INTRODUCTION
As we move toward Thanksgiving, we are reminded to be thankful. The Bible tells us to, “Be thankful in ALL circumstances” (I Thess. 5:18) and, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)
Are you thankful for what God is doing in your life, even if it’s not what you were praying for? Are you rejoicing in Him whether or not you like the season you are in? Are you trusting Him with your future? He is in control and I encourage you to pause and be thankful for that fact (Dan 2:21)! Let’s look at some scriptures that help us focus on gratitude.
ABOUTUS
Real Women is a ministry of Trinity Church that seeks to encourage women in their pursuit of healthy relationships with Jesus first, then others. If you don’t know Jesus, we’d love to tell you about Him (see Gospel section; pg. 11)! The Bible tells us in John 15:4 that when we abide or remain IN Him, we will produce fruit in our lives, but if we don’t stay connected to Him we won’t be fruitful. He will guide us, comfort us, and protect us! This is encouraging because it gives us a foundation and direction for all of our other relationships.
As we all pursue Jesus, we come to Him as we are (REAL women) and leave changed by Him! Only God can heal our brokenness, calm our anxiety, forgive our sins, love us unconditionally, be a perfect Father, guide us in personal holiness, and SO much more! No time spent with Him is wasted. He already knows us inside and out, every hair on our head, every desire of our heart, every pain and joy we experience. Like any other relationship, the more time we spend listening and talking to Jesus, the more intimately we get to know Him and His plan for our lives. We encourage you to be REAL with Him. He cares more than you can imagine and will never stop!
A HEART OF THANKFULNESS
1 Thess. 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Are you struggling to be thankful right now? Does it seem nearly impossible to give thanks in ALL circumstances? Did you grow up giving thanks at the dinner table every night and it seemed stale? Did your mom require you to say “please” and “thank you” regularly but you weren’t really thankful? Unfortunately, when we allow our circumstances to determine our attitude of thankfulness, we often don’t feel thankful.
A heart of gratitude is underneath feeling thankful. “Developing the habit of constantly whispering thanks to Him-- no matter what the situation-- is in fact a mustard seed of life-changing power…When we really give God thanks in everything, we are acknowledging that He is sovereign and that we trust Him. And we find that it changes us” (Radical Gratitude, Vaughn,p44). If we really want to alter our ability to be thankful, we need to follow what God’s word says. What does the Bible say about ”giving thanks” or “thanksgiving”?
1 Tim. 4:4 NLT Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.
Col. 3:17 ESV And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Ps. 106:1 ESV Praise the Lord. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. for his steadfast love endures forever.
Ps. 69:30 NLT Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor Him with thanksgiving.
Those are just a few of the many verses you can reflect on as the Lord creates a heart of gratitude in you. In the Old Testament, the word thanksgiving is closely tied to the verb “to bless, to praise, to confess,” and the Israelites had a thanks offering as part of the sacrificial system.
Just like us they needed a reminder to be thankful to God for His provision and blessings. Many of David’s Psalms are thanksgiving as well. Paul begins each of the New Testament books he wrote with a blessing of thankfulness (ESV version):
1 Cor. 1:4 “I give thanks to my God always for you…”
2 Cor.1:1-2 “…To the church of God that is at Corinth…Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ ”
Gal. 1:2-3 “…To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ,… ”
Eph. 1:1-2 “ To the saints who are in Ephesus Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ”
Phil. 1:1-2 “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi,…Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ”
Col. 1:1-3 same beginning greeting as Paul’s previous letters and adds, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you… ”
Also, Jesus set an example of giving thanks, as we often do, before eating a meal in John 6 when he was feeding fishes and loaves to the multitude; he “took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. ”
As Phil. 4:6-8 explains, when we offer prayers “with thanksgiving the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. ” God’s peace comes as we set our minds on things above and “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
As we head into the month of Thanksgiving (or any time of year) let’s remember to get into the habit of being thankful! Try starting your day with one of the scriptures mentioned or writing out 5 things each day you are thankful for. Instead of complaining or getting upset about something that happens, try looking up to God and thanking Him for what He will do or teach you through it. As Christians we have the most important thing to be thankful for… Jesus! So let’s stand out from the negativity all around and have hearts of thankfulness. Highlight book for the Month of Thankfulness Radical Gratitude by Ellen Vaughn (habit of thankfulness)
Take a few moments to reflect on what you’re thankful for
One exercise that we found helpful is the “Appreciation Exercise” from “A Deeper Walk International”.
APPRECIATIONEXERCISE
"Givethanksinallcircumstances;forthisisGod'swillforyouinChristJesus. " 1Thess.5:18
Start a list of Appreciation Moments in a notebook. Ask the Lord to help you recallsomepositiveappreciationmemories.
Herearesometips:
1. Use specific memories rather than general ones. For instance, if you appreciate a beautiful spot in nature, think of a specific time you visited this spot.
2. Journaling about the Appreciation Memory with the following prompts may behelpful.
Use"Who,What,WhereandWhen"todevelopyourAppreciationMemory. Examplesofpositive
•Whowaswithme?
•Whatwashappening?
•WherewasI?
•Whenwasthis?Whatseason?WhatagewasI?
3.Useyour5sensestofurtherexpandandamplifyyourmemory. WhatdidI...
•see
•hear
•smell
•taste
•feel
4. Look for words to describe how you felt both in your emotions and in your body.
5.GiveyourAppreciationMemoryashorttitleandwritethatatthetopofyour paper.
6.ShareyourAppreciationMemorywithyourgroup.
7.NoticehowyoufeelafteryoushareyourAppreciationMemory.Howdoyour listenersseemtofeel?
PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICEAPPRECIATION!!!
Fiveminutesofappreciationatatimecanre-setyourbraintoanewnormal! Work up to five minutes, start with 1 minute the first day, then 2 minutes the next day. Keep increasing the time each day until you can work your "appreciation muscle" for a full 5 minutes, then increase to 5 minutes three timesaday,totaling15minutesaday.
Take a few moments to reflect on what you’re thankful for (cont)
“A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution. ” – BILLY GRAHAM
“In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. ” – DIETRICH BONHOEFFER
We put together a Real Women Playlist for you Scan the QR code to check it out!
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude. ” –G.K. CHESTERTON
“We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning. ” – ALBERT BARNES
“Instead of complaining that God had hidden himself, you will give Him thanks for having revealed so much of Himself. ” –
BLAISE PASCAL
We’d love to hear from you! Tell us what you’re grateful for!
God’s
Life
The
What RW Leaders are grateful for:
Forgiveness
Trinity
Prayer
Answered
Sisterhood
We asked the ladies at Real Women to share some of the things they’re grateful for and these were their answers:
Restored
THEGOSPEL
In a world filled with bad news, it is so refreshing to get some good news There's a special word in the Bible that means "good news,” and that word is Gospel. It’s simple to do, yet deep and humbling to receive and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ! God created us to be part of His family, but when sin entered the world through our first parents, Adam and Eve, it separated us from Him. Because God is holy and perfect, the only way to bring us back into His family was to send His son Jesus to live a perfect, sinless life and to die on the cross for our sins and resurrect (defeat death). It was the greatest act of love and grace possible…our sin for Jesus’ life! That’s how much He loves us, but it requires us to believe this Gospel truth and trust in Him as we answer God’s prompting to be in a relationship with Him. If you don’t know Jesus, He already knows you, so you can start talking to Him through prayer
Tell Him about the burdens you carry, the sins you feel ashamed about, the pain you want to heal from, and that you want to surrender these things to have Him be your perfect Heavenly Father Tell Him you believe He is God, that He sent Jesus to rescue you, and that you want to be in a relationship with Him. Listen to Him as you pray and read His words to you (Bible). If you need a Bible, let us know via email so we can give you a Bible. We’d love to celebrate you as a new sister in Christ! Keep praying, read the Bible, and join us at church so you can get to know other Christians who are learning along with you.
THANK YOU
Thank you for being a part of making the Fall 2024 semester amazing! We hope that you have a Happy Thanksgiving! We’ll see you in January for the 2025 Real Women Launch!
If the Lord has answered any of your prayers, as you read earlier, we’d love to hear about it! You can email us at realwomen@trinitychurch.com, and we will keep it anonymous if we use it in a Real Connection Newsletter. Thank you!
This verse is convicting but very helpful! It challenges us to do ALL things, whatever we speak or do, in honor of Jesus and to give thanks. It doesn’t say for “ some ” things or “when we feel like it” or “just our words,” rather we need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide all of our words and actions, and while we are doing it “give thanks. ” While we won’t do this perfectly, let’s start our day asking God to show us and strengthen us to do this. Can you imagine what a witness we would be to the world if Christians all learned to honor the Lord and give thanks in everything?! As we give thanks on Thanksgiving, let’s make a daily habit (not just yearly) of it and keep an eye on how much more joy you have.
Love, Grace
MEMORY VERSE:
“AND WHATEVER YOU DO, WHETHER IN WORD OR DEED, DO IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER THROUGH HIM.”
COL 3:17 ESV