Overflowing Thankfulness

The traditional time of Thanksgiving has arrived. Families will be gathering and giving an extra little smile, bellies will be full from eating too much food, and hopefully there will be a pause in the rat race of life and joy can be found in what blessings we do have instead of things we do not. For this weeks devotional entry I took a few of the main points out of a recent teaching the Lord prompted me to give to our new church family at Hillside. I hope you are encouraged and challenged in your reading. My prayer is that God blesses you and that your heart will overflow with thankfulness during this holiday.

Before we come to our scripture it is important that we all arrive on the same page and discuss what the word thanksgiving means.

Main Entry: thanks·giv·ing
Function: noun
1 : the act of giving thanks
2 : a prayer expressing gratitude
3 a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness

The meaning of this word falls apart if we leave it as a noun and do not make it a verb in our lives.

Today, we are going to begin in Colossians 2 and then focus on tangible goals that we can set in acting out thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-8
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

For a moment let’s talk about what it means to overflow...

To be thankful gives the connotation that we simply fill a glass to the top and if someone happens to bump into it then maybe they will get wet and experience what is inside, but then scripture takes it a step further- we must be overflowing with thankfulness.

What does this mean?

How does this work in our society?

How do we do this in a world that seems to be pointing the other direction?

Let’s take our scripture and turn it upside down

• If you want to overflow with thankfulness…
• Be strengthened in your faith as you were taught…
• Continue to live in him…
• Be rooted and built up in him…
• Receive Christ Jesus as Lord!

Being thankful is that warmness and the overflowing is that warmness touching others if they are around you!

Different ways that this can be played out…
1. Using my actions
• How we react
• Who we help
• Who we don’t help
• What we give to
• What we don’t

2. Using my words
• What we say
• What we don’t say

3. Using my attitudes
• How we say it
• How we allow our feelings to affect our demeanor

4. Using my decisions
• Every day we have decisions to turn left or right that can potentially shift our lives forever
Marriage
Jobs
Kids
Relationships

5. Using my time
• People fill their day with all types of things
• Christmas Outreach
• Doing the dishes
• Giving a back massage
• Listening instead of talking



Max Lucado devotional - Saying “Thank You”

Thank the Lord because He is good. His love continues forever. Psalm 106:1

Worship is when you’re aware that what you have been given is far greater than what you can give. Worship is the awareness that were it not for his touch, you’d still be hobbling and hurting, bitter and broken. Worship is the half-glazed expression on the parched face of a desert pilgrim as he discovers that the oasis is not a mirage.

Worship is the “thank you” that refuses to be silenced. We have tried to make a science out of worship. We can’t do that. We can’t do that any more than we can sell “love” or “negotiate peace.” Worship is a voluntary act of gratitude offered by the saved to the Savior, by the healed to the Healer, and by the delivered to the Deliverer.