Brother and sisters I am not telling you that an attitude of gratitude is easy, but it is certainly worth it.
[00:00:00] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with your host, Elgin Carelock. The Bible Speaks is a daily podcast dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, rightly dividing the Word of truth and learning how to apply it to our daily lives.
[00:00:55] You may contact Elgin at the address given at the end of the broadcast and now here's Elgin. Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit to another edition of Words of Inspiration. There's a quote that reads,
[00:01:17] If you change the way you think, you can change the way you feel. What makes this quote so relevant to our conversation today is the fact that how we think often governs how we feel.
[00:01:34] For example, if you're a person with a high threshold for pain and you cut your finger, since your mind already believes that it won't hurt much, it doesn't. So today I want us to have a conversation titled, Attitude of Gratitude. Our spiritual inspiration comes from Philippians 4, verse 11,
[00:02:03] and reading from the new international version it reads, I'm not saying this because I'm in need. Why have learned to be content? Whatever this circumstance is. As we go through life, setting goals and making plans for our future,
[00:02:23] there will undoubtedly be times when we do not achieve our goals, no matter how hard we try. In those times we can respond one of three ways. We can become stressed and doubt our ability.
[00:02:38] We can question God on why he did not make sure our goals were met. Or we can thank God for the lesson and ask for the wisdom to understand what went wrong. In the broader context of Philippian 4, looking at verses 10 to 13,
[00:02:59] Paul discusses how he has experienced both times of plenty and times of need. He emphasizes that he can endure all things through Christ who strengthens him. This perspective allows him to maintain inner peace and satisfaction regardless of his material circumstances. So when we say an attitude of gratitude,
[00:03:28] we're talking about the same thing. An attitude of gratitude cultivates joy and contentment. Shifting focus from what is lacking to what has been given. This mindset counters this satisfaction and promotes inner peace. For example, my vehicle is 10 years old and has more than 160,000 miles.
[00:03:55] And I have days when I worry about continuing to work because it is essential to our ability to earn a living. Instead of worrying, I should be praising God for every day. It does work and thank it him for allowing me to continue to provide for my family.
[00:04:14] I'm sure you've heard the saying that no matter what situation you're in, there is someone who would gladly trace places. I received a text from a friend of mine and during a recent storm, a tree fell across his driveway
[00:04:32] and totaled his car. He's neither in the position to purchase another vehicle nor repair it from his current state. So how do I encourage him? I would first ask him to join me in praising the Lord that the tree did not fall through his home.
[00:04:52] Next, I would ask him to do the same because he nor a member of his family were not in the car. It's not that I'm giving him a, it could be worse speech but reminding him of how blessed he is
[00:05:08] even in this situation. Through his gratitude, he will be open to receiving what will have to be a God idea for a solution. Not a good idea that comes from our intellect and knowledge but a God idea from the creator of all things. Psalm 34 and 19 reads,
[00:05:32] many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delirates them out of the mall. Our challenge is we don't know God's timing. Is the solution coming in days or will it be months?
[00:05:49] One of the way God is glorified is through our faith and it is the earnest expectation that God not only can but will that allows us to be in a state of thanksgiving and contentment
[00:06:05] even when we don't see the solution. Brothers and sisters, I'm not telling you that an attitude of gratitude is easy but it is certainly worth it. I would encourage you if you don't already have one
[00:06:21] to get a prayer partner. Your prayer partner can be a family member but I think it works better when they are not. The objectivity of your prayer partner is what James was discussing in chapter 5 verse 16 and reading from the English standard version it reads,
[00:06:42] therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Be content in every situation, seek God for direction and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart.
[00:07:07] I thank you for spending time with me on today and I look forward to our time together on tomorrow until then God bless. The Bible speaks is sponsored by C squared reality and new
[00:07:28] gen construction group to help spread the gospel to the corners of the earth. If anything you've heard poured into your life, please share it with someone. You can find the Bible speaks on Spotify, Amazon music, Deezer and many more. Follow us on YouTube at the Bible Speaks Online
[00:07:54] You may contact Elgim at PO Box 5582 O'Chalofora 34478 or by email at thebiblespeaksonline at gmail.com