Thankfulness as a Way of Life

Transcript

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Hey, welcome to Renewed Mindsets, where we study the basics of the faith through the lens of our middle-aged experiences.

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I'm Rick.

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Welcome to the show where I help you Gen Xers and Millennials navigate spiritually through a world that looks nothing like we expected back, when cars were square and mullets were totally awesome.

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I am so glad you're here.

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Welcome back to the Renewed Mindsets podcast.

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I'm Rick and I'm so glad you're here.

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And with me again, by popular demand, is Lauren.

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Say hey, lauren.

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Hey, rick, so good to be back.

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Oh, we're so glad to have you back, lauren.

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Today we're diving right into the heart of Thanksgiving, but no, don't roll your eyes, we're not talking about pumpkin pie or football.

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This episode is all about true biblical Thanksgiving, the kind that changes our hearts and connects us to God.

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That's absolutely right, rick.

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Gratitude isn't just a seasonal tradition For Christians, it's a daily response to God.

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That's absolutely right, rick.

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Gratitude isn't just a seasonal tradition For Christians, it's a daily response to God's goodness, whether life is easy or challenging, we're called to give him thanks in everything we do.

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Exactly 1 Thessalonians 5.18 says give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God.

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To remind us that gratitude isn't conditional, it's a command.

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Yes, and today especially, we're exploring how gratitude for salvation provision, community and even trials shapes us as believers.

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Let's get started.

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All right.

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Well, the first section.

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We'll call it Gratitude for Salvation.

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Let's start with the greatest reason that we have to be thankful our salvation, lauren.

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When we grasp what Jesus did for us, it transforms everything, doesn't it?

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It absolutely does, and I will never forget the first time it really hit me that salvation isn't something we just earn, it's God's free gift, freely given to us.

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I was in a small Bible study and the leader explained Ephesians 2, 8 through 9, for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves.

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It is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.

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That truth broke me in the best of ways.

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Yeah, that reminds me of a story about the 10 lepers in Luke 17.

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Jesus healed all 10, but only one came back to thank him.

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Isn't that amazing?

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It's so easy to take his blessings for granted.

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It absolutely is, and sometimes we even focus so much on what we're lacking that we forget the exact miracle of salvation itself.

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Imagine if we approached every day with the gratitude of that one leper.

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Yeah, it changes your perspective, and if you're listening today and you haven't accepted Christ's gift of salvation, let this be the moment that you turn to him.

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There's no greater reason to give thanks.

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All right, so next we'll call this one gratitude for provision.

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So, rick, let's talk about gratitude for God's provision.

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This is one area where we sometimes forget to say thank you, isn't it?

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Definitely.

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I remember a time when my family was struggling financially.

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We didn't know how we'd make ends meet, but God provided in ways that we couldn't have imagined.

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A friend showed up with groceries and an unexpected work opportunity came my way.

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It was humbling to see God's hand in every little detail.

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You know this reminds me of the Israelites in the wilderness.

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God provided manna every single day, enough for each day's needs.

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But do you remember how they complained?

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Even with God's provision?

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Yeah, it's such a reminder for us.

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We can be so focused on what we want that we miss what we already have.

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Philippians 4.19 says and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

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What a promise.

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And God doesn't meet just our physical needs.

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He provides peace, wisdom and guidance too.

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But we have to trust him and thank him for what he's already given.

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Yes.

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So this next section we'll call Gratitude for Community and Growth Through Trials.

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Now, Lauren, community is another area where we see God's goodness.

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As believers, we're part of the family of God, and that's a gift that we shouldn't overlook.

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Yeah, absolutely, and I think about how the early church in Acts 2, 42 through 47 lived.

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They shared everything, they prayed together and supported one another.

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That's the kind of community we are called to.

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Yeah, that's the kind of community that we have at our church, and it's through that community that God often grows us, especially in hard times.

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I mean, have you ever been through a trial where someone in the church really showed up for you?

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Yes, I have.

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It's been over a year.

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Someone important to me walked out, completely turned away from what we all believe in, and it was in that time where I really saw that every single person in our church really showed up for us, prayed us through, fought spiritual warfare for us.

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They brought meals and just listened when I needed to talk.

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Their support reminded me of God's love in every single way.

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Yeah Well, the trials themselves, as hard as they are.

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Those are opportunities for growth, though, and even though they're hard, James 1, 2 through 4 tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials, because they produce perseverance.

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Exactly.

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And gratitude doesn't mean we ignore the pain, but it shifts our focus to God's faithfulness in the midst of it.

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Well, as we close this up, we've talked about gratitude for salvation and provision and community, and even trials.

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Thanksgiving isn't just a holiday, it's a lifestyle.

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Right, and as we head into this Thanksgiving season, I'm going to challenge ourselves to be more intentional about saying thank you, not just with our words, but with our actions as well.

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Yeah, take time to reflect on what God has done for you.

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Write it down, share it with your family.

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Let it deepen your worship.

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And also don't forget to thank the people around you too.

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You know there are people, especially in our church, that have showed up for us time and time again and prayed with us, got in the muddy trenches with us.

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Gratitude is contagious, and it's one way we reflect Christ to the world.

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Yeah Well, thank you for joining us today on Renewed Mindsets.

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We pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving filled with joy and gratitude and the presence of God.

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

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See you next time.

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Happy Thanksgiving.

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We love you, see ya, bye See ya.

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Bye, and now humorous thoughts from Lauren All right.

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A lady purchased a parrot whose previous owner had taught him profanity and decided that she would reform him.

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The parrot learned a number of Christian words and Bible verses to replace the cuss words.

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However, the owner caught him cussing one day and grabbed him and said I'll teach you to never talk that way again.

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So she put him in the deep freeze and slammed the door.

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A few minutes later the owner took the parrot out of the freezer and asked have you learned your lesson?

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Now?

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The little bird shivered and replied yes, ma'am.

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After a couple of months the lesson was forgotten and the little parrot was caught saying cuss words again.

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The owner returned him to the freezer and left him in there for a long time.

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The little parrot almost froze to death.

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The owner took the bird back to his cage to let him thaw out.

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When he began to move a little bit, she asked him again did you learn your lesson this time, buster?

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The parrot said yes, ma'am, I sure did.

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Then he just sat there in the cage quietly for a few more minutes, shivering and thinking about what just happened to him.

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Then the parrot looked at his owner and said ma'am, may I ask you a serious question.

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The owner answered yes, you may.

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The parrot thought for a moment and then said I thought I knew all of the bad words there were in the world, but just what exactly did that turkey?

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in the freezer say.

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Today we're going to talk about gratitude, specifically how we can cultivate a heart of thanksgiving that goes beyond our immediate circumstances.

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Our main idea today is this Learning to be grateful is about much more than just your immediate circumstances.

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Our main idea today is this Learning to be grateful is about much more than just your immediate circumstances.

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You can't let what's going on in your life determine the level of thanksgiving in your life.

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Instead, let your thankfulness spring from your understanding of God's character.

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Now let's start by looking at the prophet Habakkuk.

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The book of Habakkuk is set during a dark time in Israel's history.

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The reform-minded King Josiah had been killed and Israel's fallen back into sin.

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Habakkuk is struggling with God's silence and God's seeming unwillingness to judge Israel's wickedness.

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In the third chapter of Habakkuk, he prays for God to revive his work in Israel.

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But towards the end of this prayer, we read these powerful words in Habakkuk 3, 17-18.

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Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the yields fail, no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, you know, despite the potential hardships that will come with God's judgment, habakkuk resolves to take joy in God's salvation.

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Now, that is a profound statement of faith.

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Habakkuk is not ignoring the reality of a situation, but rather he's choosing to find his joy and gratitude in God, regardless of his circumstances.

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Now, a lot of times, we judge everything from our limited perspective.

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We see no reason to be thankful unless we have what we believe we need.

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But Habakkuk teaches us a different perspective.

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He tells us how to show gratitude even if we don't have what we want or need.

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This teaches us to prioritize what God is doing in a situation over our own wants and needs.

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Now, how often do you find yourself only being grateful when things go your way, when your health is good, when your finances are stable, when your relationships are thriving, right?

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But what about when things are tough?

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Habakkuk's example shows us that our gratitude should not be dependent on our circumstances, but it should be rooted in God's character.

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Now, our ultimate source of thanksgiving should come from what God has revealed about himself in the Word and in the person of Jesus Christ.

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Let's reflect on some key aspects of God's character that should fill our hearts with gratitude.

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First, his love.

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God bestows His blessings without discrimination.

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The followers of Jesus are children of God and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good to everybody, even those who deserve the opposite.

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God's love is unconditional and all-encompassing.

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We're loved by God, not because of who we are, but because of who he is.

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This love should be a constant source of our gratitude.

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And his patience.

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Quite honestly, most people are quick to write someone off, but our God is a God of second chances.

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Learn from the one who's patient with you and you'll learn to be patient with others.

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God's patience with us is a testament to his incredible mercy and grace.

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He gives us chance after chance after chance to turn back to him, and that should fill us with thankfulness.

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His salvation, since no man is excluded from calling upon God.

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The gate of salvation is open to all.

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There's nothing else to hinder us from entering nothing but our own unbelief.

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The gift of salvation is available to everyone.

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The fact that we have the opportunity to be saved and have eternal life with God is something that should always be at the forefront of our gratitude.

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So what about God's sovereignty?

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What does it really mean to affirm God's sovereignty?

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It means that God rules over all space and time in history.

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It means that he created the world for his glory and he directs the cosmos to his purpose.

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It means that no one can truly thwart his plans or frustrate his determination.

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It means that we're secure in the knowledge that God's sovereign purpose to redeem a people through the atonement accomplished by his son will be fully realized.

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God's sovereignty assures us that nothing happens outside of his control.

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Now that should give you peace and gratitude, knowing that your life is in his hands.

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Then you got God's wisdom.

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Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.

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Wisdom is the practical side of moral goodness.

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It's found in its fullness only in God, and he alone is naturally and entirely and invariably wise.

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God's wisdom guides us in every aspect of our lives.

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Trusting in His wisdom should lead us to be grateful for his guidance and direction.

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Then you've got his mercy.

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The mercy of God is an all-embracing mercy and it breaks down the barriers that man puts up.

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God's mercy is limitless and it breaks down all barriers.

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His mercy toward us, despite our shortcomings, should inspire deep gratitude in our hearts.

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Everything about God is great and vast and incomparable.

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He never forgets, he never fails, he never falters, he never forfeits His Word.

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Now, as the book of Hebrews tells us, we are receiving an unshakable kingdom.

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That's Hebrews 12, 26 through 29.

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At the time, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.

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This phrase, yet once more, indicates the removal of all things that are shaken, that is, things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken might remain.

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We got to be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, so we need to offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, because our God is a consuming fire.

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Now, why is this kingdom so firm?

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Because the author and the finisher of this kingdom is himself unshakable.

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This means that we can look past our immediate situation towards a kingdom that we're inheriting, one that we can trust is steadfast and trustworthy.

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That should cause thanksgiving to constantly well up within us.

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So, as I close this up, let's remember that our gratitude should be based or should not be based on the changing tides of our circumstances, but on the unchanging character of our God.

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Just as Habakkuk resolved to rejoice in the Lord despite his dire situation, we can find joy and thankfulness in knowing who God is, our understanding of God's love and patience and salvation, and sovereignty and wisdom and mercy.

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That should fill our hearts with gratitude, regardless of what we face in life.

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Let's be grateful for receiving a kingdom that can't be shaken and offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, father God, may our lives be marked by a deep, abiding gratitude that comes from knowing and trusting in the unchanging character of you, our Father, our amazing God, amen.

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Well, that's all for this week's show.

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You know the name of this show speaks my hope for you.

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It's taken from the words of Romans 12, verse 2.

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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

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If you enjoyed what you heard, do me a favor, please, and tell someone you know about it.

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Send them a link in a text you know you may even need to download it to their phone and show them what a podcast is.

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If it was valuable to you, it will be to them.

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Visit renewedmindsetscom to hear past episodes, read the blog and check out the new merch.

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And, as always, while you're there, send me a voicemail by clicking the button at the bottom right corner of the main page.

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Tell me what you think about this show.

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I just might play it on a future episode.

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Until next week.

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I'm Rick.

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I love you.

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See ya.

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The intro and outro music for the Renewed Mindsets podcast is Are you Ready?

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By Floodgate From the album Are you Ready?

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Copyright 2002, offbeat Ministries Incorporated.

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Floodgate can be found on Apple Music and iTunes.

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Music used with permission.

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What's all the commotion?

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We've got another holiday to worry about.

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Music used with permission.

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What's all the commotion?

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We've got another holiday to worry about.

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It seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us.

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I haven't even finished eating all my Halloween candy, Sally.

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Thanksgiving is a very important holiday.

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Ours was the first country in the world to make a national holiday to give thanks.

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Isn't he the cutest thing?

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What are you going to do on Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown?

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My mother and dad and Sally and I are all going over to my grandmother's for dinner.

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Why don't you come along, Linus?

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We can hold hands under the table.

Thankfulness as a Way of Life

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