WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:04.639 Well, I hope everyone had a really good Thanksgiving holiday. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:05.759 Good. 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:06.959 It's good to hear. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:14.800 I'm sure a lot of us, you know, Thanksgiving, it's one of those holidays where a lot of us are struggling through some burnout after we're done, a little bit of overload. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:20.960 You might be dealing with some turkey or leftover overload, maybe a little bit of football overload. 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:27.519 Um, hopefully not any extended family overload, although I'm sure if we're honest, some of us might be in that position. 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:30.960 But but really hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:33.039 Um I love the holidays. 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:38.960 I really love holidays, and I'm not one of those types that's gonna get dressed up and decorate and all that kind of stuff. 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:42.719 My wife is much more the let's decorate everything and do all that for the holidays. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.119 But I really enjoy the holiday season. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:46.640 I think most of us probably do. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:51.439 There are things that are stressful about it, but but definitely one of my favorite times of the year. 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:57.439 And one of my favorite things about the holidays is learning really interesting, obscure holiday trivia. 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:01.759 I just love learning about where certain traditions came from and all that kind of stuff. 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:04.000 And this last week, I got to learn one. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:10.319 My wife actually taught me this really cool piece of holiday-related trivia that I thought was really cool, and I thought I'd share it this morning because it's the holidays. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:11.200 Simple reason. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:20.239 And so my wife told me, I didn't know this, that the turkey was this close to being our national bird whenever our nation was founded. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:22.879 You guys may have known that, but I did not know that. 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:28.640 And I got to thinking about this week how different America would be if the turkey. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:39.519 Because you know, like we when you think of 4th of July and, you know, those t-shirts with the ragged American flag in the background and it's all dirty and just looks so tough. 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:45.359 If you take that bald eagle off and you put a turkey on that shirt, it's totally different. 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.079 Because there's there's no way to make a turkey look tough. 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:49.120 There's just not. 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:50.159 Totally different. 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:57.280 So I'm glad that the I'm glad the eagle went out, but turkeys are like a big deal in our our history as a country. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:04.879 In fact, my wife was telling me this, she's just full of all this Thanksgiving knowledge, that there's actually this group called the American Turkey Federation. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:07.040 That exists, it's a real thing. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:17.199 And I guess for for years, the American Turkey Federation every year gives the president a live turkey, and this is kind of sad to be prepared and served for Thanksgiving dinner. 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:22.240 It's been happening for decades, until the 60s, this is cool, when John F. 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:24.479 Kennedy pardoned the turkey. 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:27.520 And now, this is true, this is real. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:30.080 I looked this up on Google, it's definitely real. 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:42.639 Um now, every year since John Kennedy did that, instead of that turkey being sacrificed and prepared, however you want to call it, the turkey gets to go live in Disneyland. 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:43.919 Let's think that's cool. 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:44.960 That's very good. 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:46.000 I don't know. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:48.879 That has nothing to do with what we're talking about this morning at all. 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:50.960 Um I just thought it was a cool piece of trivia. 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:53.520 Actually, let's pray, and then we'll jump into what we're gonna talk about. 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:55.199 God, thank you so much. 00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:04.159 Uh, thank you for God, thank you for this church, and thank you for your love, and that we can all just be here together and really thank you this morning for everything you've done for us. 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:04.879 We love you so much. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:06.719 We just pray that you would speak to us this morning. 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:18.560 Holy Spirit, you say in your word that when two or more people are gathered together, that you're with us, and we're here in your name, Jesus, and we want you to speak to us and teach us and help us walk out of these doors closer to you than when we walked in. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:20.479 And we ask this all in your name, Jesus. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:21.360 Amen. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:30.159 Well, honestly, holiday traditions aside, I really do enjoy the holidays, and so I'm really excited to be here this morning, kind of during the holiday season. 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:32.159 If we've never met before, my name is Justin. 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:39.439 I do uh I get the great pleasure of heading up some of our student teams here at his hands, the high school group, the junior high, elementary school. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:41.360 But I really get excited about being in here. 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:43.919 On Sunday mornings, I'm always with the young kids, and they are awesome. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:44.400 I love them. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:50.000 But my chances of being pegged in the face with a bouncy ball are so much less in here than they are in there. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:50.879 That it's exciting. 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:57.039 And I say that joking because parents, please know that we do not throw bouncy balls in his kids, but it happens. 00:03:58.800 --> 00:03:59.840 So I love being in here. 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:07.599 It's it's great to do it, and I love that it's the holidays because it's just such a great time to talk about a lot of things that um that are really meaningful and really impactful in our lives. 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:15.280 And and I am one of those people that I I love, I love Christmas, I love Thanksgiving, I get really reminiscent during the holidays. 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.720 I don't know about you guys, but when it's holiday time, it's just something about it. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:22.160 I don't know if it's watching movies that I watched as a kid, they're always on TV. 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:25.839 Just there's a lot of things that remind me of my childhood or remind me of younger years. 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:31.279 And so I get very, very sentimental and I think a lot about the past during the holidays. 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:35.519 And there are a few specific time periods that really jump to the forefront of my mind. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:39.040 Just times in my life where I have a lot of really distinct memories. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:44.560 One of those times is when I was 11 or 12, like my early, kind of late childhood, early teenage years. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:47.040 We lived in southern Missouri, kind of out in the country. 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:51.439 We had like 10 acres, and it was just a really memorable time in my life. 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:54.800 I have a lot of really great, distinct memories from that time. 00:04:55.279 --> 00:05:00.959 Another time that usually jumps right to the forefront of my mind is the first year and a half or so of my marriage. 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:04.560 Megan and I, my wife have been married for over five years. 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:09.600 Not a really long time, but obviously in that span we've had a lot of memories together. 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:15.759 But that first year and a half is just full of these extremely distinct memories. 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:22.399 And so anytime I get sentimental and I start thinking back on the past, that year and a half is like at the top of just so many things happened. 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.680 And most of those memories, you know, you categorize your memories. 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:32.720 And a lot of those memories fall under a category that I like to call stupid things Justin did that Megan forgave him for, memories. 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:34.160 I have a lot of those. 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:39.920 And there's a real concentration of those memories in that first year and a half of our marriage. 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:46.800 And one of those stupid things Justin did, but Megan somehow forgave him for memories, was really at the top of my mind as I was getting ready for this morning. 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:56.959 Megan and I had been married for about a year, and uh I had just finished college, just graduated, I had my first full-time job, really excited about it, and it was the summertime. 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:10.079 Megan still had a year left of college, she was going into her senior year, and she had this summer job that was lined up, but it fell through at the last possible minute, and it was gonna be a great job because it was gonna work perfectly with the summer classes she was taking. 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:19.439 Uh, but in the last minute, we really couldn't find another job for her to uh you know to take that would still work with those schedules, so we decided that she would just not work for the summer. 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:23.920 We lived in a we had a really cheap apartment, so it was it wasn't a big deal there. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:26.319 Uh, but she was off for the summer taking a few classes. 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:29.600 I was working full-time for the first time of my life. 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:38.879 And like a lot of us, you know, kind of entering that first stage of life, we're out of the school stage and we're into the the workforce kind of thing, I got kind of overwhelmed. 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:44.399 I felt like I was, you know, treading water a little in over my head with all the responsibility and all this kind of stuff. 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:48.079 And uh I started to just get really, I don't know, really tense. 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:51.439 And it kind of came to a head for me one day was I when I was doing laundry. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:56.720 And laundry is one of the things that I have done in our marriage to help contribute to the household. 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:59.759 Um, I probably don't do it right, but I gets done. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:03.040 As a matter of fact, I know I don't do it right, um, but it gets done. 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:09.519 So I've done laundry for a long time, and I remember that year I was doing laundry during the summer, and this thought popped into my head. 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:15.439 I'm washing a load, and I think to myself, man, I'm working full time and I'm doing the laundry. 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:17.920 And my wife is off for the summer. 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:21.680 She should be doing the laundry, not me. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:25.120 There's this, I sense this tension in the room right now. 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:26.879 Did you guys see where this is going? 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:31.920 But as I think about this more, I'm having, you know, we've all done this before. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:33.680 I'm convinced I'm like, yeah. 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:34.560 Yeah. 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:36.639 Why am I doing the laundry? 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.480 Not that it's a woman thing and I'm a man, it's a she uh she's off for the summer, I'm on. 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:41.839 I shouldn't have to do the laundry. 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:44.480 I'm contributing too much to this household. 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:52.480 So, being uh I don't know, stupid, I decided to talk to Megan about it and express my feelings. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:55.759 And so I told her, I came to her, I said, honey, we really need to talk. 00:07:55.839 --> 00:07:59.120 Uh I just feel like, I just feel like I'm doing too much right now. 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:02.319 You know, I'm working full time and I'm doing the laundry. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:07.360 And you're off for the summer, and I I really feel like it would be great if you would do the laundry instead. 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:09.839 And when I told this to Megan, she didn't get upset. 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:11.519 She actually got really hurt. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:13.920 It was the next day that she got upset. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:16.399 You know, it's stewed. 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:23.920 I get home the next day from work and I open the door to our apartment, I go right to the refrigerator, that's that's usually what I do, and on the refrigerator, there's a sticky note. 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:27.680 And I grab the sticky note and I look at it, and it says, I buy groceries. 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:28.959 And I was like, okay. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:34.559 So I open up the refrigerator door to get something to drink, and there on the shelf in the refrigerator is another sticky note. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:37.759 And it says, I clean the refrigerator. 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:44.480 And I'm kind of slow, so after I see the first two, I'm like, oh, these are all these different things she does around the house. 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:49.120 And then I have this moment of panic, and I think, how many of these are there? 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:57.039 So I shut the refrigerator door and I start to look around, and they're everywhere. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:04.320 I'm talking easy 100 to 200 sticky notes, and on every single one of them is something that Megan does around the house. 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:07.679 Most of them say things like, I wash this, I dust that, I clean this. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:12.960 If our dog wasn't the type to just take the the sticky notes off and eat them, there would have been like 10 on him. 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:16.240 It would have said, I clip this, I bathe this, I comb this out. 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:25.039 All over our apartment, sticky notes on everything with reminders of all the things that Megan does to contribute. 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:28.080 Things that honestly, I didn't even really notice. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:30.639 Definitely not things that I appreciated. 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:38.799 And it was a humbling experience because in that moment I realized how unthankful I had been for Megan and everything that she did. 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:46.480 And I will say that Megan wanted me to mention that she now looking back, she doesn't think that that was the most mature way to handle that situation. 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:51.039 However, ladies, she has not been asked to do laundry since. 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:52.879 So take it out for what it's worth. 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:59.039 There's a lot of guys in the room right now that are like, if I get home and there's sticky notes all over everything, I know who to blame. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:00.559 I'm sorry. 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:04.240 Um But you know, that was one of those moments in my life. 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:05.600 It's a memory that sticks out to me. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:10.720 I was really thinking about it this last weekend and this last week in the context of Thanksgiving. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:14.000 And thinking about how thankful I am to have an amazing wife like that. 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:16.720 And at a time when I wasn't that thankful. 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:20.159 You know, I wasn't, most of those things that she did, I didn't even notice. 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:21.279 I overlooked completely. 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:24.960 I definitely didn't appreciate them or thank her for them. 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:32.720 And it was just, it was a really, you know, it was kind of one of those moments where your eyes are opened and you realize something in your life that needs to change. 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:48.879 And so, you know, in the whole context of Thanksgiving, having Thanksgiving weekend, I was thinking so much about things that I have to be thankful for, and I realized that being thankful, like having a thankful spirit, a really thankful attitude, is something that's hard for me. 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:52.240 It takes a lot of focus for me personally to be thankful. 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:59.039 I wish I didn't need a Thanksgiving holiday or 150 sticky notes to remind me to be thankful for things, but sometimes I do. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:05.440 I have to focus and concentrate in order to be thankful, and especially when life is stressful. 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:17.519 The more stressful life gets, the easier it is, and I think this is just kind of human nature, the easier it is to focus on all the things that I'm not satisfied with, all the things that I wish were different, all the things that I want to change. 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:25.759 And especially in those moments, I can get so focused on all that stuff, all the stuff that I want to be different. 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:32.480 That focusing on the things that are I'm actually blessed with and the things that are good, those just kind of go out the window. 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:34.080 I forget about those things. 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:36.480 I wish it wasn't like that, but it is. 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.080 It's Philippians 4, 6. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:46.639 And it says, Don't worry about anything. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:50.720 Instead, pray about everything. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:55.279 Tell God what you need and thank him for all that he's done. 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:56.480 I love this verse. 00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:00.240 I love how simple of a description of prayer that this verse is. 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:05.279 It just says, When you're worried, pray, ask God for what you need, thank him for what he's done. 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:13.360 And when I'm stressed out, when I've got a lot going on in life, and that's most of the time for most of us, the first part of that prayer, that's easy. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:16.399 Asking God, you know, for what I need, that comes naturally. 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:18.080 That's on the forefront of my mind. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:25.519 It's that second part that I have to concentrate to do, to stop and to thank God for what he's done. 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:32.399 But it's amazing when we do that, how much everything changes. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:41.600 And when we take time and we do actually thank God and just have a thankful spirit, how different that makes everything in life. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:48.559 See, thanking God is one of those things that obviously honors God, it blesses him, but it's incredibly beneficial to us. 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:56.480 Because having a thankful attitude and a thankful spirit, man, there's just something about it that helps us combat a lot of the things that we struggle with. 00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:09.120 A lot of the stress and the worry and the anxiety and the fear, a lot of those things, being thankful and focusing on the things that are good and that we can thank God for it, it helps it helps combat all of those things. 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:15.200 And so it's something that God asks us to do, not just because it blesses him, but because it blesses us. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:20.159 You know, thanking God is something that's that's really important. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:25.919 And like I said, when I get stressed out, it's just hard for me to remember to do that. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:29.039 But when I do, man, it's amazing what happens. 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:35.360 You know, when when I pray and I'm mindful of what God has already done, because that's what it said. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:36.639 Thank God for what he's already done. 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:45.440 When I'm mindful of that, when I'm focused on thanking God for the things he's already done in my life, the way that I pray changes. 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:50.320 Because when I'm not in that mindset, when I pray and I'm asking God for what I need, a lot of it feels like a shot in the dark. 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:57.120 A lot of it feels like I'm kind of grasping, I'm hoping, I'm I'm asking, hey God, please do this, but I'm not necessarily confident that it'll happen. 00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:59.039 I feel like it's a long shot. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:07.120 When I'm asking God for what I need, but but mindful of everything he's already done, it's different. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:09.360 My attitude changes. 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:10.080 I have more hope. 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:12.159 I have more confidence in God. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:17.200 I sit there, and a lot of things that seem like long shots, I realize, man, God's done this before. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:20.080 God's gotten me out of a situation like this before. 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:21.519 There's no reason to think he can't do it again. 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:22.399 God can do this. 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:23.440 He's on this. 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:26.480 He loves me, he cares about me, he's gonna help. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:30.320 And all of that comes from thankfulness. 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:36.320 Stress starts to melt away, worry starts to melt away, things look a lot less bleak and a lot more hopeful. 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:46.000 And so now prayer becomes something that's not just telling God what we need, knowing that he has the total power to do that, but but it almost becomes therapeutic. 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:47.440 It helps. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:53.600 And it's all through thankfulness, through simply asking God for what we need. 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:55.840 We don't have to feel guilty to ask God what we need. 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:56.720 He asks us to do that. 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:58.559 He tells us, ask me what you need. 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:08.720 But when we do that, mindful of what he's already done, and thanking him for what he's already done, it reminds us that he is active in our lives. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:13.440 He is doing things, he does care about us, and he is going to help. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:21.600 And especially when we're stressful, especially when when there's a lot going on, you know, it's Christmas time and money's tight and gifts are right around the corner, that kind of stuff. 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:29.039 I mean, we need all the help we can get in managing that, and and thanking God, having a thankful spirit, it helps. 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:36.399 Jesus was someone who definitely understood the importance of thanking God in the middle of hard times. 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:42.159 Earlier this morning, we took the Lord's Supper together, and that's something that we do every Sunday. 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:44.960 It's something that Jesus asked us to do to remember him. 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:50.639 And so we sort of imitate this exchange he had with his disciples right before he was arrested. 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:54.639 And we see the story in Luke 22, verses 14 through 19. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:16:01.200 It says, When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:07.039 Jesus said, I've been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:13.679 For I tell you now that I won't eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:17.120 Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:24.399 Then he said, Take this and share it among yourselves, for I will not drink wine again until the kingdom of God has come. 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:27.200 And then he took some bread and gave thanks for it. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:33.519 Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to his disciples, saying, This is my body which is given for you. 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.600 Do this to remember me. 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:41.360 So here we have Jesus, and he's thanking God for these small things with his disciples. 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:46.159 And there's obviously a lot of spiritual symbolism and a lot of significance about what he's doing. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:47.600 There's a lot going on. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:56.720 But it doesn't change the fact that he takes some time and he gives thanks to God for some bread, some wine, some time with his friends. 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:06.000 And it's such an interesting point in Jesus' life because there is no doubt that Jesus is dealing with a lot of stress and a lot of anxiety here. 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:16.000 And we see later on he's praying in a garden, and we we get to see through his prayer just how much what was about to happen was was affecting him. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:25.359 And in the middle of that, in the middle of all that stress, all that anxiety, he takes time and he thanks God. 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:39.680 I can imagine that for Jesus, focusing on what was good, focusing on what he enjoyed and what he was thankful for probably helped him work through a lot of that stress and anxiety. 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:40.720 Get his mind off it. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:41.119 I don't know. 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:44.319 And it can be weird for us to think about Jesus working through things. 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:49.599 Because he's Jesus and He's God and He never sinned, and so it's we think sometimes, oh, he's Jesus. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:54.880 He didn't get stressed out, he didn't get affected by the things that maybe affect us. 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:57.200 But Jesus was a person. 00:17:57.759 --> 00:17:59.119 And he did work through things. 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:00.400 He got tired. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.400 He got stressed, he got discouraged. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:12.319 And when he did, he did practical things that helped him work through that stuff. 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:26.160 So when Jesus was really tired and pulled in a lot of different directions, he would go off by himself and find just some time alone to spend with God, some time away from everything just to kind of relax and recover and recoup his strength. 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:28.480 And that's something that any of us can do. 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:32.079 Whenever we're you know tired and pulled in a bunch of different directions. 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:33.759 It's something that Jesus did that we can imitate. 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:42.079 And here we have this situation where Jesus, in the middle of what has to be one of the most stressful days of his life, he knows full well what's about to happen to him. 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:45.119 He knows full well that he's about to be arrested and crucified. 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:46.400 He knows all of that. 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:53.039 In the middle of all of that, he takes time, has a meal with his friends, and thanks God. 00:18:54.480 --> 00:19:02.960 I can only imagine that that thankful spirit helped Jesus keep everything in perspective and helped Jesus work through what he was about to go through. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:22.480 And so it's something that we can take and we can look at and say, hey, sometimes the best thing to do when life is crazy and all this stuff's happening around us and we're stressed out and we're not sure what to do is just to stop, take some time, focus on what's good, and give thanks to God for it. 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:25.279 That actually helps us. 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:32.720 I said a few minutes ago that it's not easy for me to have a thankful spirit. 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:34.240 It doesn't just come naturally. 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:37.440 And it's clear through the Bible how much God values thankfulness. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:38.720 I mean, it's all over the Bible. 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:43.759 In 1 Chronicles 16, 34, it says, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:46.400 His faithful love endures forever. 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:55.279 In Psalm 50, 14, it says, make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. 00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:02.799 In Psalm 104, it says, Enter his gates with thanksgiving, go into his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:04.559 And that's just a sample. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:08.880 There are so many verses in the Bible that are that are about giving thanks. 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:15.599 And the thing about God is that so much of what he asks us to do, it blesses him, but it's also for our benefit. 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:16.640 It's for our good. 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:18.400 He loves us, he's our Father. 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:25.119 And so when he asks us to give thanks, it's not just for him, it's for us. 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:31.200 It benefits us, it helps us, it helps melt away the stress and the worry and the fear. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:33.119 It helps remind us that he is doing things. 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:34.480 He's done them in the past. 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:46.319 Whether it's the big stuff, like, man, we're alive, or it's all the little things that he's done to get us out of tight spots and situations that we didn't know what to do, and all of a sudden we make it out, okay. 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:57.359 It reminds us that he's done so many things, and if we take time and just focus on those things, it's it's pretty crazy how big the list can get in a small period of time. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:20:59.119 And it's encouraging. 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:04.640 And now when we're we're struggling with something and praying for him to help us, we're encouraged. 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:10.640 When we're encouraged about what he's done in the past, we actually get excited about what he's gonna do in the future. 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:14.160 Because we know he's gonna do it. 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:18.319 Like I said, thankfulness, it's hard for me. 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:19.119 I have to focus. 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.319 And this week I was getting ready for this morning, and I felt really guilty about that. 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:25.359 I felt like, man, I you know, this is not something that comes naturally to me. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.000 It's not like I'm, hey, we should all be thankful, and I'm really good at that. 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:28.880 So here's what I do. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:32.000 I'm not very good at having a thankful spirit. 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:37.200 I I spend much more time focusing on all the things I'm not satisfied with, all the things I'm I'm not happy with. 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:42.240 I do that with myself, I do that with other relationships, I do that with our finances, marriage, you name it. 00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:44.160 I spend much more time focusing on that. 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.200 And so this isn't something that I'm that good at at all. 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:49.519 I have to focus and concentrate to do it. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:53.200 But but then I thought, well, that's actually not that big of a deal. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:22:04.720 Because if we have to focus and concentrate on doing something, instead of feeling down, like, oh man, I'm I have to focus and concentrate to Do this, we just say, hey, I need to focus and concentrate on doing this. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:14.160 Because there are so many things in life that we we focus and we concentrate, we give it all we've got to do it, but eventually, if we keep doing that consistently, it gets easier and easier. 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:17.359 I have a son that's that's eight months old. 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:26.880 And a lot of parents in the room this morning, and you guys have most of you have been through this before, but it's my first son, and so every week there seems to be some new thing that he's doing that he didn't do before. 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:30.559 And I'm just amazed by him, amazed at watching him develop. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:37.279 Just last night we had to lower the mattress in his crib because we walked in his room after a nap yesterday and he was standing up holding onto the side. 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:43.039 And those are those moments that all parents have that are like a great mixture of like excitement and joy with utter fear. 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:45.200 You're like, yay, terrifying. 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:47.839 And so we lowered his crib. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:55.359 I was thinking back, I watched him do things now with ease that three months ago took all the concentration in the world to do. 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:57.759 Things like grabbing something and putting it in his mouth. 00:22:57.920 --> 00:23:15.039 Three months ago, if he dropped his pacifier, you would watch him as he would reach for it and get his fingers around it and bring it to his face and try to get it in his mouth, and he'd usually like work it around for a while, hit his nose a few times, but he'd get it, but you could just see in his eyes how much he was focusing to do that. 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:21.200 It took all the concentration in the world for him to grab that thing and bring it to his face. 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:22.720 All the concentration in the world. 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:29.839 Now, three months later, I mean, we turn our eyes for a second and he's got something in his mouth, and you're like, what how did that how did that happen? 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:32.640 I mean, 50 times a day, I'm like, no, don't put that in your mouth. 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:35.920 When we walk in a room now, it's like, we're like secret service. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:39.599 We walk around, we're like, okay, that's gonna be in his mouth, that's a threat, gotta remove that, get that out of the way. 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:43.440 I mean, it's like everything that's small enough, he'll grab it, he'll put it in his mouth. 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:46.640 He does it with ease, but three months ago it took focus. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:50.720 And there are so many things in life like that for us. 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:53.039 We were all like that at one point in time. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:57.599 Or even the smallest things now that are nothing to us took a lot of energy. 00:23:57.839 --> 00:23:59.839 And it's like that with God too. 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:05.519 Sometimes, really important things with God, at first, they're hard. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:14.880 And it takes focus, it takes concentration, and we can actually feel almost like, man, I must not be that good with God if I have to focus this hard on just being thankful. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:22.400 But like anything else in life, if we do it consistently, it gets easier and it becomes more natural. 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:26.000 And we don't have to focus as hard, it becomes second nature. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:29.039 And so this morning is really simple. 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:35.599 It's just about it's just about us making a conscious effort to thank God for what he's done. 00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:42.559 About us just committing and being mindful of the fact that we have a God that loves us. 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:48.720 And he does act in our lives, he does things for us out of love because he's our dad. 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:52.480 And when we're stressed out and we're in hard times, he cares. 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.559 And he wants to help. 00:24:55.599 --> 00:25:00.880 And when we thank him for what he's done, when we focus on what he's done, it helps us. 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:10.000 It reminds us of all the times he's helped us out before, and it gives us hope and encouragement that he's gonna do it again. 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:14.240 We're less stressful, less anxiety, we're more hopeful. 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:16.240 It's not as bleak, it's just good. 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:18.880 And all it takes is a moment. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:21.279 It just takes a moment every day. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:26.079 It just takes a moment to say, okay, I'm gonna thank God for something in my life. 00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:29.759 Or when we pray and we ask God for what we need, which is great. 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:38.960 He wants us to do that, we just say to ourselves, okay, I'm gonna pray and I'm gonna ask God for what I need, but then I'm gonna spend a moment and just thank him for what he's done. 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:47.200 In fact, this morning, we're we're gonna pray actually as the worship team comes up and gets ready to send us off with another song. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:49.200 Um, we're just gonna do that this morning. 00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:50.559 It's kind of different. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:52.640 But just take a moment. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:58.000 A minute, and just thank God for anything. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:03.200 And practice it and do it and start it now because it's so, so good. 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:10.799 So we'll put a little music on, give us all just a minute to sit, focus, and just thank God for something he's done for us. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:58.160 Yeah! Fading out, I be keeping my eyes wide open, I've been keeping my eyes wide open. 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:34.559 It's nice, isn't it? 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:35.359 Isn't that good? 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:36.400 I don't know. 00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:37.119 I just love that. 00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:40.160 I love just it doesn't take long. 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:45.359 I, you know, sitting up and just thinking, okay, what do I have to be thankful for? 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:55.759 It's a big list over time, and it's so encouraging because it reminds us that this God that we we worship, he's crazy about us. 00:27:57.200 --> 00:27:58.480 He loves us. 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:02.240 And when we need something, he cares and he is gonna do it. 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:11.759 And if we're discouraged or or or anything, he just wants us to be reminded, hey, I've been there for you in the past, I'm gonna be there for you in the future, I'm here for you now. 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:17.119 And so this morning, we're gonna pray and just worship him. 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:23.599 And then let's just remember that we're worshiping a God that's our dad. 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:36.880 And a God that that wants us to thank him, not just because it honors him, but a God that wants us to thank him for us so that we're reminded of all the things he's doing for us right now. 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:45.200 And then we can walk out encouraged, knowing whatever it is that we're stressed about, whatever it is that we've got going on right now, he's working on it. 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:49.440 We can trust him and thank him for what he's done and what he's gonna do. 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:51.119 So let's pray. 00:28:53.359 --> 00:28:54.960 God, thank you so much for your love. 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:56.640 Thank you for everything. 00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:02.079 We could spend the whole day just saying thank you and not run out of things to thank you for. 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:03.440 That's how good you are, God. 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:07.839 And we love you so much, and we know that you love us a great amount. 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:14.559 And so this morning, Lord, we just ask that you would you would just fill our minds and our hearts with things that you've done for us. 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:16.640 Remind us of all those things. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:25.839 Just so we can be encouraged, God, because we get we get overwhelmed, we get stressed out, we've got things we're trying to do and a lot of resistance sometimes, and you know that, Jesus. 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:42.319 You experience that, and so we just ask this morning that as we're going through that stuff, you would just remind us of what you've done and help us take a moment to thank you for it, so that we can be encouraged and blessed and benefit from all the great things that being thankful and having a thankful spirit does. 00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:45.839 And we ask this all in your name, Jesus, and just worship you this morning. 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:46.799 Amen.