Give Thanks for All Things

Well, happy Sabbath! Good to see all of you. Hope that you had a great Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful one. We were able to spend some time with one of my sisters and her husband and their family. And we've gotten a chance to visit with them before. And there's one little girl. I don't know. I think she may be two years old, Audrey.

And last time that my wife and I visited over at my sister's house, Audrey was particularly taken. It was a blue, a pink pony. Okay. Anyway, I kept taking the pony and holding the pony. And anyway, she'd come in and if I was holding the pony, she'd get upset that I had taken her pony. One time, she came up and she grabbed the pony out of my hand and threw it under a table away from where I could get it.

And so anyway, I was playing that game that weekend. And this, you know, for Thanksgiving went over there. And she came up to me, she remembered me, and she wanted to hug me or say hello to me. And this time, she trusts me so much, she actually let me take care of her baby doll. So anyway, she's about, you know, she's like a little button. Red hair, little girl. Reminds me, in fact, of my sister. You know, and she, my sister has red hair, by the way. On fire, red hair. So anyway, but anyway, wonderful Thanksgiving. You know, often at Thanksgiving, families will go around the table and they will talk about the things for which they, you know, have to be grateful in their lives.

I think a lot of times this is not done in families, but I think it's really a good thing to reflect on the good things that happened to us in the course of the year. And I, you know, it seems like for some people, and you watch the news sometimes, the greatest thing that they have to be thankful for is they didn't get trampled to death on Black Friday. It seems like a lot of people, it's like, it's almost a religious experience, isn't it?

I'm thankful. One thing, I stay out of the stores, you know, Black Friday. Stay away from the maddening crowd, as of course so many are involved, and millions of people do that. You know, Ralph Waldo Emerson said this, cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.

And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. Since everything, in other words, has helped you to come where you are, you ought to be thankful for what you have in your life. Another individual, Alphonse Carr, said this, some people grumble that roses have thorns. I'm grateful that thorns have roses.

I'd like to read to you, you know, a story or a poem. The title of it is, The Grumble Family. It says, there was a family nobody likes to meet. They live, it is said, on complaining street. In the city of never are satisfied. The river of this consent beside. They growl at that, and they growl at this. Whatever comes, there's something amiss. And whether they're stationed, it be high or humble, they are known by the name Grumble. The weather is always too hot or cold. Summer and winter alike, they scold.

Nothing goes right with the folks you meet down on that gloomy complaining street. They growl at the rain, they growl at the sun. In fact, their growling is never done. And if everything please them, there isn't a doubt. They growl that they've nothing to growl about. But the queerest thing is that not one of the same can be brought to acknowledge his family name. For never a grumbler will own that he is connected with it at all, you see.

And the worst thing is that if anyone stays among them too long, he will learn their ways. And before he dreams of the terrible jumble, he's adopted into the family of grumble. So it were wisest to keep our feet from wandering into complaining street. And never to growl whatever we do, lest we be mistaken for the grumblers too. Let us learn to walk with a smile in the song, the matter is things do sometimes go wrong. And then be our station high or humble will never belong to the family of grumble.

You know, we don't want to be a part of the grumble family, do we? People that are always grumbling. And again, people in this world very often, there are people that just nothing is ever going to be good in their lives. There's always something to complain about. I think that's why the Apostle Paul says that we should do all things without complaining. That we should do all things without complaining or murmuring. He goes on to say that we might be blameless without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and shineth lights in the world.

Somehow or another, brethren, we as God's people, of all people upon the face of the earth, have got to begin to think in terms of more positive things in our lives and be not murmurs or complainers. Because God has somewhat against people that have that mentality. That way, if we're going to, in fact, be free from this crooked and perverse generation that we live in and be lights as God intended us to be. Let's go to 1 Thessalonians 5 over here. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 15.

You know, we, of course, live in a world where there's tit for tat. The United States does something to the Russians. The Russians do something to us.

You know, Muslims, of course, you don't have to do anything to them.

And they'll do something to you. And then, of course, there's a retaliation that comes. And then, of course, it continues as it's continued for generation after generation and century after century. But Thessalonians 5, verse 15, or verse, yeah, we have verse 15 here. It says, See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. The Apostle Paul says here, 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 15. So we should not render evil for evil. We should, as God's people, try to, again, take the high road. If somebody does something to us, again, we don't come back and do something to them in turn. But we strive to do good. And doing good for people, the Bible talks about how it's like keeping coals of fire on their head when we do what is good as God's people. Verse 16, it says, Rejoice always. I think the poem about the grumbling family, you know, is well said. We should have a song in our hearts, with a smile on our face most of the time, 98% of the time, should be that way. Obviously, we do live in a real world, though, don't we? And if we smile too much and we laugh too much, then we can be on the verge of maybe a little crazy. You know, if we go that far, so I say at least 98%. You know, maybe sometimes it's a little more, sometimes, and less than others. But rejoice always! And it says, Pray without ceasing. Then verse 18, brethren, Paul, you know, says this, In everything give thanks, in everything. Now, is this you, brethren, in me?

Is this us? In everything do we give thanks? Are we thankful for everything? How about the guy that stepped on your toe? Are you thankful for that?

How about the guy that cut you off, the woman who cut you off, coming here? Are you thankful for that?

Well, maybe there are some things we don't have to be thankful for, but no, it says everything, doesn't it? Because it says, For this is the will of God and Christ Jesus for you. In everything give thanks. Another way we might put this is, For this is your purpose in life.

This is your purpose in life. And God's will for us, brethren, in our lives, that we should be a thankful people. Again, not a part of people who live on Complaining Street, a murmuring street, and a part of the Grumbler family, but that we would give thanks in all situations. Actually, in the English Standard Version, here, verse 18 is rendered this way, Give thanks in all circumstances. Give thanks in all circumstances. The Bible, in basic English, puts it this way, In everything give praise. In everything give praise.

So here we see, it says that we should give thanks in all circumstances, or give praise in all circumstances. Let's go over to Ephesians 5, because we see another aspect of that God is talking about here. Some things it's kind of hard to be thankful for when we're going through them. It's like, if you've just been spanked, it's hard to be thankful for that, isn't it? Thank you, God, for spanking me. We don't tend to think that way, but at least somewhere along the line we have come to the realization, well, you know, it was good for me. It's good for me to get a swath on the south end of the posterior, occasionally. It keeps me in line. It keeps those vertebrae in line, you know. Verse 20, but it says, giving thanks always for all things. For all. Now, that's different, isn't it? Giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So we are to give thanks, brethren, in all things, in all circumstances, and we are to give thanks for all things. Those two aspects of being thankful. Now, what if you lived in a cardboard house over a grate? You'd be thankful for that.

I guess if you couldn't find any cardboard to build a house, you'd be thankful to be in a cardboard house over a grate. And I've known people living in a cardboard type thing with plastic put over it to protect from the weather. I've known people that way. But we are to be thankful for all things and in all circumstances as God's people. So, brethren, let's talk more about how important it is for us to be thankful. We just observed Thanksgiving. And Thanksgiving, by the way, was something that was done by the pilgrims, as we, of course, have all studied about this in school. Some people think that they were just thankful that the Indians taught them how to plant corn. No, they were thankful to God that they survived the winter. They were thankful that they made it through. And they knew it was God's divine providence that they were able to make it through. Many of them died in that first winter that they were there. But how important, brethren, is it to be thankful for it in all things? Let's go over to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3 over here.

2 Timothy chapter 3. And begin in verse 1 here.

You know, being ungrateful, actually, I think, defines the times that you and I are living in. We live in the most affluent world that has ever been known, and we've become very fat, haven't we, as a nation, as a people? Literally and figuratively, we've become very fat. And we've taken for granted what we have. And unfortunately, there are many people in our society have figured out the wealth of this country, and they try to live off of other people. And that's not right either. That's not correct either. You know, Paul said, if a man doesn't eat work, he shouldn't eat.

That, brethren, is what we should believe as God's people, all of us. That's why, of course, was believed by the pilgrims when they came over, that the Mayflower and all that, they believed that a man should work. Men and women should work. But going on here, let's go second Timothy 3 verse 1. But it says, But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come. Those times that we ought to be praying that we escape in the future. And I think really, it's just really at the very beginning right now, we're seeing a little bit of it right now. It's good to make hay while the sun shines, as they say, and begin to prepare for this, spiritually speaking.

You know, as we prepare for, in fact, the approaching Christmas season, it's like the old song, you know, it's beginning to look a lot like Bail Time. It's almost here, upon us. I was going through Walmart the other day, and already they're playing the Christmas music. But, you know, it is amazing how quickly they get into that, isn't it? But it says, For men will be lovers of themselves. You know, check that off. That's where we are. People love themselves.

Lovers of money, boasters, piled, blasphemers, disobedient to parents. Notice here, as a defining part of this time, that we're living in unthankful, ungrateful. Many people are ungrateful for the great nation that we live in. Some would like to tear it down, I'm sure. But this time that we're living is defined by people that are unthankful and unholy. In other words, leaving God out of the picture. Unloving, unforgiving, they're part of the unfamily. In other words, slanders without self-control. Brutal, despises of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but deny that it's power.

But notice what it says here in the last sentence here. The last sentence, brethren, here in verse 5, from such people turn away.

You know, you, in other words, pivot around and run away from these kind of people.

The unholy, the unthankful, those that don't appreciate again. And that's a part of this society, this world that we're living in. You know, people have sort of the valley girl mentality. Now you have valley boy mentality. If any of you remember a little bit about the history of the culture of this country, you know, the valley girls, the kind of a hot seat, hot seat, you know, the kind of Paris Hilton carrying the little dog around in your purse. Hate to think what the purse smells like, but, but, but any, you know what dogs do. But, but, but, you know, God's wrath, brethren, is directed toward the mentality that you and I are living in. And God says, turn away from those who are unthankful. Romans 1, Romans chapter 1. You know, it seems like the smarter people get to you, the dumber they get. Was it Alan Bloom talked about the dumbing down? I didn't think he's alive anymore, but he wrote a book about, you know, how we were, we've been dumbed down as a people. People have a cartoon mentality almost. Unfortunately, we're teaching our kids the cartoon mentality. You know, you're playing the cartoons and you're, you're killing actual people. How hard will it be to transfer, you know, to, to when you're actually doing it, as some of our kids have done in this society? Hopefully our kids would never do anything like that, but, but, you know, if you, if you program things in, why should we be surprised if that's what comes out? Verse 18, though, of Romans chapter 1, you know, Paul was dealing with the intelligentsia of his day. It says, "...for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifested in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power in Godhead, so that they are without excuse." We have more power today to see the greatness of God than Galileo ever had, by the way. You know, imagine this. I've got a pair of binoculars that are more powerful than the telescope that Galileo used to discover some of the planets.

Now, the thing about it, though, in all of my equipment, I still can't see the planets with my binoculars. And I could never do it with my telescopes, either. But, you know, that's because of my lack of skill. But I guess he had such an agility with that and skillfulness. He was able to do that, as have others been able to. But again, we have these powerful electron microscopes that can look into the creation of God. And man, as being he's in a quest right now to try to understand and unlock every attribute of physical matter.

It's like you've got the CERN collider, the supercollider, where they've learned to accelerate particles to the speed of light to break apart an atom to its smallest part. Now, don't ask me. I don't understand all that stuff. It's beyond me.

But this is what men are able to do. And they see this intricate design. And so God says they're without excuse. There's no excuse. And yet, they seem to come up with excuses like evolution, which is, to me, a comic book mentality. Evolution. I mean, even the evidence points against, if we look at the archaeology and the fossils and all that, points against evolution. But man is very much into denial, isn't he? He's taking a trip down the river Nile, as they say, because although they knew God, verse 21, they did not glorify him as God. Now, brethren, do you know God? Do you know God? Is that a rhetorical question? Yes, it is. Do you know God?

But when they did not know God, it says, nor were they thankful.

Nor were thankful, but became futile, and their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. And, brethren, it can happen to us. It can happen to us. If we don't, again, learn to curb our appetites, to curb the way we think.

And what we see, brethren, here, perilous times are going to come, defining times that will be defined by, of course, part of which will be defined by being unthankful, and that God's wrath are against those that are unthankful. So, we see here that being unthankful, ungrateful, unappreciative of what God has given to us, what we face in our lives, whatever it might be, this lack, brethren, of thankfulness displeases God. It should be a motivator to really begin to do something about it. Was it 1 John 3, verse 22? God, you know, answers are prayers because we do those things that are pleasing in this sight, and being thankful is just one of those things.

Many words that can, again, describe the word thankful.

You know, our personal lives are governed by our attitudes. You know, I'm convinced that if we had the right attitude, we could accomplish anything. But that's often the problem. The attitude. People can get into defeatist attitudes, and they can learn those attitudes from the time they're little bitty children. We as parents somehow have to teach our children. Look, it is all a matter of attitude. I remember, I think I've told you this before, that when I was pastoring in Alabama, you know, there was a gentleman that came up to me one time, and he said, he said, you're always talking about in your sermons. He said about attitudes.

Talking about attitudes. He said, why are you talking about attitudes all the time?

Because he didn't have the right attitude, did he? Well, I said, I'm talking about attitudes because it will determine how successful you're going to be in obeying God. What's your attitude toward God's law? What's your attitude toward the calling you've been given? You know, our personal life is governed by our attitudes, whatever they may be. Colossians over here contains a lot of information over here, brethren, about what our attitudes ought to be based on what God has done for us, based on what God has done for us. In Colossians 1, verse 12, let's know this over here.

Now, we'll just break into the thought here of what Paul was saying to the brethren at Colossae. But he says, we should be giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints and the light. Look at that word, inheritance, right here, brethren. Inheritance implies family, doesn't it? Being welcome into a family that's going to be given an inheritance. An incredible inheritance is, and we've talked about this before, about, you know, your inheritance is going to come from the most wealthy being in the entire universe.

And yes, there's a lot of us that are involved in this inheritance. You know, it's amazing, you know, when Howard Hughes died, how many people showed up to receive the inheritance?

Anytime anybody, the great wealth dies, you know, and they you've got the will to be led, read, someone's going to contest it, that will, because there's always so many people. There's going to be a lot that are going to be inheritors. But God has plenty, brethren, to share. You know, if you received a one hundredth of Howard Hughes, you know, wealth, and I don't know how much it was, but, you know, he was worth well over a billion dollars when a billion was a billion.

You know, some of these individuals were immensely wealthy.

But if you got one hundredth of it, you know, that would be, what was it, 10 million? 10 million. Not chump change, you know, 10 million. But your father, your family, is God the Father. And we're going to be inheritors. So when you say that word, inheritance, brethren, keep that in perspective. You're not going to be, you know, a worker for God. You're part of the family. You get the nice perks of being a part of the family. But here he says, give thanks to the Father for that, who has qualified us to be partakers, you know, involved in the inheritance, what is given, what is given out. And it says, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. So we've been delivered from this, brethren, as God's people. I remember when I used to, I was like, I think about 15, there was a barn across from where we lived. And I would go and sit in that barn, especially when it rained. And I loved being up in there, sitting on the hay bales at the top. You know, usually it was higher than the ceiling here. And I just got there by myself and I would think.

Of course, I was very confused when I was 15 about what exactly was the truth.

I didn't want to know. I really did. I wanted to understand. I wanted to grasp it.

But imagine this, I never thought when I was pursuing an answer to these things, that my problem was I was in the dark. I didn't realize I was in the dark.

But you know, if you've ever been in a cave and I've done a little spelunking in my life, and you go back into a cave, you turn that flashlight off, I'll tell you, talk about you can cut darkness with a knife. I've often thought, what would happen if the lights went out? There were several of us, you know, we were cave crawling in the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma one time. The way we discovered the cave, by the way, we were walking, we were going to actually see another cave and walking along. And one of our feet broke through that actually went into a hole in the ground. So we took a shovel and dug around the hole. And then we let one of the, I don't know whether I went down or who went down. I was going to a Northeastern at the time, Northeastern State University.

But anyway, went down in there and there was this beautiful cave with beautiful, you know, all the things that you see in caves. And we crawled all through that thing. I mean, back in those days, I could actually crawl through things that were very narrow.

Now, I'd be no hope of getting out. But anyway, getting back in there, you turn the flashlight off. Talk about dark. It was really dark. But God delivered us from that darkness where we're bumbling and bumping in the walls. You know, that's what we do when we don't know the truth, brethren. The light of the truth. We're bumping in the walls. We're tripping over things. We're stubbing our toes. We're skinning our knees. We're falling and breaking bones and, you know, from a spiritual perspective. And no wonder we're so beat up by the time we're about ready to die in this world. But here again, we see that God delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. So, brethren, be thankful for your calling that God has given to you. Be thankful that Jesus Christ died for you so that you could have your sins blotted out. Be thankful that you could be an inheritor. You're not just a worker, you know, that gets a wage and you get, you know, like the the paymaster pays you and you're gone. You go home and you do it again all over again the next day. And that's all you're going to get. But you work for the boss and you're going to have an inheritance. Oh, and again, how do you divide up the universe? How do you do that? Colossians 2, verse 7. That we should be rooted, it says, and build up in Him an establishing faith as we've been taught abounding in it with thanksgiving. Abounding in it with thanksgiving. Does that describe you, brethren, abounding in thanksgiving?

You know, it's like, what does it mean to be abounding with something? You ever gone out to pick, you know, tomatoes and make the other day I was in the backyard and I was trying to pick the lemons off the free in the backyard. I didn't have anything to carry them with, so I took my t-shirt and I folded it up and I kept plucking them and putting them in the t-shirt. And so you sort of, you're abounding with lemons? Sometimes, though, when we're in the darkness of the world that we live in, though, that's what we're picking all the time. And we've got to turn those lemons into limonades.

And God wants His brethren to abound, though, with thanksgiving as His people overflow with it. Chapter 3, chapter 3, verse 12, over here. It says, Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.

If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also we must do. But of all these things, put in love, which is the bond of perfection. Put in love, he says here. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body, and be thankful. Be thankful.

Unfortunately, we have people that sometimes are not thankful.

And they want to break away. They want to go and start their own fellowship.

Many have done it since 31 A.D., when the church was founded. Back in those days, the Holy Spirit was given their Jerusalem.

They had broken away from the church. In fact, the great false church in the world was one of those, by the way. That later, of course, gives us the wonderful and I, of course, mean that in just the approaching veil worship that's coming ahead of us.

Yeah, I don't mean wonderful by any stretch of imagination. Chapter 4, verse 2, it says, Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. With thanksgiving. Being thankful about prayer.

Somebody sent me a song this past week that encouraged me with regard to prayer and being thankful to God. 1 Timothy 2, 1 Timothy 2.

So it says, continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. But 1 Timothy 2, over here, in verse 1, Is therefore exhort first of all the supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. 2 Timothy 2, 1 Timothy 2. Accept the people you hate.

Oh, wait a minute, that's not there. That's in the old translation called I am carnal translation.

The giving of thanks be made for all men.

Everybody even pray for your enemies. Or who those you might think are enemies.

You know, I find it sometimes hard to understand.

You know, God is saying we should be thankful for all men.

Now, would that include those who are in the world too?

How many of you think it includes those in the world? Well, you're right. It includes everybody in the world. We're thankful for all that are upon this earth.

I find it sometimes hard to understand, though, why we seem to have a problem loving the saints.

Some have a problem with that.

I'm sure all of us, to one degree or another, wrestle with, again, the humanness of being a part of God's church. I don't mean that. But some actually can have such a bitterness and hatred toward other people. I mean, they won't be pleased unless they're on another planet.

I remember one person one time said of one minister, if he's in the kingdom of God, I don't want to be there. Amazing!

Boy, that person may actually have that come to fruition, you know, if people say things like that.

But, brethren, we ought to give thanks for all men as the Bible. You know, it's easy, isn't it, brethren, in this world that we're living in now, to be enraged by what we see is happening in the world. We see, of course, what's happening in the country. Been going on for quite a long time. We're on this slow descent to destruction as a people. I think we all understand that. I remember when I came into the church back in the 60s. I saw that. You know, back in the 60s, even the Northeastern State University, they were, you know, rioting on the streets. It was SDS, you know, the young people that were part of, frankly, a communist type of mentality back in those days. Can't remember what SDS stands for anymore. Yeah, they call it Students for a Democratic Society. No wonder I couldn't think of it. Yes, yes. Well, I wasn't a part of it either, but it was like communism. What's that guy's name? Well, I won't even get into that. I don't think it really makes much difference. But it's easy to see, rather than when we see what is going on in the world today, it's easy to become bitter, to become angry. And you have a lot of people that, that, you know, maybe not a lot of, but a few people that actually, they start, you know, hoarding guns and ammunition. And pretty soon, their houses can become a fortress.

Every once in a while, the news will come out. Well, you know, went into his house. He's got, you know, Uzi's. He's got AK-17s. He's got all the ammunition, you know, basically the equipment army. But it's easy, isn't it, this world, to get that mentality. But we can't, brethren. We can't. We're not a part of this world. And frankly, our weapons of warfare are not physical.

Our weapons are spiritual. But we can become over-anxious about what we see. We could become confused. And we can then begin to, to lack that peace of mind that we need to have.

Brethren, the key to retaining a peace of mind in the midst of the turmoil that is going to be increasing in the world is to be thankful, to be appreciative, to be grateful for those things that we have, to be thankful for and in all things, and what things we're going to have now, and what we will have for the future. Philippians 4. Philippians 4. Philippians 4.

In verse 6 over here, it says, Be anxious for nothing. I think a lot of people these days are anxious for everything.

You know what happens when you get over-anxious?

They have what they call anxiety. Then you have to get yourself a paper bag and start blowing into it.

Be anxious for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your request be known to God. So when we pray, we ought to be making our request known to God, and with that should be a thankful attitude, thankful petitions and praise of God for what He has done, or what He's allowed us to go through, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. So again, you want to be able, brethren, in this world, in this turmoil that we're living in, in this world, it's going to get worse. To retain a peaceful state of mind, brethren, is thankfulness. And I might add prayer, praying through the circumstances that we're going through, reflecting on what God has done for us and what He is doing for us now and for the future.

And that will keep us from hyperventilating with anxiety if we're thankful for all things that have we're going to have that peace of mind. Brethren, what do you remember that causes thankfulness to come in you? You ever look at your children and smile? You think about what happened when they were little? You know, when you held them, when you did things with them?

I think about each of our boys. I think about the things that we did when they were small. You know, probably if you ask me to talk about each one, I have a story to tell about them.

But the thing I am most thankful for, brethren, is the calling that God gave me, His awakening that He gave me back when I was a teenager.

And I appreciate, too, the forgiveness that He gave to me. I appreciate my wife and children and the blessings that I have that I don't deserve.

It's amazing what people can be thankful for.

They can be thankful for things, by the way, that are important. Or they can be thankful for things that are unimportant and not be thankful for things that are really important. Remember Jonah? You know, God sent him on a mission to go and preach to Nineveh because he was on the verge of destroying and wiping out one of the largest cities at that time. Remember, Jonah was reluctant to do that because he knew that if Nineveh were to repent that in all likelihood they were going to come against Israel, which later, of course, did happen, did occur. And so he ran. We remember the great fish swallowing Jonah and spitting him up on the shore. And he still had to go and do what he was supposed to do. And of all things, he did go through Nineveh and the people repented.

That really demoralized Jonah because he knew the way God was. You know, somebody has a right attitude.

What is God going to do? He's going to turn around. He's going to forgive them.

Boy, my humbug! You know, God's a forgiver. So Jonah, you know, got upset about this. Remember, he went outside the city, made himself a little hut out there, and God caused a vine to grow up that had a gourd that provided him shade and got a lot of worm to come and bore into that gourd. And the gourd died. But here, after this happened, Jonah was just angry over the gourd, over the vine.

Remember, God was telling him, look, you know, Jonah, you were thankful for the gourd when it came. But when it died, you were angry. And here, over here, in Nineveh, all these children that don't know the difference between right and wrong were going to perish. And now they're saved. You see, being thankful for the right things and being thankful in all things is really, I think, brought out in that story of Jonah.

Now, keep the right focus, brethren. And maybe it's a good argument to be thankful for everything, isn't it? Unless you miss the really important things, to be thankful in everything. You know, Romans 8, verse 28, says, all things work to the good of those who are called according to God's purpose. All things work to the good of those that love God are called according to His purpose. So God will work out things for us if we seek Him, brethren. Let's go to Romans 5. Romans 5, over here. Romans 5, where Paul, again, was speaking once again. He's the author of the book of Romans here. If you're reading the Bible reading program, you know that Paul ended up in Rome. You know, you couldn't really... there's the whole saying, you can't put a good man down. Sometimes I wonder what we would do in cases if we were put in Paul's situation. Here, old Paul was thrown in prison, and he's still doing the work. People in fact, in Caesar's powers were being converted. Amazing! What a remarkable man! But Romans 5, verse 3, it says, and not only that, but we also glory and tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character and character, hope. Now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which was given to us. So God wants us, brethren, to be thankful, brethren, for the tribulations that we have, the trials that we have in our life. I know it's not easy when we're going through a really hard and difficult trial, especially when we're saying to God, why me? Why me? You know, I've been down that road. I think we all have. Have we gone through any serious crisis in our life? Why me? God? Why not that guy over there? Now, look at what he's doing. He stumbles his nose at you, God. Why me?

Well, God is not trying to mold and fashion his character.

Maybe later he will, but he's not doing that right now. Let's go to 1 John 5. But God wants us, brethren, to be thankful for the tribulations we go through, the glory in them, to praise them. And, you know, we can understand that.

You know, if you've heard them through a really a ripped order of a trial, I mean, what does everybody normally say? I would want to go through that again.

But it was good for me. It was good for me. 1 John 5, verse 3. 1 John 5, verse 3.

He says, For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome, not a problem. For whatever is born of God, or begotten of God, overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.

Who is he that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

So, brethren, are we appreciative again for God's laws and his commandments that he's given us? Are we appreciative God is called as brethren in this age?

Now, I remember I used to read this book, and I thought, who could ever live this?

Who could ever live by this?

But you know what? Now I believe you can. You know why? Because I've strived to do it for the last 40-some-odd years of my life. And so I'm thankful God called me.

I'm thankful that I've learned to live this way of life in this God-for-second world that we live in.

In a world where man is cut off from God, or cut himself off from God to a large degree, I'm thankful that God has revealed his true gospel to me. And there are false gospels, and then he's revealed the true Jesus Christ to me as well. And there are false christs, as the Bible talks about, as well. And with God's help and his sacrifices, we're going to make it through.

Frankly, without his help, we won't make it through.

But what did Christ himself say? Be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. You know, someday in the future, brother, we're going to have... In the millennium, we may say that to some people.

You know, don't worry. You know, with God's help, you can overcome it. You can do it.

You can do it. You can accomplish it.

But right now, brother, we need to be appreciative, grateful for what we go through. Because you are being molded in fashion.

It's like Joseph, when he was thrown in prison, was being molded in fashion.

No, James 1. James 1.

Yeah, what's joyous about being thrown in prison? Unjustly, in fact, as he was. Men have been thrown in prison that way a whole lot longer than Joseph was.

But what God allowed him to go through was preparing for what he was going to do.

He was going to rescue his own people, really.

Because remember, his brothers came down into Egypt, and they were able to settle in the land of Goshen. And if Joseph had not been there, what would have come of Israel?

So what God allowed him to go through, brother, and it was for a purpose, a great purpose.

Verse 2 here in James, the book of James, James chapter 1 and verse 2, it says, My brother, encounter all joy when you fall into various trials. Now, think about this, brother. When it's smooth sailing in your life, in reality, you're not learning anything. You really aren't.

And everything just is just right, you know, like Goldilocks.

You know, things are not too hot, too cold. They're all comfortable.

Like this morning when you got up, you know, you had that down comforter probably over you and a blanket. You're all just right down there. And it's just so comfortable, wasn't it?

And you know, I was warm a little bit, and my wife was up. And I thought about what it was like when I was a little kid sometimes. I didn't want to go to school. Mommy, I don't want to go to school today. I'm sick.

I remember one time I did that, and my mother made me stay in bed all day. You know, and I said, I'll never do that again. But, uh, but, brethren, you know, we're not learning anything, you know, especially a kid that plays like he's sick, you know. You're not learning anything. The only thing I learned that day is you don't fool mom. That's what I learned. And I never forgot that. Skipping out on responsibility does not, you know, cause us to learn anything. He says, bad habits. But he says, knowing that testing your faith, verse 3, produces patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking, nothing. In other words, God is molding again, is shaping us. And God allows us to have tailor-made trials. Tailor-made! Oh, you mean God thought out what you were going to go through? Yeah, he didn't. Or what he was going to allow. I think sometimes God reaches down, you know, and he says, no, not this one. He's not ready for this now. Or she's not ready for this right now. And then sometimes he looks down and he says, okay, she's got herself in a mess now. Or he's got himself in a mess now. And I've rescued them from this every time. But this time I'm not going to. You gotta learn the lesson. Learn the lesson. It's time. And they're strong enough to learn this lesson. So again, God gives us tailor-made trials.

You know, some people, you know, play this woe is me. Nobody has gone through what I've gone through.

You have no idea how bad my life is. You know, you feel like bringing up the clean access after a while. But if all that's in this room, brethren, wrote down our troubles. If I had a basket up here and I said, okay, what I want to do is have you bring up your troubles written down. I want you to put it in this basket. And then I want you to reach in and grab, you know, the one you want, basically. And if all of us had the opportunity to sort of go through that whole basket, you know what we would do? We'd choose the ones we already had.

You know, if we put all of our troubles in a basket, we're likely to choose the ones we already have. We don't want somebody else's problem. And I don't want this one on leukemia.

No, no, I don't want that. I'd rather have, you know, shouldn't eat donuts than this, you know. Yeah, I can live with that. Don't eat donuts. But anyway, you know, we choose the ones we have because our trials are tailor-made for us, rather, to build character.

You know, Philippians 4 verse 6, we read it earlier, says we should express appreciation in every prayer, thankfulness in every prayer.

Our Father who art in heaven, holy is your name. God, thank you. Thank you very much for all that you have done for me. Great almighty God. You know, is that the way we begin our prayer? Thank you. Thank you for my calling. Thank you for, you know, the sacrifice of Christ. It makes possible my forgiveness. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you, God, that you are not like me. And help me become like you. In every prayer, be thankful to God. I don't think there'll be any debate that God blessed Daniel above all that ever went into captivity. He's like, you know, Joseph, in a way, at a later time in Israel's history. He's like a Joseph. Here he goes into captivity, and then he becomes second to Darius, King Darius. No, he was very wise, as we know. He went through some very difficult times. But when he was given this great promotion, you know, those that were leaders, you know, into Darius's government tried to discredit Daniel. And they went to King Darius and said, well, you know, why don't you make a law that no one can pray to another God just for one month? And he sort of walked into that trap, Darius did, and they tricked him. And so he made a law. It was a law, of course, of the Medes and the Persians that could not be abrogated, could not be done away with. That if you prayed to another God for one month, a space of one month, you know, that one would be, of course, put to death. But we reread the story of Daniel. And Daniel did not hesitate for one moment, but he went home, you know, he opened his windows and he prayed like he had always prayed before. I'm not going to turn over there, but I will quote Daniel 6, verse 10-11. It says, now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home, and in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before God, before his God, as was his custom since early days. And then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supprecation before his God. You know the story again. We all know about Daniel in the lion's den.

And the way it works, of course, is if you set a trap for one of God's people, and would you plot against God's people, doesn't the Scripture actually say you end up falling into the same ditch yourself? You know, you look in the Bible, it actually says that. Well, you know what happened with Daniel? He was thrown into the lion's den, and God shut up the mouths of these lions, by the way, that were kept hungry, so that whoever would be thrown into the lion's den would be eaten like that.

But God turned the lions into kittens, I guess. And they didn't come near Daniel, you know, that whole time. And remember, Darius sort of timidly going up, you know, and saying, Daniel! And, you know, Daniel calls up, here am I. I'm here. He was alive. And those men that had set the trap for Daniel were cast of the lion's den. Of course, then the lions were still hungry. And they, of course, were put to death. Well, brethren, we must, as God's people, become like Daniel. We must, as God's people, become like Daniel and keep praying to God, but with thanksgiving. We need to go to school, as it were, in our lives and learn to do this, make this a part of our character. We must learn to be thankful such that it emanates from within us. It is a part of God's holy righteous character, and as His children, brethren, should be reflected in us as well. You know, God is so thankful. He's thankful for us. If we ever expect to be like our Father and like Jesus Christ, brethren, we have to become grateful, appreciative, thankful. And again, we need to be that way 99% of the time. 99.9% maybe 100% of the time. But, but, you know, again, there's going to be some downsizing, sure, where it's going to be hard for us as physical, fleshly human beings to do that. But that's, we're striving for perfection, remember.

Remember, we're not very far away from 2015, are we? Just a month away, basically.

And as we near another year, brethren, let's work hard as God's people to be upbeat, to be grateful, to be positive, to be thankful and appreciative for everything God has given to us. So that everything we are thankful in everything and we are thankful for everything as God's people.