which leads to 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:18.049 debauchery, but instead be filled with the Spirit. 00:21:18.829 --> 00:21:23.009 That is, be dominated by, be empowered by the 00:21:23.009 --> 00:21:25.930 Spirit. And then a little bit later he says, 00:21:26.109 --> 00:21:30.529 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything 00:21:30.529 --> 00:21:33.950 in the name of our Lord Jesus. Do you see the 00:21:33.950 --> 00:21:37.309 connection? Do you see the linkage there? to 00:21:37.309 --> 00:21:40.109 being filled with the Holy Spirit, and because 00:21:40.109 --> 00:21:44.609 of that spiritual life flooding through us, our 00:21:44.609 --> 00:21:50.190 hearts are keen to being thankful. Remember, 00:21:50.190 --> 00:21:54.190 hopefully, the source. Cultivating a grateful 00:21:54.190 --> 00:21:57.410 heart doesn't depend upon, in the final analysis, 00:21:57.509 --> 00:22:01.529 how hard you work at it. It is how much the Spirit 00:22:01.529 --> 00:22:05.289 of God is allowed to do in your heart, because 00:22:05.289 --> 00:22:11.109 it is keen. to make their hearts thankful. I 00:22:11.109 --> 00:22:13.369 want to encourage you to employ these secrets 00:22:13.369 --> 00:22:16.450 of cultivating a grateful heart. If you do, the 00:22:16.450 --> 00:22:22.190 blessing will be upon you. John Henry Jowett, 00:22:22.430 --> 00:22:26.809 who was a preacher of another generation, said 00:22:26.809 --> 00:22:29.569 this regarding gratitude. He said, gratitude 00:22:29.569 --> 00:22:37.329 is a vaccine, an antitoxin. and an antiseptic. 00:22:38.269 --> 00:22:41.009 Three interesting analogies. Because I want to 00:22:41.009 --> 00:22:45.509 say this is a most searching and true diagnosis. 00:22:45.809 --> 00:22:51.210 He says gratitude can be a vaccine that can prevent 00:22:51.210 --> 00:22:57.829 the invasion of a disgruntled attitude. As antitoxins 00:22:57.829 --> 00:23:01.029 prevent the disastrous effects of certain poisons 00:23:01.029 --> 00:23:05.420 and diseases, Thanksgiving destroys the poison 00:23:05.420 --> 00:23:10.559 of false finding and grumbling. Andy says, when 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:13.900 trouble has smitten us, a spirit of Thanksgiving 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:19.859 is a soothing and perceptive. Do you know that 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:22.259 a grateful heart may do more for your health 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:27.279 than a doctor's prescription? Do you know that 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:30.549 cultivating A grateful heart may be better than 00:23:30.549 --> 00:23:32.769 going to Target and filling a prescription for 00:23:32.769 --> 00:23:37.390 whatever you're now getting. It may be. You see, 00:23:37.390 --> 00:23:40.609 in the final analysis, a cultivated heart of 00:23:40.609 --> 00:23:45.849 gratitude shows its fruit. We don't have to act 00:23:45.849 --> 00:23:52.650 thankful if we are thankful, because that cultivated 00:23:52.650 --> 00:23:58.369 heart of gratitude will show its fruit. Let me 00:23:58.369 --> 00:24:02.210 suggest to you some of the fruits of gratitude 00:24:02.210 --> 00:24:06.410 that might be evident in your life this week. 00:24:07.690 --> 00:24:10.549 As you're asking God to cultivate your heart 00:24:10.549 --> 00:24:14.150 with gratitude and thanksgiving, consider these 00:24:14.150 --> 00:24:17.170 things as some of the fruits that might be there. 00:24:17.890 --> 00:24:20.549 As you're gathered around your table on Thanksgiving 00:24:20.549 --> 00:24:24.589 Day, have each person there, assuming it's your 00:24:24.589 --> 00:24:27.359 family, for example. Have each member of the 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:31.880 family tell one thing about each of the others 00:24:31.880 --> 00:24:37.000 at the table for which he's thankful? We did 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:39.059 this one year with our kids when they were a 00:24:39.059 --> 00:24:41.420 little bit smaller and when they weren't at the 00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:44.019 age yet when they saw many things that they could 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:47.380 name. They'd rather put them on the spot and 00:24:47.380 --> 00:24:49.500 have to think of one thing that they were thankful 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:51.859 for with their siblings and wish there was a 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:56.359 great deal of rivalry. Do you know what? Each 00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:00.160 one of them did it, and it did something at that 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:05.019 Thanksgiving table that day. Or you may want 00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:07.640 to think about making a list of three people, 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:11.180 let's say, and writing notes to them to thank 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:14.920 them for something they've done for you, or for 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:20.500 what they've meant in your life. Or another possibility 00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:24.140 is, if you've got an especially difficult person 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:30.109 in your life, Send a card to that person expressing 00:25:30.109 --> 00:25:36.930 thanks for something about them. Now, you may 00:25:36.930 --> 00:25:40.269 have to think a while. You may have to dig. You 00:25:40.269 --> 00:25:42.890 may have to go back for years. I don't know. 00:25:43.410 --> 00:25:45.609 But if you've got a difficult person, you know 00:25:45.609 --> 00:25:49.769 that will change that relationship. That will 00:25:49.769 --> 00:25:54.579 change that relationship. Find something. to 00:25:54.579 --> 00:25:58.380 be thankful for in them. And then certainly to 00:25:58.380 --> 00:26:01.539 God, let me suggest these things are some of 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:04.920 the fruits that might be there. Consider in prayer 00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:08.539 the things that you take for granted. Now we 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:11.460 all, when we pray, think about those things that 00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:16.519 happen to us or that are recent. But think about 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:20.769 the things you take for granted. Or thank God, 00:26:20.789 --> 00:26:23.130 on the other hand, for things that you may well 00:26:23.130 --> 00:26:27.890 have avoided that didn't happen because of His 00:26:27.890 --> 00:26:35.569 grace. Or try this. In your meditation this week, 00:26:36.730 --> 00:26:40.910 out of your grateful heart, sing, yes, I don't 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:43.349 care who you are, even if you're Dave Platterbuck, 00:26:43.750 --> 00:26:52.220 sing. singing a song of praise to God. Now, don't 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:54.440 get out Psalm 119, you'll wear out before you 00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:58.460 get there, to the end of it. Psalm 100, you know, 00:26:58.519 --> 00:27:01.180 pick out one of the other Psalms, but sing, it 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:02.980 doesn't make any difference if you know the tune 00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:05.339 or don't know it. Let the Spirit just put the 00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:08.619 notes in your mind and sing out of your heart 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:14.220 a song to God. Or give a thoughtful gift. to 00:27:14.220 --> 00:27:18.240 some aspect of God's work. Cultivating a grateful 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:21.799 heart is a wonderful thing to do. It is absolutely 00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:27.359 life -changing. The story is told about some 00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:30.619 travelers on the Oregon Trail many years ago. 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:35.599 A party of pioneers traveling in their covered 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:38.759 wagon who suffered greatly because of a lack 00:27:38.759 --> 00:27:44.079 of water and food for their animals. Some of 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:46.839 their their wagons had broken down along the 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:51.519 way, causing delays in the desperately heat of 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:55.640 the summer. Along with all of these conditions, 00:27:55.740 --> 00:27:59.220 there was a sense of fretfulness and impatience 00:27:59.220 --> 00:28:02.640 that had overtaken them. All of their optimism 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:05.339 about the trip to Oregon was gone. Their fear 00:28:05.339 --> 00:28:09.400 was destroyed. So one night they decided to call 00:28:09.400 --> 00:28:11.660 a meeting, and at that meeting, They were going 00:28:11.660 --> 00:28:16.420 to air all their complaints. They gathered around 00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:20.920 the campfire in their circled wagon, or circle 00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:24.140 of the wagon. They gathered around the campfire. 00:28:25.579 --> 00:28:27.759 But before they began to air the complaints, 00:28:28.339 --> 00:28:31.180 one of them rose up and said this. Before we 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:34.079 do anything else, I think we should first thank 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:36.819 God that we have come this far with no loss of 00:28:36.819 --> 00:28:39.900 life, with no serious trouble from the Indians. 00:28:40.299 --> 00:28:43.259 and that we have enough strength left to finish 00:28:43.259 --> 00:28:47.279 our journey. And so someone prayed and thanked 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:49.400 God for those things. You know what happened? 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:54.319 After finished praying, there was just silence. 00:28:56.519 --> 00:29:00.799 There was just silence. After they realized the 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:04.480 blessings of God, the grumbling spirit that was 00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:09.359 there turned into a spirit of contentment. All 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:13.279 the blessings that come to our lives, when we 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:20.299 do this, develop a heart of gratitude. Let's 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:32.859 pray. For down inside your heart and mine, God 00:29:32.859 --> 00:29:40.130 knows that there is ingratitude. And we need 00:29:40.130 --> 00:29:44.089 to allow the spotlight of conviction to rest 00:29:44.089 --> 00:29:49.069 there, and honestly take a look at it. Begin 00:29:49.069 --> 00:29:58.210 by acknowledging to God what's there. Then we 00:29:58.210 --> 00:30:02.890 need to apply the rest of these secrets so that 00:30:02.890 --> 00:30:05.410 we can cultivate a heart that is pleasing to 00:30:05.410 --> 00:30:11.759 God and be thankful. Would you tell the Lord 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:16.660 right now to be with you in that process of cultivation? 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:21.960 Let Him plow it up. Let Him plow up your heart 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:28.920 so that you can cultivate a heart of gratitude, 00:30:31.900 --> 00:30:35.680 producing contentment and joy, being a blessing 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:44.329 to others. Lord Jesus, do this in our lives. 00:30:48.029 --> 00:30:51.309 Deliver us from being like the world around us, 00:30:51.390 --> 00:30:58.490 filled with grumbling and complaints. And change 00:30:58.490 --> 00:31:03.710 our hearts, cultivate our hearts, ourselves working 00:31:03.710 --> 00:31:07.509 with you in that process, so that we will be 00:31:07.509 --> 00:31:12.410 a grateful people. for truly we have much to 00:31:12.410 --> 00:31:19.210 be thankful for. May we give thanks with a grateful 00:31:19.210 --> 00:31:27.150 heart, remembering what you have done and what 00:31:27.150 --> 00:31:36.930 your promises are. Amen. God bless you.