Introduction
In today’s world, mannerisms are hard to find. For someone to say to you that they appreciate what you did for them has become somewhat obsolete. I see it all the time from students at the school and even from some adults that work side by side with me everyday.
The attitude is that the world owes me. Well I hate to disappoint you… the world doesn’t owe you anything and it ain’t (if I may use that type of English) going to give you nothing.
Even as I get my coffee at seven eleven in the morning I over hear customers
Saying “This is a bad day,” or “This sure is a sad and dreary looking day with the clouds in the sky and the rain.”
I want to put a footnote here because I want to revisit those statements and look at how we as Christians must take a different approach on how we view life.
Development
Point Number 1: We Give Thanks In Everything
Looking at the Scripture 1 Thessalonians 5:18 I see 3 points, but I’m only going to focus on one.
It says: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” I know a lot of Christians are saying, “Preacher, what do you mean? How in the world am I supposed to be giving thanks in the middle of a crisis? How can we thank God for terrible trials such as accidents, death, and sin? I’m so glad you asked.
We don’t! That’s not what the Scripture is saying. What it means is that God wants us to thank him for his presence and His power as we walk through our storms. In Christ Jesus there is victory over all of our trials and circumstances.
I don’t care how devastating it may appear or how terrible things may look. So we can thank God in everything and not for everything as we walk through our storms, trials, and tribulations.
Point Number 2: Give Him Praise
Looking at the scripture 1 Chronicles 16:9 says in: “Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. We can say this is one of the crescendos of the Bible.
Crescendo is a term in music when the composer or conductor wants the music to gradually get louder and louder and louder.
The scripture is saying that we should sing and praise God for all of his wondrous acts. Praise him because of his omnipotence. Praise him because of his omnipresence. Praise him because of his omniscience.
We also have the Praise of God in our spiritual warfare arsenal. The original Hebrew words for praise are halal and yadah. Halal means to show, to boast, or to celebrate and to glory in. It is the source of Hallelujah, which is a Hebrew expression of praise, which is found more than 160 times in the Old Testament.
Yadah, which means to give thanks and praise. It is a verb that is important to the language of worship and it’s found 120 times in the Old Testament.
Conclusion
Now just before I take my seat, I’m going to revisit several statements that were made at the seven eleven store. Customers would come in the store saying Saying “This is a bad day,” or “This sure is a sad and dreary looking day with the clouds in the sky and the rain.”
But my Bible says in Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”
And it also says “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High” (Psalm 92:1).
And it also says “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people” (1 Chronicles 16:8).
Just looking at that scripture makes me want to get happy because when my mind goes back down memory lane, I remember when.
When I think of the goodness of Jesus, and what he’s done for me!!! It feels like fire shut up in my bones.
And when I think of the goodness of Jesus, and how he set me free!!! It’s like a wheel, in the middle of a wheel.
Now this type of praise is not for everybody. Now some of you in here right now was sick and you were at the cross roads of life and death. The doctors said that your prognosis was not good.
You had to call on the Lord for yourself. I mean you had to do what Hezekiah did…face the wall.
