Greetings. We are going to look at the other two points from last week. We are taking the challenge to "Be Complaint Free". i am grateful this challenge is catching on and we are becoming a more grateful people. See previous Blog to catch us with us if you are just tuning in.
3. Make a Personal Choice To Rejoice
It may be difficult to be thankful at certain times we need to make a personal decision that we are going to be grateful people even when we do not feel like it or when it is hard.
The apostle Paul wrote these words from prison. "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say it rejoice."
Notice Paul says rejoice twice.
Paul made a personal choice to be grateful despite his circumstances. He decided that even though he was in prison it didn’t matter. He was going to praise and thank God anyway, and it transformed his perspective.
Doctors Minerth and Mier have a book entitled, Happiness is a Choice. And I would add to that. That gratitude is also a choice. We have to make a conscious decision that we are going to be grateful despite the circumstances of our life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Francie Swartz in her book Chicken Soup for the Soul tells about a guy named Jerry who was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. And when asked how he was doing he would always say, "If I was any better I’d be twins." Jerry was a restaurant manager who everybody loved to work for because he was so positive. And Francie said, "I don’t get it Jerry, you can’t possibly be upbeat all the time how do you do it?" And Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself Jerry you have two choices today: you can either choose to be in a bad mood or choose to be in a good one. And I choose to be in good mood." "Oh its not that easy," I protested, Swartz writes. "Yes it is," Jerry responded, "life is all about choices." Well several years ago, Jerry’s restaurant was robbed. The thieves panicked and shot him and he was rushed to the emergency room. He spent 18 hours on the operating table and several weeks in intensive care but he survived.
And later she asked him how he did it. He said, "When I was laying on the floor I remembered I had two choices, I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live. The paramedics were encouraging, but when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the looks on the faces of the doctors and nurses I got really scared. Because in their eyes I read he’s a dead man and I knew I needed to take action." And there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me and she asked, ’Are you allergic to anything?’
’Yes,’ I replied. And the doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. ’BULLETS,’ I answered. And over their laughter I yelled ’I’m choosing to live, operate on me as I am alive not dead.’ And Jerry lived thanks to the skill of the doctors, to his attitude, and to the grace of God. And Francie Swartz says, "I saw Jerry six months after the accident and asked him how he was doing and he replied, ’If I was any better, I’d be twins." And much of life is determined not by circumstances but by personal choice.
It matters how you choose to live. And so, I challenge you to begin to make a personal choice and decide that you are going to rejoice in the Lord no matter what.
It may be difficult to be thankful at certain times we need to make a personal decision that we are going to be grateful people even when we do not feel like it or when it is hard.
The apostle Paul wrote these words from prison. "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say it rejoice."
Notice Paul says rejoice twice.
Paul made a personal choice to be grateful despite his circumstances. He decided that even though he was in prison it didn’t matter. He was going to praise and thank God anyway, and it transformed his perspective.
Doctors Minerth and Mier have a book entitled, Happiness is a Choice. And I would add to that. That gratitude is also a choice. We have to make a conscious decision that we are going to be grateful despite the circumstances of our life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Francie Swartz in her book Chicken Soup for the Soul tells about a guy named Jerry who was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. And when asked how he was doing he would always say, "If I was any better I’d be twins." Jerry was a restaurant manager who everybody loved to work for because he was so positive. And Francie said, "I don’t get it Jerry, you can’t possibly be upbeat all the time how do you do it?" And Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself Jerry you have two choices today: you can either choose to be in a bad mood or choose to be in a good one. And I choose to be in good mood." "Oh its not that easy," I protested, Swartz writes. "Yes it is," Jerry responded, "life is all about choices." Well several years ago, Jerry’s restaurant was robbed. The thieves panicked and shot him and he was rushed to the emergency room. He spent 18 hours on the operating table and several weeks in intensive care but he survived.
And later she asked him how he did it. He said, "When I was laying on the floor I remembered I had two choices, I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live. The paramedics were encouraging, but when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the looks on the faces of the doctors and nurses I got really scared. Because in their eyes I read he’s a dead man and I knew I needed to take action." And there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me and she asked, ’Are you allergic to anything?’
’Yes,’ I replied. And the doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. ’BULLETS,’ I answered. And over their laughter I yelled ’I’m choosing to live, operate on me as I am alive not dead.’ And Jerry lived thanks to the skill of the doctors, to his attitude, and to the grace of God. And Francie Swartz says, "I saw Jerry six months after the accident and asked him how he was doing and he replied, ’If I was any better, I’d be twins." And much of life is determined not by circumstances but by personal choice.
It matters how you choose to live. And so, I challenge you to begin to make a personal choice and decide that you are going to rejoice in the Lord no matter what.
4. Develop The Daily Discipline Of Giving Thanks
In order to be thankful people we need to start to give thanks everyday.
We need to discipline ourselves to find something each day that we should be thankful for to God.
In Daniel 6 we read that Daniel got down on his knees three times everyday and prayed and gave thanks to his God. And how many of us do that?
We often think we’re good if we give thanks once a day. So, I want to challenge you to begin a regular routine of finding something everyday to give thanks for. Turn a complaint into Thanks!
No matter how small your blessing is, you learn to search out the positive in the midst of the negative and give thanks for what you do have.
An old hymn says, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."
The story is told of two old friends who met on the street. One of them looked sad, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my friend?" The sad fellow said, "Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me $40,000." "That’s a lot of money." "Yes, but, two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew died, and left me $85,000 free and clear." "Sounds like you’ve been blessed...." "You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a $250,000." Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so sad?" "This week... nothing!"
The choice is ours an attitude of gratitude or just an attitude! The choice is ours….everyday…..no one else’s. Just ours. Our attitude determines our life….ours….no one elses.
ACTION STEP: There are lots of ways to be grateful. Ask the Lord how you have perhaps been ungrateful? Then, listen to Him as He speaks to you about what His will is for your life and those you love.
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