“How Can I Give Thanks When It’s Tough?”
Ps.100; Php 4:4-7 Thanksgiving October 7, 2007 Play
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Thankfulness Not Always Easy
○ ‘rejoice...always’, thankful ‘in everything’
- a tall order when having a bad day
○ financial / health / relational stress make
it hard to give thanks
Take It from One who Knows
○ David endured neglect / abuse /scorn / grief
from family, royalty, public – yet wrote psalms of praise (1Sam
16:5-11; 17:28; 18:10; 2Sam 12:15ff, 15, 16:6f)
○ Paul imprisoned, targeted by trouble-makers,
when wrote about being ever thankful (Php 1:13, 17f)
Rejoice in the Lord’s Qualities
○ common impressions of Thanksgiving miss the
Biblical point
1) God our Creator, made us - not an accident (100:3)
2) we His people, belong to Him: God near to us, Christ in us (1Cor
6:19f; Php 4:5; Mt 28:20; Rom 8:1; Gal 2:20)
3) God’s loving care tends us gently like sheep, or parents of young
infant (100:3,5; Is 40:11)
4) the Lord is good: intrinsically beneficial (Ps 106, 107, 118, 136)
5) Faithful: won’t lie, but keeps His promise / covenant - can trust
Him (Num 23:19; Titus 1:2; Deut 7:9)
6) guards us with peace in Christ, so can resist impulse to flee (Php
4:7; Rom 8:28; Jn 10:27f)
Thankful – for Fleas?!
○ Corrie & Betsy Ten Boom learned even
pests have their up-side