I Thank My God

Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Pastor Kyle seldom find the luxury of not being mid-series on the Sunday before Thanksgiving to give a special Sermon on the meaning and significance of this extraordinary holiday. Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest travel holidays during the year. In 2012, AAA estimated that nearly 44 million people traveled during this long holiday weekend as we get together with relatives. Blood is truly thicker than water and we find purpose, and value in the love of family then. Thanksgiving is a powerful time when American families gather to reflect on the blessing in their lives and gratitude is a universal language. But, Thanksgiving is actually about gratitude to the Lord for our many blessings.

James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Pastor Kyle gives us five things we should thank God for this Thanksgiving holiday weekend: (1) Thank God for people. God uses  people in our lives and uses our life in theirs; in both good relationships and hard relationships. So, who do you need to thank God for? (2) Thank God for privilege of financial sacrifices, using our god-given time, talents and treasures for the purposes of the kingdom. What are you storing away in your heart? Jesus knows. (3) Thank God for hardships, knowing that they shape us into the people that God wants us to be. Gratitude is the key to enduring adversity by unlocking the door to pain and avoiding the poison of bitterness. Life is too short, so embrace and cherish every moment in thankfulness.

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

(4) Thank God for Obedience – especially when it’s hard. Know God, love God and serve God. It’s easy to obey the God-rejecting world, but it takes courage to obey God in that world-system. When our human capacity to love runs out though, Divine love abounds for us to tap into. Obedience doesn’t produce rewards, but is the natural reaction and routine of the child of God.

Romans 1:20-21 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

(5) Thank God for Jesus and for His grace. Our Creator Father is a living God. Jesus came to die for our sins, but Jesus is alive. Be thankful for Lord Jesus and his salvation which is eternal life in Heaven, beyond this life. I thank my God in all remembrance of you.

In Christ, Brian