Tonight, one of the ministers on staff shared tonight's message about living a life of gratefulness.

We sometimes think we are entitled to blessings instead of seeing them as gifts from God. Whatever state, we find ourselves in, we are to give thanks. This includes when life is miserable, when it's mundane and when God seems like He's missing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

When life is miserable do you still give thanks? Jesus gave thanks when He was about to go to the cross.  You will never miss God's  goodness if you stop looking at the bad. Even when life is miserable, God has a purpose. Point yourself to the God's goodness.

When life was mundane, Jesus gave thanks. Eating is trivial, but with Jesus nothing is trivial. Matthew 15:35-37 says that before feeding the four thousand, "He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when He had given thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied." Jesus gave thanks for what He was about to give. We create God's goodness when we give.

When God seems like He's missing, we have to create a protocol: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. No matter were you are or what you're going through start by saying thank you and not "please Gpd." When you ask first and then say thank you later, you lose the worship. Instead of asking "when God?" thank Him instead when in the middle of a hard situation. 

You will never ben an overcomer until you learn gratitude because gratitude builds faith. We must give thanks in the beginning and the middle. We to give thanks when we receive from God. But we must remember to give thanks at the end too instead of "What's next God?" 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Jesus always gave thanks publicly. We should too. How will people know what a great Father we have if we don't tell people?