The Joy of Thankful Living

The Joy of Thankful Living

Steve W. Reeves

 
INTRODUCTION:

A. Rudyard Kipling, the British writer, was so popular during his life that he received ten

    shillings per word for his writing. Some college students thought they would have a

    little fun so they sent him ten shillings with a note that said, “Send us your best word.”

    Kipling wrote back, “Thanks.”

    1. There is always something to be thankful about.

    2. A little boy brought home his report card and told his father, “I think you will be very

       thankful.” His father looked at the card and saw several “D’s” and “F’s.”  “Why

       should I be thankful for marks like these?” he asked. “Because, I’m not cheating,”

       replied the boy.

B. The act of giving thanks is commanded and exemplified in the Bible.

    1. The book of Psalms contains the word “thanks” 62 different times.

    2. There are four occasions in the Gospels where Jesus offered thanks.

       a. Luke 10:11 – “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, ‘I thank thee, O

           Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise

           and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it

           seemed good in thy sight.’”

       b. John 6:11 – “Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed

           to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.”

       c. John 11:41 – “Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank You that

           You have heard Me. ⁴² I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the

           people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.’”

       d. Luke 22:17-19 – “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said,

           ‘Take this and share it among yourselves; ¹⁸ for I say to you, I will not drink of the

           fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.’ ¹⁹ And when He

           had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying,

           ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”

      3. The apostle Paul was thankful.

           a. Romans 1:8 – “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your

               faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

           b. 1 Corinthians 1:4 -  “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of

               God which was given you in Christ Jesus.”

           c. Philippians 1:3 – “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always

               offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.”

C. When you think about it, there is great joy in the practice of thankful living.       

I. IT WILL BRING JOY TO YOUR POSSESSIONS

    A. Do you know why many people are miserable? They have never learned to be

       thankful and content with what they have. Your possessions do not bring joy but a

       thankful life will enjoy its possessions whether they be many or few.

       1. In Luke 12:15 Jesus had been approached by a man who asked him to tell his

           brother to share the family inheritance. Jesus saw something in this man’s

           attitude that prompted Him to give this warning. “Beware, and be on your guard

           against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his

           life consist of his possessions.”

       2. Jesus went on to tell a parable. “The land of a rich man was very productive.

           ¹⁷ And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no

           place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down

           my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

           ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years

           to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You

           fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you

           have prepared?’”

           a. Was this man joyful? No!

           b. He was always coveting more. He was not content with what he had.

    B. Have you ever heard of Bernie Madoff?

       1. Madoff is a former investment advisor and stockbroker.

       2. He was a high ranking executive with NASDAQ, His financial firm was a Wall

           Street success for over forty years

       3. He seemed to have everything. He wanted more. He began defrauding

           customers and eventually accumulated over 64.8 billion dollars in his Ponzi

           scheme. That’s the largest case of fraud in American history. He was convicted

           in 2008 and will spend the rest of his life in prison.

       4. Why did this happen to a successful businessman? He was not thankful for what

           he had.      

    C. At the conclusion of the parable Jesus told in Luke 12, He said, “So is the man

       who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

       1. Benjamin Franklin used to say, “Contentment will make a poor man rich.

           Discontentment will make a rich man poor.”

       2. In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul wrote, “I have learned to be content in whatever

           circumstances I am. ¹² I know how to get along with humble means, and I also

           know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the

           secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering

           need. ¹³ I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

       3. Country music star, Dolly Parton, grew up in the mountains of east Tennessee.

           One of Dolly’s early hit songs told the true story of her mother making a coat for

           her out of scraps of material. Other children laughed at her coat of many colors

           but Dolly never forgot the love that motivated each stitch and the warmth and joy

           that coat brought her.

II. IT WILL BRING JOY TO YOUR POSITION

    A. Look at these passages of scripture with me.

       1. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in

           Christ Jesus.”

       2. Ephesians 5:20 - “Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord

           Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.”

       3. Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom

           teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual

           songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

       3. All of these verses teach that thanksgiving should be a continual action in life.

    B. Are you thankful to be the age you are?

       1. You should be. There is nothing you can do about it.

       2. In Psalm 90:10 we read, “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
           or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For

           soon it is gone and we fly away.”

       3. Two verses later in verse 12 the Psalmist wrote, “So teach us to number our

           days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

       4. I have known people who were miserable because of their age. Some young

           people are miserable because they want to be older, out on their own and away

           from parents. Some who are students can’t wait for graduation and the freedom it

           promises. Young people, do you realize that for each of you who wants to be

           older there is an old person who would give anything to be young again.. I met a

           man several years ago who told me he was 95 years old. He said, “Insider every

           old person is a teenager wondering what went wrong.”

       5. There are some who are older who are miserable because they are old. Some

           people spend thousands of dollars to have everything lifted up but “Father Time”

           keeps dragging it down.

       6. How much better it is to be thankful for the age you are. When someone asks

           your age you can reply, “I’m the age God wants me to be.”

    C. This same principle is true in many different ways.

       1. If you are male or female be thankful for the fact that God had a purpose and

           plan in creating male and female (Genesis 1:27).

       2. If you are single you can be thankful for the opportunities your singleness

           provides. Paul expressed thankfulness in 1 Corinthians 7:7, “I wish that all

           men were as I am.”

       3. If you are married you should be thankful for the husband or wife with whom you

           have been blessed. Proverbs 18:27 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing

           and obtains favor from the Lord.”

       4. There is joy in being thankful for your position in life.

III. IT WILL BRING JOY TO YOUR PROFESSION

    A. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord

       rather than for men.”

    B. Why should you be thankful for your job?

       1. Be thankful for your calling. There is a need for what you do. You would not be

           where you are if you were not fulfilling a need.         

       2. Be thankful for your colleagues. If you think that there is nothing in your

           colleagues to be thankful for then be thankful you have the opportunity to

           influence them.            

       3. Be thankful for you competitors who keep you on your toes.

       4. Be thankful for your capabilities. God has blessed you with the ability to work.

 

IV. IT WILL BRING JOY TO YOUR PROBLEMS

    A. Do you have more problems than Joseph in Genesis 37-50?

       1. He was hated by his brothers who wanted to kill him.

       2. He was sold as a slave, falsely accused and imprisoned.

       3. He was separated from his family.

       4. He told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for

           good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive”

           (Genesis 50:20).

    B. What would happen if you were imprisoned because you had been telling others

       about Jesus? In Acts 16:25 Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi. Were they

       complaining and crying? On the contrary, they were singing and praying. The other

       prisoners heard them. The jailor heard them. What happened as a result of their

       imprisonment?  

       1. The Jailor was so impressed that in a moment of crisis he turned to them for help

           (Acts 16:30-33).

       2. When Paul wrote to the church in Philippi he said that his imprisonment in Rome

           had benefitted the Gospel (Philippians 1:12-14).  

    C. “I Am Thankful For.”

       1. I’m thankful for the taxes I pay, because it means I have a job.

       2. I’m thankful for dirty dishes in my sink, because they mean I have had food to

           eat.

       3. I’m thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and

           gutters than need fixing, because it means I have a home to live in.

       4. I’m thankful for the person behind me in church who sings off key, because it

           means I can hear.

       5. I’m thankful for piles of laundry and ironing, because it means my loved ones

           are near.

       6. I’m thankful for the alarm that goes off early in the morning, because it means

           I’m alive. (Unknown author).

    D. Fanny Crosby was born in 1820 and lost her eyesight when she was an infant.

       She lost her father when she was only a year old. When her grandmother heard of

       Fanny’s blindness she said, “I will be her eyes.” She spent hours with Fanny

       carefully describing the world, reading to her and kneeling beside her bed in prayer.

       With her grandmother’s help Fanny memorized the first four books of the Bible, the

       four Gospels, the book of Proverbs and man of the Psalms. Fanny Crosby lived to

       be 95 years old. In her lifetime she wrote six thousand hymns including, “A

       Wonderful Savior.” Pay close attention to this verse, “With numberless blessings

       each moment He crowns, and filled with His fullness divine. I sing in my rapture, O

       glory to God, for such a Redeemer as mine!”

CONCLUSION:

A. H.A. Ironside was a preacher in the 1800’s. On one occasion he went to dinner at a

    crowded restaurant. The only seat was at a table where a well-dressed man was

    seated. Ironside asked the man if he might join him. The man replied, “yes” and they

    began to chat in casual conversation. When Ironside’s meal arrived, he quietly bowed

    his head and thanked God. The other man said, “Oh, you’re one of those, are you?

    Well I’ll have you to know I’m not thankful to anyone. I earn my living by the sweat of

    my brow. When my food comes I just start right in.” Ironside said, “Sir, my dog does

    the same thing!”

B. God has given us the capacity to live a thankful life. The greater your thankfulness

    the greater your joy will be. Above all we can be thankful for the salvation that is

    offered us through Christ. If you are not His disciple may I invite you to come to Him

    in faith, repentance and baptism today?