THANKFUL TO GOD
Keith O’Connor
Woodland Church
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
(Ephesians 5:20, NLT) “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God.” “For all things”— whatever may happen to us. For the things which are of greatest moment we should always be grateful: for the new birth, for pardon of sin, for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, for all covenant mercies, for all the blessings of the cross, and of the crown. Dear friends, a Christian has infinite cause for gratitude.” – Charles Spurgeon
1. God’s Goodness
(Psalm 107:1; 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 118:1; Psalm 136) “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever”
(Psalm 119:68, NLT) “You are Good, and only do Good”
(Mark 10:18b, NLT) “Only God is truly good”
(Psalm 31:19, NLT) “How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world”
(Psalm 34:8, NLT) “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!”
2. Be thankful for other’s goodness to you
(Acts 9:26-28, NLT) “When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe that he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. So, Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.”
(Ephesians 1:16, NLT) “I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly.”
(1 Corinthians 1:4, NLT) “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians1:3, NLT) “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”
3. Be thankful for our salvation
(2 Corinthians 9:15, NLT) “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV) “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift, not from works, so that no one can boast.”
(John 3:16, NLT) “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
“A grateful heart sees each day as a gift. Thankful people focus less on what they lack and more on the privileges they have. … Thank you, God. The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. A zillion diamonds sparkle against the velvet of your sky every night. Thank you, God. A miracle of muscles enables your eyes to read these words and your brain to process them. Thank you, God.Your lungs inhale and exhale eleven thousand liters of air every day. Your heart will beat about three billion times in your lifetime. Your brain is a veritable electric generator of power. Thank you, God. For the jam on our toast and the milk on our cereal. For the blanket that calms us and the joke that delights us and the warm sun that reminds us of God’s love. … Thank you, God. Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover God’s heart. To discover God’s heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. It does to anxiety what the morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up. Thank you, God. “Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Thank you, God” – Max Lucado
Growthwork
1. Be Thankful all Year Long
2. Read Psalm 100