Developing a Thankful Heart
(various scriptures)
Sermon Notes
Oftentimes, we in the church aren’t as thankful as we should be. We often do life and 2 weeks will sometimes go by without saying, “Thank You God.”
There is something to be said about when we forget to tell God thank You.
“One of the first marks of rejecting God is forgetting to thank Him.” – Minister Alfie James
Romans 1:21 (NLT) – Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
In the story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17:11-19, we see that only one turned around and gave thanks to God. But what about the nine that didn’t turn around to give thanks. Maybe they were too busy to give thanks. Quite possibly they were too excited, thinking about reconnecting with family. Perhaps they just wanted to quickly get on to their lives. Or they simply might have been grateful in their hearts, and figured that God should know. The truth is, we are often like the other nine, forgetting to say thanks as we go about our lives.
“In our Christian lives, we think we are like the one. But in reality, we are like the other nine.” – Minister Alfie James
Colossians 3:15-17 – 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Purpose
Purpose is defined as something set up as an object or end to be attained; determination; resolution. We must purpose in our hearts that we will be thankful. We must choose thanksgiving.
Psalms 7:17 (NKJV) – I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalms 9:1-2 – (NKJV) I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. 2 I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Psalms 35:18 (NLT) – Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.
Psalms 69:30 (NKJV) – I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
Practice
I can have a plan and resolve to do a thing, but we must execute, or put it in practice. Every person that we admire in our lives from Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, had to practice and perfect their gifting. We must develop the practice of thanksgiving.
Psalms 106:1 – Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalms 105:1 – Oh, give thanks to theLord! Call upon His name; Make known His
Psalms 118:1-4 – Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Let Israel now say, “His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, “His mercy endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord now say, “His mercy endures forever.”
Psalms 100:4-5 – Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Persist
Even when circumstances are difficult and being thankful is hard to manage, the word of God says
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
We can have confidence that even in our trials, that God will be with us, so we can still be thankful!
Hebrews 13:5b – I will never leave you nor forsake you
Matthew 28:20b – Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.
