Give Thanks to the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:14-24)
Gary McManus, 10/04/2020Part of the Sermons for a Pandemic series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
October 4, 2020 1 Thessalonians 5:14-24
Pastor asks for forgiveness, 1 Thessalonians 5:18
is not his strong suite.
The Apostle Paul BEGINS this letter, vs 2:
“We always thank God for all of you and
continually mention you in our prayers.”
Paul could well have the Psalms in mind:
Psalm 107, Psalm 7:17, Psalm 118:21
See Ephesians 5:20, Romans 15:11,
2 Corinthians 1:3
A letter from a depressed person, January 15, 2020
--before the pandemic.
Pastor read of seven things we have to do to feel
better: Resilience, Steven Southwick and
Dennis Charney
2 Chronicles Ch 20: King Jehoshaphat
But what if your battle doesn’t go so well?
Read Habakkuk 3:17-18
The prophet Habakkuk knew
LEAD WITH YOUR CHOIR!
One of Pastor’s tough experiences. . .
David Melzer; How Giving Thanks Can Transform Your Life. . .
Pastor won’t claim that thanksgiving will change your life—Thanksgiving can renew your mind! (See last week’s message.)
Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life by J. Douglas Holladay.
Chapter 4: Make Gratitude a Regular Practice. .
How many times are we encouraged in God’s Word to “praise the Lord” using the INTENSIVE forms of the verbs. . .
Psalm 106: “Who can?” NO ONE can fully express
the praise that God is do—because of God’s
wonderfulness to us. But don’t stop giving thanks.
When it is hard to see what the Lord IS doing for us,
it becomes more important that we
focus on what the Lord has already done for us.
And then it is important for us to focus
on what you CAN do, not what you can’t do.
--a High School student making desks himself
for students who were schooling at home.
during the pandemic
Don’t expect to feel good when things are bad.
Chapter 4—make gratitude a regular practice. . .
Psalm 106 and Psalm 100
Maybe hear some other translations of our Bible verse of the week:
--In everything give thanks
--Give thanks in every situation because this is
God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
--Whatever happens, always be thankful.
This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.
If you can’t be grateful for the present time,
remember to be grateful TODAY for what our Lord
has already done for you in the past.
Amen.
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