Turning Thanksgiving into ThanksLiving (series post 2)

Welcome back to the 2^nd post for Turning Thanksgiving into ThanksLIVING!

We are continuing to talk about:

WHY IT MATTERS THAT BELIEVERS LIVE IN GRATITUDE

• Our thankfulness is God’s command and will for us. I Thessalonians 5:18 states “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I don’t want to be outside of God’s will for my life!
• Our lack of thankfulness is sin. When we aren’t thankful, God sees it as sin. It was the complaining of the Israelites that elicited God’s wrath to them in Numbers 21:4-8. Their grumbling was considered rebellion because they weren’t trusting God. Romans 1:21 states “That although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.” The following verses list some serious sins, and ungratefulness is right there in the ranks with those serious sins. In Luke 17: 11-19, Jesus denounced the lepers who did not thank God for their healing, but he praised the faith of the one who did thank him.
• Our thankfulness is the trademark of our faith. Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22,23. It is our joy through difficult circumstances that intrigues unbelievers and draws them to the faith. A despondent, cranky Christian is not an inviting advertisement for Jesus! That doesn’t mean we can never be sad. More about that later this week!
• Our thankfulness defeats the enemy. II Chronicles 20:22 tells the story of how Jehoshaphat, the fourth king of the Kingdom of Judah, managed to defeat his enemies. He appointed men to go out ahead of the army to sing and praise the Lord. “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men…who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” As we go forth with praise and thanksgiving, Satan’s power is defeated in our lives.