Gratitude can change your life.

Psalm 136:1-4, 23-26

Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present.

The Psalmist is reminding us to give thanks.  Being thankful is a command.  We should say that it is the will of God for us to be thankful.  We did not read the whole Psalm, but it is praise directed to God.  He gives some reasons for his gratitude.  Let me reread the last few verses again.  He is grateful for God’s goodness to him.

There is also a recurring theme throughout this Psalm, it is the mercy of God.  He never forgot what he was (sinner) and he did not get what he deserved.

I want to make a point.  We tend to take for granted the good that is already present in our lives.  imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything that currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and every one. In addition, you need to start finding joy in the small things instead of holding out for big achievements—such as getting the promotion, having a comfortable nest egg saved up, getting married, having the baby, and so on–before allowing yourself to feel gratitude and joy.  We need to appreciate each day’s gifts.

Another way to use giving thanks to appreciate life more fully is to use gratitude to help you put things in their proper perspective. When things don’t go your way, remember that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit. In the face of adversity ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”  The Bible teaches this.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  1 Thes. 5:18

There are a number of ways that we can express our gratitude.  We can keep a journal.  A written of the abundant blessings of God will help us not to forget.  We can write a thank you letter to those who have been a blessing or an influence.  We can tell others.  We should set aside a time every day to practice “Thanksliving.”  

I believe that attitude is everything.  Life is what we make it to be.  When we are thankful it affects our daily lives and those who inhabit it.  When we are unthankful it does wear on us and others around us.  Look for the good and not the bad.

There are 12 until Thanksgiving day.  I would like to issue the “Thanksgiving Challenge.”  Let the next 12 days be filled with praise.  Make your homes a “No Complaining Zone.”  We cannot complain if we are grateful for the goodness of God.
Once you become oriented toward looking for things to be grateful for, you will find that you begin to appreciate simple pleasures and things that you previously took for granted. Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good even in unpleasant situations. Today, start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful; in this way, you’ll be on your way toward becoming a master of gratitude.

This weekend is Mother’s Day.  I know, it just seemed like we just put away the Christmas tree.  Well most of us have.  Any ways, back to the subject.  I have been doing much thinking about the lady we call Mom.  I am addressing husbands and children in this post.  I have been studying the book of 1 Peter in preparation to preach a series entitled, “A Call to Faithfulness..”  1 Peter 3:7 speaks to the husbands about being a faithful husband.  Studying this verse has helped me to fall more in love with my wife.

Mother’s Day is a day that we honour our mothers and the mother of our children.  She is a special lady deserving of our love, tenderness, and support.  The best Mother’s Day gift we can give is our love.  Men, let me challenge to fall in love with the mother of your children all over again. 

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:30

When I read this verse I always picture an animal such as a horse with a large pack on his back.  He is traveling with a burden.  This is his job.  There is a reason he is a beast of burden.  I want us to think how that we are intended to travel through life   We are to find our rest in the Lord as we are carrying a burden.  What is that burden we should all bear?

Consider the Gospel as the burden we should all bear.  We are familiar with the fact that we are commanded to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.  It is hypocritical to support worldwide missions if we will not be missionaries where we are.  Can we be involved in worldwide missions and neglect reaching those around us?  Of course not.

To that end think of that message that we are delivering to those we see.  Whose message is being delivered?  It is God’s  He made it a simple message.  Because it is so simple many may say it is too easy to believe.  However, it is so simple we may have a hard time delivering it the way that it is written.  It is easy to muddy up the Gospel.

Romans 10:9-13 explains to us that all a person has to do is believe.  In other words all a person has to do is reach out their hand and receive the gift of salvation.  It is so easy to add to that message.

Adding to the message of salvation is false doctrine.  There is no way around it.  If we add our opinions to the Gospel it becomes a false doctrine.  If we teach a false doctrine that would make us a false teacher.

I get the opportunity to stand before my church three times a week.  My greatest fear is not standing before people, but delivering a false message.  God made salvation easy.  It is not my job to add to that simple message.  I am to deliver the Gospel message just as clearly as God wrote it.

My burden, simply put, is this.  I do not want to muddy up the Gospel.  We should all bear that burden.  By the way, if we do it God’s way we will find the rest He is speaking about in Matthew 11.

I have only been a pastor for a couple of months. I am by no means an expert. There is one lesson that has come to my attention rather quickly. There are battles that we are facing as a family that would not be waged if I was not a pastor. I am not speaking about people problems, counseling issues, etc. These are personal issues. These personal issues make the ministry the most exciting and the most difficult job in the world. Life has been a roller coaster from day one. People have been moved by the preaching. Visitation is making an impact on hearts in the community and in the church. God is working. So is the devil. Allow me to lift one verse from Galatians 6. This is an application of the the verse. It is Galatians 6:2. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. I want to encourage you to help your pastor carry his burden. How can you help your pastor? The first thing that comes to mind is to pray for him. He needs you to lift him up in prayer. The devil has him in his cross hairs. When your pastor came to pastor your church he placed his family on the devil’s hit list. He needs to pray for a hedge of protection around him and around his family. He needs to pray for him when he is discouraged. He needs prayer as he prepares messages. He needs prayer before he preaches. He needs prayer as he plans. He needs prayer as he does the job of a pastor. Not only does he need prayer as a man of God, he also needs prayer as a family man. He is a husband and a father. If he looses his family you loose a pastor. He faces the same struggles every family faces. His family is not perfect. He wants to see his children grow up and serve God, but many children do not. Pray for them. So many speak of the pastor. They do not like his preaching, his direction he is leading the church, his people skills, etc. Criticism does not help him. Praying for him is also praying with him. You will be bearing his burdens with him in prayer. Make this a daily issue in your prayer life.

One of the songs I enjoy singing in church is “Count Your Blessings.” It was written in the late 1800’s by Johnson Oatman, Jr. The first verse speaks of discouragement. What do we always focus on when we are battling the devil? We think of the battle. Some have said that if Satan is not fighting you then you must be doing something wrong.

 It is true that as Christians we should see our battles through the lens of a spiritual warfare. The fight we may have with people, things, and circumstances are not fights with people, things, and circumstances. They are part of our spiritual warfare. We grow weary in the fight and become discouraged.

 Why do we focus so much on the battle? Scripture leads our focus elsewhere. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Psalm 68:19 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:2 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? Psalm 116:12

 We are told not look at our circumstances, we must count our blessings. It is so easy to be discouraged. It is so easy to have the attitude that leads us to sing the song, “Woe is me. Everybody hates me. I think I’ll go eat worms.”

 What did the Psalmist say? He said that we are loaded with benefits. Psalm 68:19 ends with a musical term, “Selah.” This word means to think about what you are singing. Remember that the Psalms are songs. When was the last time we thought about the hymns that we sing in church? We are creatures of habit. We tend to sing “Count Your Blessings” while we are thinking about a fight we just had, or while we are thinking about a bill that needs to be paid. Perhaps we are dwelling on a mistake we made. The point is we do not always think about what we are singing.

 If the purpose of the song service is to prepare our hearts for the preaching of the Word of God then we must meditate on those words we sing. This would lead us to the doctrinal truth this hymn was written to teach us. That truth is we are so forgetful of the benefits that God has given us. Let us stop what we are doing and just see how good God really is.

 My friend, are you dreary, are you heavy hearted? Then, “Count Your Blessings,” and just as the song says, “It will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”