Core Scripture: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (Psalm 100:4)

Message: I sometimes have this problem in my prayer life.  Maybe it is just me.  I air out my grievances freely.  They come so naturally.  God, please help me with this.  God, why is this happening to me?  I wonder if anyone can relate.

It is not that God doesn’t want to hear about my struggles.  He wants to hear it all!  He wants me to be real with Him and expose my heart.  But through all the asking, I put off the perfect antidote to all the frustrations of life. 

I forget to be thankful.

Gratitude is the antithesis to negativity.  Think about it.  When you start listing the blessings in your life, there is a shift.  A movement.  You begin to absorb this view that disintegrates the bad, filling you with good.  Sometimes it takes some creativity to find this attitude, but it is all worth it in the end. 

I want to be thankful today.  Right now.  Here.  God, I know you are listening.  How about I list the blessings You have lavished on me …

• Thank you for air conditioning.  Especially on days like this when the heat is extreme.
• Thank you for friendships you have intentionally planted in my life. 
• Thank you for my job.  It wasn’t what I planned, but it is providing for my family.
• Thank you for my beautiful wife who works hard all day and still finds time for her family.
• Thank you for my grill.  I love summer cookouts and enjoying time outside.
• Thank you for moments with my boys, playing basketball on the driveway or even watching Anime.
• Thank you for my Toyota Camry being a reliable car that gets me around town.
• Thank you for a comfy bed and a roof over my head. 
• Thank you for challenging me.  I need to be pushed in ways I don’t want to for my own good.
• Thank you for time to mow.  There is something about the smell of fresh cut grass that soothes the soul.
• Thank you for workouts with my F3 warriors.  I don’t know what I would do without their support.
• Thank you for my folks and my in-laws, both of whom still love and support us and are still happily married after over a half century.
• Thank you for warm coffee in the morning to sip on as I speak to You.
• Thank you for my chubby chihuahua and tripod terrier who greet me like they haven’t seen me in 10 years even if I just ran to the store and back.
• Thank you for my neighbor who blesses us with afternoons and evenings at his pool. 
• Thank you for my home church at Legacy where I get to worship you freely every week.
• Thank you for inspirational stories of hope and love that outshine the negativity of the world. 
• Thank you for the freedoms our country offers and the opportunity to celebrate 250 years of greatness next month.
• Thank you for clean water, hot showers, and toilets.  I take these for granted too often.
• Thank you for food in the pantry and the fridge.  The cupboard has never gone bare.
• Thank you for forgiving me when I don’t deserve it through the untouchable grace of Jesus Christ. 
• Thank you for opportunities for building my character through patience and enduring trials.  They only make me stronger.
• Thank you for my testimony and the impact it has had on numerous lives.
• Thank you for the sunrise that pierced the clouds rolling in this morning with radiant colors. 
• Thank you for smiles from little kids.  They remind me to be innocent and carefree.
• Thank you for the blanket of vibrant green trees we saw in the Arkansas mountains on vacation. 
• Thank you for allowing me to work a physically exhausting job where I get a workout every day.
• Thank you for protecting my back from being injured at work.  Stresses of teaching have actually hurt it more.
• Thank you for forgiving me when I forget to be grateful.

There.  I am better now.  As I read through my list, I realize I could add 500 new things!  For your sake, I will keep those to myself.  Just remember that age old saying that someone else always has it rougher than you.  Things are never as bad as they seem. 

All it takes is a little gratitude. 

Challenge: Create a list on a sheet of notebook paper or digitally.  Whichever you prefer.  Write down all the things you have in your life to be grateful for.  The big things.  The small things.  The good and the bad.  When you are finished, try to see that list through God’s eyes.  Praise Him for all His goodness!

Bible study: Journal about or discuss how the following scripture connect to our theme for today …

• “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
• “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)
• “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
• “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 106:1)

Song application: “Thankful” by Forrest Frank

I’ve got so much to be thankful for

Look, I’ve got a roof and a bed
A couple groceries to stay fed
I’ve got a phone and clean water
And some shoes when I wanna go farther

Today, I’ve got so much to be thankful for (hey)
I woke up this morning thinking, “Thank You, Lord” (hey)
For giving me everything I could ever need and more
I’ve got so much to be thankful for (oh, yeah, run it back)

Just for fun: I love the group of young kids on our cul-de-sac.  They have been taping notices around on light poles reminding us to keep our neighborhood clean!  As adorable as this is, the irony resides in the fact that some of the signs are now falling down and … uh … becoming trash.    

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I forget to praise You and all the blessings You have for me.  Keep me grateful and thankful every time I approach your throne.  Amen.