#269 W.I.J.D. Series# 4, Thanksgiving

269 W.I.J.D. Series# 4, Thanksgiving
By: Pastor Karl Thomas

Luke 5:12-15  “And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” 15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 

Leviticus 13 Law Concerning Leprosy “…then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days …  has indeed spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy. … All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” 

You ever had an ache or pain … skin spot or lump … better get that looked at!!!
Cheryl in India … black vein creeping down her arm from some bite … yikes 

Luke 17:11-19 “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 “…So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed?(katharezo:— to cleanse)But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well (sozo:— save, to keep safe, rescue, restore health).”

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

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.” 

Cicero who lived in Rome between 106 – 43 BC said that,  ”gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others”.

Two psychologists, Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, wrote an article about an experiment they conducted on gratitude and its impact on well-being. The study split several hundred people into three different groups and all of the participants were asked to keep daily diaries. The first group kept a diary of the events that occurred during the day without being told specifically to write about either good or bad things; the second group was told to record their unpleasant experiences; and the last group was instructed to make a daily list of things for which they were grateful. The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. In addition, those in the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals. 

In addition, Dr. Emmons’ research shows that those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. He further points out that “To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.” 

Dr. Robert Emmons
“A practice of gratitude raises your ‘happiness set-point’ so you can remain at a higher level of happiness regardless of outside circumstances.” 

Colossians 3:17
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Ephesians 5:19
“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.”

Philippians 4:5-7
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; …”
“… and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”               

Psalm 100:4-5
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” 

Psalm 67:5-6
“…let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase…God, shall bless us. 

Psalm 69:30
“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”  

Psalm 50:23  (AMP) “He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God.”

Thanks (eucharistia):–gratitude; expressions of grateful language to God as an act of worship, thankfulness, giving of thanks, thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving:– (towdah) to express visible thanks or adoration to God by extending the hands to God in reverence, coupled with offering a sacrifice of praise to God through audible confessions of thanks. 

What you appreciate, appreciates!
What you don’t appreciate … depreciates!
Appreciate:— to be grateful or thankful for. OR to raise or increase in value.
Your Job … Your Wife … Your Car … Your Church … Your God
Give it focus … intentional effort … thankfulness

Sonja Lyubomirsky Professor of Psychology at the University of California Author of “The How of Happiness,” a book of strategies backed by scientific research that can be used to increase happiness.
“One characteristic of the happiest people is that they are comfortable expressing gratitude for all they have”.

Jesus exercised thanksgiving.
John 6:11 “…when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples…”
John 11:40-43 “…Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.”

5 Gratitude Observations
1. Gratitude Is Never Invisible
No expression is a heart problem.
Luke 6:45  “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

2 Gratitude Sustains Joy And Blessings
Sustain pedal on piano. Unforgiveness repeats the offence.
Thanksgiving in everything repeats and accelerates joy.

3 Gratitude Begins Where The Sense Of Entitlement Ends
Direct Deposit Instead Of Cash
Failure to be grateful is at the root of the fall of man.  Is that all there is?

4 Grateful People Can Always Find Or Enlarge Blessing
Some spin gold out of every situation … others not so much.
My situation doesn’t have to improve for may gratitude to increase.

5 Gratitude Increases Favour and Creates Opportunities
Joseph never complained about the negative things he went through. Prison to Palace!!!

269 W.I.J.D. Series# 4, Thanksgiving, PowerPoint Slides

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