Cultivating A Thanksgiving Mentality

One cute little girl wrote a letter to God, and this is what it said. “Dear God, thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.”

Amazing. She didn’t get exactly what she wanted from God, but she had learned to be thankful anyway. This is what Paul was teaching us in Ephesians 5:20 where he wrote: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God…”

It would be fitting to examine this verse in bits and pieces for our practical benefit.
• Thanks giving is a choice….Giving thanks
• Thanks giving is an on going, never ending commitment…Giving thanks ALWAYS
• Thanks giving encompasses the entire spectrum of life…Giving thanks always FOR ALL THINGS
• Thanks giving includes but is not limited to God…Giving thanks always for all things UNTO GOD.

Silent gratitude is not gratitude at all. It is nothing until you give it away.

Ben Franklin explained it like this. “Speak ill of no man, but speak all the good you know of everybody.”

I am fascinated with what George Matthew Adams had to say about praise and thanks giving. “He who praises another,” he wrote,” enriches himself far more than he does the one praised. To praise is an investment in happiness. The poorest human being has something to give that the richest could not buy.”

Thanks is a gift that keeps on giving, resonating, encouraging and cheering the heart of the one who receives it. Cultivate a thanks giving mentality, and this is a good time to start. You can never begin to late or start to early.

Step 1: Comprehend the goodness of God.

This is the powerful launching pad for cultivating a thanks giving mentality. Start with God. Describe Him. Define Him. Adore Him. Explore Him.

Theophilus of Antioch who lived in the 2nd century A.D. made this fantastic observation about his comprehension of God. “For in glory He is incomprehensible, in greatness unfathomable, in height inconceivable, in power incomparable, in wisdom unrivaled, in goodness inimitable, in kindness unutterable.”

John 3:16 is more than a Golden Text of the Bible. It is the sum and substance of the character and essence of God. It says, “For God so loved the world He gave…” He could give no more and dared not give less. It seems far to little, far to simple, far to beggarly for what He has done and continues to do for me, but if I could but spend one single moment in His presence and was allowed only one word to say to Him…it would be “Thanks.”

Step 2: Rescind negative emotions.

We need to tinker with our thinker. A mind muddled with toxic emotions will feed frustration, foster fear, spearhead suspicion and arouse anger without cause.

I read about the man who went into a monastery and was allowed to speak only 2 words every 10 years. At the end of the first ten years, he said, “Bed hard.” At the end of the second 10 years, he complained, “Food bad.” And after the third 10 years, he walked out and said, “I quit.”

Unperturbed the supervisor replied, “Don’t surprise me. You have done nothing but complain for the last 30 years.”

You will never cultivate a thanks giving mind until you learn to recognize the benefits you enjoy and minimize the complaints and faults you can find. Rescind negative emotions and release the grace of gratitude.

Step 3: Transcend your circumstances.

Be not victimized by your circumstance. Be the victor over your circumstance. I know it is only a story, but it is pregnant with truth. As the story goes, a precious Christian lady had a dream that she had gone to hell and the devil was carrying her around in this horrible pit. Someone who remembered that she was thankful about everything asked her, “Now, Mama, what can you find to be thankful there?” She quickly replied, “I could have been carrying the devil around.”

She thought of the good, the advantages and things that could have been much worse, and when she did she was thankful. Rise above your circumstances and learn to have a thanks giving mentality.

We may not always find it easy to thank God for where we are, but we can always thank Him for where we are going!

Giving Thanks,

Pastor Jimmy & Bob

Want To Get Away

Southwest Airlines has a television commercial that really rings a bell for me. It exposes an embarrassing moment when a person commits an unintentional booboo that can not be reversed. There they stand wishing the earth would suddenly open up and swallow them alive, but unfortunately for them, it doesn’t happen. As they stand there bewildered, a voice breaks the silence with a question. “Want to get away?”

I don’t know about you, but I have been there, and so has the Psalmist. I don’t know all the surrounding circumstances, but I do know that he cried out, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away.”

David said that, but he knew nothing about rush hour traffic or I-Pods or instant messaging. He did know, however, how quickly the simple life can become complicated, the trusted can become traitors and character can become tarnished in a one night sex scandal.

How do you squelch gossip, hide the secret rendezvous with another man’s wife or sear over a condemning conscience? Want to get away? I believe this is what David meant when he cried, “O….that I might fly away.” He wanted to leave it far behind him and act like it never happened.

This headline showed up on the internet on the last day of May 2008. “A week of regrets.” Then the article continued, “Rachael Ray, Hillary Clinton, and others wish they could take back their actions this week.”

We all have our times of regret. There are things we wish we could re-do or un-do, but in most cases it is impossible. Take a look at the following examples of times when we actually wanted to fly away and couldn’t.

1. When our mouth starts running a marathon before my mind gets out of bed.

I can complicate more issue with my mouth than you can imagine. I have said things and wish I could fly away before the sound of my voice died in the air.

No one with a sane mind would dispute the words of Proverbs 21:23 which declare: ‘Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.”
(The Message)

Once a word has been released, it can never be recalled or redefined. It can not be intercepted or redirected.

The Bible declares, “A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything----or destroy it.” (The Message-James 3:4) It is no wonder that the Psalmist prayed, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sigh, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14)

2. Choose your words carefully because you may have to eat them shortly.

When our exaggerations are proven to be fabrications.

Honesty is not only the best policy. It should and must be our only policy. In the language of the Scripture, it would be stated in these words. “Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” (Romans 12:17) No hocus-pocus. No hanky-panky. No trickery. No double crossing. No misinformation or exaggerations. Always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Earl Wilson described the powerful influence of such an honest man in these simple terms. “He’s an honest man-------you could shoot craps with him over the telephone.”

It was not so with King Saul in the Old Testament. He was piously confessing to complete obedience to God when in the middle of his confession A Barn Yard Choir of Sheep gave an impromptu performance. These were the sheep that were supposed to have been disposed of earlier. Were these sheep that had been resurrected from the slaughter pen near by? No. They were evidence that Saul could not deny. He was caught and could not hide.

In his embarrassment and total dismay, I believe that Saul would have given anything if he could have sprouted wings and flown away. But all flights were grounded, and Saul had to face the music.

3. When we carelessly paint ourselves into a corner and can’t find a way out.

I’m not a Rembrandt, but I am good at painting myself into corners and wish I could fly away but can’t.

I’m pretty sure that it is not a spiritual gift, but what ever the case might be, Judas had it also. He wormed his way into the inner circle of Jesus Himself and was given enough rope to hang himself. He must have felt both confident and comfortable until the day the lid blew off and he found himself painted into a corner, back against the wall and no way out.

Sitting at the table with the other disciples and Jesus, Jesus identified the traitor. It was one of the 12. One who plastered a kiss on the cheek of the Master that must have seared his cheek like a red hot branding iron. Stripped of his cloak of hypocrisy and having no where to hide, I have no doubt that he would have liked to have sprouted wings and flown away.

He had a choice to make. It was repentance or a rope, and unfortunately he chose the rope.

We all have one of two choices to make. We can run from responsibility and accountability or repent and ask God to forgive us and give us a new start. I pray that you will make the right choice.

Choosing Correctly,

Jimmy

Election Thoughts

As I have been reflecting on our recent election and my response to it, I am reminded what Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence said. He said, "I am a Christocrat. I am for the cause of Christ."

As a church, we do not represent a particular party. We represent Jesus Christ who is the only hope of the world. Do I have an opinion about politics? I have lots of them and some of them might even be correct. But I never want my personal political opinion to be a barrier that prevents someone from coming to Christ.

We must obey the Word of God even when it comes to politics. We are first and foremost followers of Jesus Christ. We are commanded to pray for our leaders and ask God to direct them as they lead our nation.

More than any political party or candidate, I am firmly convinced that what America needs is Jesus.

Reaching America

Jimmy