The Attitude of the Heart
Illus. From a sermon of Johnny Creasong’s
Some people are just impossible to please....
A large dog walks into a butcher shop carrying a purse in its mouth. He puts the purse down and sits in front of the meat case.
“What is it, boy?" the butcher jokingly asks. "Want to buy some meat?" "Woof!" barks the dog. "Hmm," says the butcher.
“What kind? Liver, bacon, steak . . ." "Woof!" interrupts the dog. "And how much steak? Half a pound, one pound . . ." "Woof!"
The amazed butcher wraps up the meat and finds the money in the dog’s purse. As the dog leaves he decides to follow.
The dog enters an apartment house, climbs to the third floor and begins scratching at a door. With that, the door swings open and an angry man starts shouting at the dog.
"Stop!" yells the butcher. "He’s the most intelligent animal I’ve ever seen!"
“Intelligent?" says the man. "This is the third time this week he’s forgotten his key."
Some people are never happy, now matter how or what their circumstances are. It’s too this, it’s too that, not big enough or way too small.
Some consider their reasoning to be a logical and justifiable argument, to excuse their actions and attitude, for the way they look at things.
We’ve all seen that one person who has had everything in their life go wrong and every obstacle come against them and still somehow they have a good outlook and optimism about their life.
Mine are the kids from the commercials for Shriners and St Judes hospitals.
Its when we see those examples of courage and optimism, from their example of living with their disability, that speaks to our heart and turns our focus inward instead of outward.
Causing us to realize we really don’t have much or few valid reasons to truly complain about much of anything.
Thanksgiving reminds and allows us to do the self reflection once a year, we should be doing all year long.
The Bible tells us in 1st Thessalonians 5:18 NKJ
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Colossians 3:15,17 NKJ
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
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.
Colossians 4:2 NKJ
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
Just because you’re a Christian, does it mean life is always going to be in the clouds?
Psalms 23 talks about David going through the valley of the shadow of death, but even then he didn’t fear what might happen, because of the Lord’s promise to walk beside him.
David had experienced so many victories in his life, 100’s possibly 1,000’s and yet there were still times his journey took him through the valleys of life as well as ours does!
Sometimes when you’re going through something and you wonder why, it’s a natural thing to want question why is this circumstance happening to me, or to my family?
But it’s also a great time to realize going through the valley expectation, means exactly what it says! The fact your going through something doesn’t mean you’re staying in it!
Sometimes we forget while things seem like they’re moving slowly, as long as we’re thankful and our faith remains in God, we’re still moving!
God is still working all things for our good behind the scenes, setting us up for our healing and our victory! TBS He is our ever present help in times of trouble!
Even though sometimes circumstances make it difficult to have hope and optimism. It’s in those times were still to be thankful!
Illus by Anne Benefield
There was a lady, who had been out of regular work for a couple of years. She found enough temporary work to stay a float, but it has sometimes been a week-to-week challenge to pay the bills.
She told one of the ladies in her prayer group, “I am walking through my worst fear. I can't explain it, but somehow each time I think I'm at the end of my finances, something comes through.
I think that God is teaching me to trust in Him. It isn't easy, but I'm walking through what I feared more than anything—-losing my career and livelihood. Somehow, through it all, I'm finding God.”
It’s in those times of trial, we are still to be thankful! The times we experience in the valleys of life, when we feel like all we have to hang onto is God.
Those are the times we should realize the only thing we have ever had to hang onto is God!
Elijah was one of the many great Bible heroes of the old testament! The miracles Elijah performed with gods help, are still talked about it to this day.
Elijah had so much to be thankful about, for he had experienced many victories, perhaps his greatest was when his God the one true God, Annihilated of 450 prophets of bahl!
You would have thought Elijah would have been flying high above the clouds! But then the Bible records something happened?
1 Kings 19:1 NKJ
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
Even the greatest warriors sometimes are swayed by their circumstances! The accuser wants you to believe your only as good as your last Victory, God wants you to believe your better than your next one! God doesn’t want us looking backwards, God wants us looking towards the future with anticipation and excitement!
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a [a]broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an [b]angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on [c]coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the [d]angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
God’s Revelation to Elijah
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [e]a still small voice.
Sometimes we look for God to do the obvious because we’ve both seen and heard of God doing miraculous things! Elijah was no different than you or I.
We’re not always going to find God in the obvious, doing things in the natural that we can witness happen the moment we want things to happen!
But that doesn’t mean God’s not working behind the scenes continually in a still small voice, we can only hear with our ears of faith, bringing things about and doing and making the impossible become possible in our lives!
And for that, we should eternally be thankful for our relationship with the creator of the universe, that cares more than enough to have your well being as His primary focus.
Leaving no detail unattended in your life, even knowing the number of hairs on your head!
As Elijah found God in a still small voice, sometimes a still small voice of praise is all we have to give back to God when we’re in the middle of the valley!
Sometimes when the odds seem so great the mountains seem so large, the best we can find or even muster, is a still small voice of praise!
Fancy or eloquent words and some big long rehearsed prayer are not what moves the hand of God.
Faith and the praise of thankfulness, moves the hand of God in your situation!
Sometimes when your in a valley and if your prayer is just “thank you Lord” that’s enough!
God knows sometimes the words thank you are a real struggle and a sacrifice of praise!
Gods not looking for eloquent vocabulary from the heart, God is looking for the attitude of the heart!
Romans 8:37-39 NKJ
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is no greater love than the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
TBS.
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Illus.
Max Lucado tells about living as an American in Brazil. One day, as he was walking along the street on his way to the University to teach a class, he felt a tug on his pants leg.
Turning around, he saw a little boy about 5 or 6 years old with dark beady eyes and a dirty little face. The little boy looked up at the big American and said, "Bread, Sir."
He was a little beggar boy and Lucado said, "There are always little beggar boys in the streets of Brazil. Usually I turn away from them because there are so many and you can't feed them all.
But there was something so compelling about this little boy that I couldn't turn away.
So, taking his hand, I said, `Come with me' and I took him into a coffee shop." Max told the owner, "I'll have a cup of coffee and give the boy a piece of pastry...whatever he wants."
Since the coffee counter was at the other end of the store, Max walked on and got a cup of coffee, forgetting about the little boy because beggar boys usually get the bread and then run back out into the street and disappear. But this one didn't.
After he got his pastry, he went over to the big American and just stood there until Lucado felt his staring eyes.
Lucado said, "I turned and looked at him. Standing up, his eyes just about hit my belt buckle. Then slowly his eyes came up until they met mine.
The little boy, holding his pastry in one hand, looked up and said, 'Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.”
Lucado said, "I was so touched by the boy's thanks that I would have bought him the store.
I sat there for another 30 minutes, late for my class, just thinking about a little beggar boy who came back and said, `Thank you.'"
I can only imagine our heavenly father feels the same way when we express our gratitude and Thanksgiving for the things that He does for us!
As Christians we have been given the greatest gift ever given to humanity! The gift of a salvation and that of a Savior, who promises us eternal life!
Ephesians 2:8 NKJ
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God
The late great singer Glen Campbell sang these words that say it so well,
I can feel his love
He has touched my hear-eart
And the spirit do-ove
Came and will not par-art
He beseeches me to listen
As He reaches me with wisdom
What He teaches me -
Is the greatest gift of all
From heaven up above
Is the love, that He gives, to all
Doesn't matter where you've bee-een
He forgives the greatest sin
With His love, that He gives, to all
If you have received the greatest gift of all, the best way to enjoy the gift is by giving it away, regifting the gift and helping someone else come to know and receive the gift!
Amen?
