Be Thankful (Part 1)

Be Thankful (Part 1)

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: Luke 7:40-48, Psalms 100:1-5

One of the reasons I love this chapter in Psalms is because the different forms of worship imbedded in these verses.
The one I want to focus on today is ver.4 – “Thanksgiving.” “Be Thankful!”

Last week I talked about places I can open the door to the enemy.
I think the two major places Christians open their lives to the enemy has to do with unforgiveness, and un-thankfulness.

I’m talking about someone who has walked through the steps to say, “I forgive.” And “I’m thankful.” I have gone through the motions, but this is a heart issue that requires regular attention.
I can say the words, but the balance of my heart can be just opposite.
I’m thankful – we say it every year.
I want to look at the heart of a thankful person.

Lk.7:40-48 Ver.47b 47 " But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
Ver.47b Passion Translation - “But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”

This woman understood how much God had forgiven, therefore she loved much.
Whenever I begin to feel that the quality or quantity of my sin was not that great – “compared to others – it leads to the heart attitude of this Pharisee.

Something I really don’t like is an attitude that can be attached to “I’m just “a sinner saved by Grace.” The heart belief that I’m just a worm, and I’m just lucky enough to hide behind Jesus, so the Father might not notice me.
The truth I want to have dominating my heart is, “I’m God’s Favorite!”
But there is a place of balance I want to look at.

It seems for me, the farther / longer I move away from the time I understood my need for a Savior – that there is no WAY I can save myself. That the being a sinner is separation from God. From the realization of the high cost Jesus paid for me.

The longer that conversion time has been, I can start feeling like: “I’m a pretty good person. God is fortunate to have me. I haven’t done anything “REAL” bad. Not like so and so..

When I begin to feel smug in my righteousness, then I am very much like this Pharisee. My righteousness is impressive to me – maybe to others.

When we hear messages on “thanksgiving,” we usually think of ourselves as thankful people.
But something that is way too common with us is that our list of what He hasn’t done for us plays louder in our hearts then our thanksgiving does.

I can say the words, strike the worship pose, and in my heart still hold onto my list of how God should have treated me, what I feel God should have given to me.

Remember the setting of our nation’s first thanks giving celebrations?
It was a tough time. They came close to starving to death.
So when they had those first years of yearly “Thanksgiving meals,” their expression of thanks was DEEPLY Heart Felt.

Compared to the spread of food I have had all my life at thanksgiving, their meal was very plain and sparse.
When they prayed before their meal, I believe their heart, not just their words, gave thanks to God. I am willing to bet that their prayer of thanks took longer than most of ours we say over a thanksgiving meal.

When Heatherann suffered through a very dark time, A MAJOR practice she repeated again and again was saying out loud over and over the things she was thankful for. THANKFULNESS IS A SPIRITUAL WEAPON!

Maintaining a heart of thankfulness is an everyday thing.

I grew up with a tradition and still practice this every day – when I sit down to eat, just before we begin we bow our heads and: “Bless the Food” or “Give Thanks.” Where did this tradition come from?

When Jesus fed the 5,000, He took the bread and fish and “gave thanks.”
When He fed the 4,000, He took the bread and fish and “gave thanks.”
When Jesus sat with His disciples for the last meal, he took the bread and the cup and “gave thanks.”

Take Communion together.