Sermon Notes, November
24, 2013
Pastor Jan Sinozich
Pastor Jan’s
message was titled “Thanksgiving Can Change Your life” and was based on Ephesians
5:19 and Psalm118:1. Thanksgiving is a
perfect time to transform our lives from complaining people to grateful people. A thankful spirit sets us apart from the
world; it makes us different.
The benefits of a grateful spirit. It’s good for us—it can increase our personal
happiness. How we choose to see things,
our attitude, determines our happiness.
If we learn to be grateful people, despite circumstances, we can greatly
improve our quality of happiness (Philippians 4:4). It can also improve our witness for Christ. When we are thankful and joyful people we
will attract the lost with our spirit of gratitude (1 Peter 2:12). It will enhance our relationships, with our
spouse, our children, our church, and those we come in contact with when we
express our thanks for each other. And a
grateful heart will solidify your relationship with God. Giving thanks is God’s plan for us (1 Thessalonians
5:18).
Ways to develop thanksgiving in our lives. Remember everything we have is from God
(Psalm 24:1, 1 Corinthians 4:7). Avoid
complaining (Psalm 77:3). Complaining
doesn’t make situations better: it amplifies frustration and can invite the
devil to cause havoc in our lives. When
we’re tempted to complain, we should turn it inside out and praise instead
(Philippians 2:13).
Develop the daily discipline of giving
thanks. Not just on Thanksgiving,
but always (Ephesians 5:19) Daniel got down on his knees three times every day
and prayed and gave thanks to his God.
We have many things to be thankful for, especially when compared to the
rest of the world. By expressing our
thanks, we can experience a greater sense of joy and gratitude, both in our
service to God and in our daily lives.
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