A SEASON FOR THANKS

A Season of Thanks #2

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Sunday, November 19, 2023

“Some people are appreciative by nature, but some are not; and it is these latter people who especially need God’s power to express thanksgiving. We should remember that every good gift comes from God and that He is (as the theologians put it ) “the Source, Support, and End of all things.” The very breath in our mouths is the free gift of God. Thankfulness is the opposite of selfishness. The selfish person says, “I deserve what comes to me! Other people ought to make me happy.” But the mature Christian realizes that life is a gift from God, and that the blessings of life come only from His bountiful hand.” – Warren Wiersbe, A Time to be Renewed, Christianity Today, Vol 32, no. 17

(Psalm 100, NKJV) “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 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. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”

1. COME WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE.

CALL AND HOW?

GLADNESS

(Psalm 100:1–2, NKJV) “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.”

WHY?

IDENTITY

(Psalm 100:3, NKJV) “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.”

CALL AND HOW?

PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

(Psalm 100:4, NKJV) “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic. – John Henry  Jowett

WHY?

GOD IS GOOD

(Psalm 100:5, NKJV) “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”

2.   COME WITH JOY AND THANKSGIVING.

(Psalm 107:21–22, NLT) “Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.”

(1 Thessalonians 3:9, NLT) “How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence.”

3. TRUTH FUELS MY ENTHUSIASM.

“Know that the Lord, He is God…

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…

(Psalm 100:3, NKJV) We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

(Psalm 100:5, NLT) “His unfailing love continues forever…”

CARE FOR MY MIND

“In the final analysis, Christians are not necessarily nicer people than everybody else, we’re just better informed.” –  Fredrick Buechner, Wishful Thinking

GROWTHWORK

1. Acknowledge God’s presence in my life.

2. Express my thanks to God for His goodness to me.

“Let me be thankful. First, I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my purse, they didn’t take my life. Third, although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed and not I who did the robbing.” – Matthew Henry

3. Review the last 24 hours of my life with God prayerfully and respond appropriately.

4. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.