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Grateful Hearts: The Truth About Thankfulness
21 Plays9 months ago
Join Brandon, Chris, and Rob (yes, all three this time!) as they dive into the Bible’s teachings on thankfulness and how a heart of gratitude can transform our lives. They will explore what true, biblical gratitude looks like, and how God uses thankfulness to bring joy, strengthen faith, and deepen our connection with Him and others.
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Transcript
Reunion and Lighthearted Banter
00:00:22
rob
Welcome to the Faith 168 Podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Brother Rob, and I'm here with Brother Chris and Brother Brandon. How are y'all doing this evening?
00:00:30
Christian McKenzie
Doing good, brother.
00:00:32
brandon g b
Doing good, doing good. It's good to have us all together.
00:00:35
rob
Absolutely, it's been a while since we've done this thing together.
00:00:37
brandon g b
Hmm.
00:00:40
rob
And in fact, not too long ago, you guys were making fun of me on a podcast that I didn't get to make it on. and so
00:00:48
brandon g b
Hmm.
00:00:50
rob
yeah
00:00:50
brandon g b
I don't recall.
00:00:51
Christian McKenzie
you know what's bad about that is I was thinking that night and I was like, you know what?
Finding Gratitude Amidst Turmoil
00:01:01
Christian McKenzie
I'm so used to Robbie missing. We made fun of him on that podcast. I think I forgot to tell him we were recording that night.
00:01:10
brandon g b
probably did probably did.
00:01:12
rob
Probably. but
00:01:12
Christian McKenzie
And then I was like, so we made fun of him.
00:01:14
rob
so Yeah.
00:01:16
Christian McKenzie
And that might've been the night he could have made it.
00:01:19
rob
Right.
00:01:19
brandon g b
right Yeah, yeah.
00:01:21
rob
It's been a a hectic week and a hectic few months as we've gone through the transition, and um which leads perfectly into our topic tonight. Thanksgiving in times of turmoil. And so, um as you guys know, ah there has been turmoil in the world over the past few years.
00:01:45
rob
um In our country, we've experienced the the turmoil and and thank God the election is over and we don't have those ads popping up on everything. I don't mind the ads necessarily, but I was watching football the other day.
00:02:01
rob
And you know there's just some times when you don't wanna hear from the presidential candidates.
00:02:06
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:02:07
rob
And it was when I was watching football, i just
00:02:09
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:02:10
rob
distasteful, maybe not, but that's how I felt. ah But anyways, we we live in a world full of turmoil.
00:02:13
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:02:17
rob
And in the season of Thanksgiving, we need to to be reminded. of not only why we need to be thankful, ah but how we can be
Personal Stories and Faith in Adversity
00:02:30
rob
thankful, especially when things aren't going um as we would hope that they would go. We're gonna look at the scripture in ah Philippians chapter four and see how Paul um is thankful and content in times where he has everything he needs and in times where he
00:02:53
rob
basically has nothing and ah how that we can apply that to our lives. ah So just some so ah statistics that I came across the other day ah that I thought were very interesting. In this time of Thanksgiving, as people plan to experience Thanksgiving with their families, 98% of consumers are expecting ah to be impacted by inflation um this season.
00:03:25
rob
and 98% of people don't agree with anything. um And so to say that everybody's experiencing inflation, it's touching everybody in every walk of life.
00:03:38
rob
You also have um the the you know wars and and rumors of wars going on in the Middle East.
00:03:39
brandon g b
Right.
00:03:49
rob
You have the war. that seems to be gearing up in um Russia and Ukraine and now with the the links to North Korea and and things over there. And so, um and then people just trying to to live ah life here at home. um What are some instances you guys have had to persevere in your personal lives in the middle of turmoil and how were you able to be thankful in those times?
00:04:26
Christian McKenzie
I hit a deer the other day and it destroyed my car. And inflation really hit at that time. And so at first I was really mad and I hit the deer. I screamed out and I was so mad. But then as I was driving home and I got home and Saw my wife and my kids. I was like, you know what? I got a lot I could be thankful for. I'm still alive. My car made it home and my kids weren't in the car. And so, you know, I'm going to have to spend a little money. I already did. I spent a lot of money to get the car fixed, but, uh, you know, uh, I persevered. I kept the faith. I knew that God was going to take care of me.
00:05:26
Christian McKenzie
Um, that, and that was, yeah, just got my car back too. So I'm trying not to hit another deer.
00:05:35
brandon g b
I thought you were going to like go through a big sob story there because he said, like, describe a time of turmoil and you're like, when I hit a deer, it just it left me emotionally crushed. I couldn't let the deer.
00:05:46
Christian McKenzie
Oh yeah.
00:05:46
brandon g b
Oh, we had special ties.
00:05:47
Christian McKenzie
I was, I was emotionally crushed.
00:05:49
brandon g b
I just watched Bambi the night before.
00:05:50
Christian McKenzie
Well, I was like, Hey, here's some roadkill, you know? get some back straps, it's fresh. And then I realized I took my hunting knife set out of my car.
00:06:02
Christian McKenzie
And so like the deer died in vain. And that was like to this day, I
00:06:09
brandon g b
It'd be alright, man.
Struggles and Gratitude: A Deeper Dive
00:06:11
Christian McKenzie
don't know what some coyote ate that deer.
00:06:17
Christian McKenzie
I didn't get any of it.
00:06:19
brandon g b
Man, dude.
00:06:20
Christian McKenzie
So it took away my hood. It took away my lights. It took away my radiator in my air condition.
00:06:29
Christian McKenzie
And I got nothing. So, yeah.
00:06:32
brandon g b
Man, dude. That's pretty serious stuff.
00:06:36
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. But yeah, that that was my tur my recent turmoil. But if we start at March 15th, 1993. No, I'm just kidding.
00:06:48
brandon g b
Man, you're getting old.
00:06:49
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, I am. I i was born in the late 1900s. um Yeah, yeah.
00:06:54
brandon g b
As was I, 94. Well, um so this is going to definitely bring down the temperature of the room. but speaking of turmoil you know that we can be thankful through. um My wife and I learned that according to the doctors, we are not able to conceive that we only have about a 5% chance. Of course, you know I know God can do a lot with a 5% chance, but the part that we're thankful about is that um
00:07:25
brandon g b
you know, we can have all the children in the world through foster care.
00:07:29
Christian McKenzie
Mm hmm.
00:07:30
brandon g b
And we're in the process of becoming foster parents. And that'll actually be kind of a Christmas gift to us.
00:07:34
Christian McKenzie
Oh
00:07:35
brandon g b
We're supposed to have a placement before Christmas. um But, you know, that just kind of illustrates the principle that um you may not be going through the best circumstance, but you can always find something to be thankful for.
00:07:38
Christian McKenzie
wow.
00:07:48
brandon g b
That's sort of the inspiration behind the him counter blessings, you know,
00:07:52
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:07:52
brandon g b
When upon life's billows your tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and what's going to happen? It'll surprise you what the Lord has done.
00:08:04
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:08:08
rob
um and So Natalie and I haven't had um a whole lot of trouble like that, but there was a time I remember um one night probably seven, six, seven years ago, um at church, we wrote down something that we were praying for and we were supposed to to put that in our, um like, bill phone or whatever purse. That way we could be reminded of it to keep praying for it, but also whenever it came, when whenever God blessed us with an answer, um that we would be thankful for it. and
00:08:52
rob
After we had Hazel, we tried to have another child for for years and years. There's ah um about a five year age gap between Silas and Hazel. And it it just, it took a really long time for us to have Silas. And so that was more so for Natalie than myself.
00:09:18
rob
she was really distraught about it. And I didn't really even know it. And then I found a piece of paper on the floor one day and and I saw that was her prayer that, and so we talked about it and,
Peace Through Faith and Gratitude
00:09:30
rob
um, you know, and so that was when we could still be thankful because God had blessed us with a child.
00:09:38
brandon g b
Right.
00:09:40
rob
Um, but you know, it's hard to be content when you there's something else you're wanting for, you're clinging to it.
00:09:50
brandon g b
Exactly. Yeah. Even good things.
00:09:53
rob
And so yeah, yeah, even good things. And so ah that was one of ours. And of course we all could could go on talking ah through different ones, but first I wanna look at ah Philippians chapter four.
00:10:08
rob
So let's look at verses six through seven for just a minute so I will read it. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
00:10:32
rob
um Understanding what Paul is is saying to us here, how can we use this to find peace in the middle of uncertainty and Thanksgiving in the middle of turmoil?
00:10:47
Christian McKenzie
Well, think about this election season. um You know, a lot of people woke up four years ago anxious. And then four years later, another group of people woke up anxious. we We put a lot of stock into who sits in the Oval Office, for example. And don't get me wrong. I have my political opinions. and and I have ideas of what's best for our country and things like that. But one thing I've been preaching a lot because I can see the anxiety and that's something that I think it was a high percentage. Don't quote me on on this. But in the 70s, like 78 percent or something like that of adults, one of the things that was worrying them the most was this election. Like they were very stressed about it.
00:11:46
Christian McKenzie
And that's on both sides of the aisle. And as they talked about that, I was like, man, you know, maybe I need to start preaching more on just finding peace and understanding that God is in control and that when you don't understand that you can just talk to Him. And, you know, I face things that make me anxious. I have the things that I face that some people might not understand.
00:12:15
Christian McKenzie
But those situations make me anxious and I find my peace in God. And so I had some anxiety over the election, too, I realized, and I had to come to a conclusion. You know what? I'm going to wake up the day after the election and serve God. No matter who won. And I was going to keep going whether my eggs got cheaper, got more expensive,
00:12:45
Christian McKenzie
You know, and that's just what we've got to do. and And that piece, it's something that surrounds us in the middle of a storm. It doesn't eliminate the storm necessarily. We're still going to go through trials and tribulations, but we get a new mindset on or a perspective on what we're facing that helps us to make it through.
00:13:14
brandon g b
Yeah, I think those are good thoughts. Um, regarding what Paul says here, um, you know, he, he talks about this piece, you know, that you're mentioning, uh, a piece that is divine. It can't be explained by human reasoning or scientific research because it's a piece that surpasses all understanding and it guards your hearts and minds. God sends this piece to his praying people in the exact places where anxiety and worry and discontent are generated, right, in the heart and the mind.
00:13:47
brandon g b
But what's amazing here is, and I think often missed, is when he talks about, don't be anxious about anything but pray about everything, he stipulates and adds a qualifier, doesn't he?
00:13:59
brandon g b
He says, in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
00:14:04
Christian McKenzie
Mm hmm.
00:14:07
brandon g b
And so what Paul is saying here is essentially what the great Puritan commentator John Trapp once said, which is, Pray for what you need, but be thankful for what you have. That's the whole idea here. And we can have peace in our hearts when we do that, when we bring our requests before God, lay all those anxieties out before him, cast our burdens on him, but simultaneously be thankful because he's been so good, kind, and merciful and gracious.
00:14:36
rob
I think that um focusing on gratitude, so being thankful for what we do have, um helps us to take our eyes off of the problem and help us to put our eyes on God and to see that even though we might have some problems in this life
Understanding Philippians 4:13
00:15:00
rob
that God's provision stands strong, um that he is providing um everything that we need for the season that we're in to do what he's called us to do.
00:15:10
rob
um And while it might not always be exactly what we want, it's always gonna be what we need.
00:15:20
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:15:20
brandon g b
Right.
00:15:20
rob
ah And ah so that that helps me, and I think it would help us if we would align our heart with God and keep our eyes focused on Him rather than
00:15:36
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:15:37
rob
the problems that are around us. I wanna move on to Philippians chapter four, verses 12 through 13. So here Paul writes, I know how to make to do with little, and I know how to make to do with a lot. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being content. Whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need, I'm able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
00:16:08
rob
how How do we let um this understanding um that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, um how does that help us to have thanksgiving ah in the middle of the chaos and the turmoil in our lives?
00:16:27
brandon g b
Well, I just had an awakening brothers. I could have swore that flippings for 13 means I can win any football game, but evidently it doesn't mean that.
00:16:34
rob
ah
00:16:36
Christian McKenzie
Man, I'm about to go and tip over my car right now.
00:16:40
rob
Alright.
00:16:41
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:16:41
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:16:42
brandon g b
Show me where that deer is, man. I'll raise him back to life.
00:16:44
rob
Alright.
00:16:44
Christian McKenzie
yeah Yeah. Oh, man.
00:16:46
brandon g b
I can do all things through Christ. um You know, it's, I'm glad, you know, actually that Philippians 4.13 is probably like the second most popular Bible verse ever. But at the same time, Paul wasn't really speaking about, you know, winning a football game or anything. In this context, he is saying that he's been able to be thankful and content in all situations of life because of the strength he drew from Christ.
00:17:15
brandon g b
And as you read there, Brother Rob, he he went through it all, the Apostle Paul. He says, all right, I've been low and I've abounded. I've had plenty to eat and I've went to bed hungry.
00:17:29
brandon g b
But one thing that has remained the same is I'm content. I have all I need because I have Christ.
00:17:34
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:17:37
brandon g b
That's a beautiful thing. And we could learn from that example as hard as it is.
00:17:41
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, definitely. And and that's that's something to be thankful for, that it's not our strength that we need to rely on because most of the time when I'm facing a trial, tribulation, whatever is going on in my life, I'm already weak and I can hardly carry on.
00:18:03
Christian McKenzie
But then I realize it's not about how strong I am, and it's about how strong Jesus is. And when I am hungry and can hardly carry on,
00:18:16
Christian McKenzie
I know that it's Jesus who can carry me through that. When I have everything and it's easy to skip around, I know it's Jesus that provided it. And so no we have this spiritual strength, this spiritual endurance to keep going through all of the trials of life, knowing that when God is for us, who can stand against us?
00:18:46
Christian McKenzie
so
00:18:47
rob
once Once again, the Paul is reminding us, like Brother Raymond said, it's it's not that we can do anything we want at any time for any reason.
00:18:59
rob
It's that God is gonna give us the strength to do what he's calling us to do every single time.
00:19:04
Christian McKenzie
So, yeah.
00:19:06
rob
That no matter what his call is for
Paul's Perspective on Gratitude
00:19:10
rob
my life, he is gonna supply my needs in order for me to be able to do what he's called me to do. Um, and so understanding that, um, I can be grateful no matter what I have, because even if I don't know how the food's getting on my table tomorrow, I can trust that if he has a job for me to do, um,
00:19:39
rob
then I think it was Lottie Moon that said, ah I trust that um that if God still has work for me to do here, then nothing can take me away.
00:19:51
rob
ah But if God's work is done in my life, nothing can keep me here.
00:19:56
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:19:56
rob
ah And so it doesn't matter what happens,
00:19:57
brandon g b
Hmm.
00:19:59
rob
if if God has work for me to do, He's gonna provide for me so that I can do it. And and so I can have gratitude in knowing He's gonna take care of me, that He never leaves me or forsakes me.
00:20:05
brandon g b
Right.
00:20:11
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:20:14
rob
oh So I want to get into a little bit of the context of of just the book of Philippians. um And no, I'm not going back all the way to Genesis.
00:20:28
rob
But I do want to consider the circumstance that Paul finds himself in as he is writing the book of Philippians.
00:20:28
brandon g b
ah
00:20:28
Christian McKenzie
Oh, here it goes.
00:20:29
brandon g b
He did love that episode.
00:20:30
Christian McKenzie
Here it goes. ah
00:20:32
brandon g b
so
00:20:40
brandon g b
Here we go.
00:20:45
rob
So um for the sake of it not being me that goes back to when do y'all want to do that or do you want me to ah to to take care?
00:20:54
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, well, when you um Let's not go to Genesis. Let's start in Exodus first and go through it now.
00:21:02
rob
OK, yeah, I'll see you later.
00:21:05
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Well, I mean, the you you read through the letters of Paul and a lot of times they don't start off too cheery, ah but Philippians is kind of like one of the grateful letters, you know.
00:21:23
Christian McKenzie
I saw this little cartoon of Paul's letters not too long ago. And in fact, I think maybe one of y'all sent them to me. And where it's Paul's letters and is like oh hey it's reaching out of the Bible and punching people in the face.
00:21:40
Christian McKenzie
And then like Philippians was the only one that was like, high five, good job.
00:21:44
brandon g b
Oh nice.
00:21:45
Christian McKenzie
you know yeah and and But when when you read through the letters, a lot of times Paul really had to get down to business and say, hey, look guys,
00:21:56
Christian McKenzie
Stop, stop being stupid. Come on. yeah But Philippians, it's all about, you know, gratefulness and and contentment. And he was writing this. And probably the one place most people would not be content being imprisoned for preaching the gospel.
00:22:20
brandon g b
Right.
00:22:22
Christian McKenzie
So he did nothing wrong other than preach Jesus and the fact that he offers eternal life. And because he did that, he was imprisoned. And if there was anyone that had a right to complain, it was Paul.
00:22:37
Christian McKenzie
But instead he said, I'm good. um I'm fine.
00:22:42
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:22:42
Christian McKenzie
um I am content. And so, you know, the the beginning of this you know you find one of the popular verses as well Philippians 1 21 for me to live this Christ and to die is gained he was awaiting this understanding of whether he was going to be executed or possibly even be imprisoned for life whatever that may be and he said it it doesn't really matter either way if I die I get to go be with Jesus which is pretty cool guys but he said I don't think that's gonna happen though kind of like what
00:23:20
Christian McKenzie
you were saying about Lonnie Moon, you know, I think God has something here for me still. And I think I'm going to be delivered. But either way, it doesn't matter that much to me. If I'm delivered, I'm going to keep living for Jesus. If I die, I'm going to be delivered to Jesus.
00:23:38
brandon g b
Yeah. You know, he even had that Christ centered perspective when he was talking about his rivals in chapter one, wasn't it?
00:23:43
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:23:44
brandon g b
And he's like, okay, there's some that are preaching the gospel because they hate me. No, well, at least Christ is being preached, you know?
00:23:52
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:23:53
brandon g b
And you know, like you guys were saying, the letter of Paul to the Philippians is rock solid proof that you can have contentment and joy that is independent from circumstances.
00:24:08
brandon g b
because he was in a less than ideal situation where, you know, he was on house arrest as brother Chris mentioned. So, you know, he, he wasn't eating the best food. He didn't have the company of his beloved friends. He had the company of Roman guards as a matter of fact, but the dominant theme of his letter is not complaining. It's not discontent. It's not anger or frustration. It's joy and thankfulness.
00:24:38
brandon g b
And that's because his joy and thankfulness was related inextricably linked to his relationship with his Redeemer, Christ.
00:24:51
rob
So that brings me to what I wanna talk about next. And that is sometimes things are going well for us.
00:25:03
rob
um We're not always in the season of turmoil and chaos, and ah but there are people around us that are.
00:25:11
brandon g b
Mhm.
00:25:11
rob
oh the The church in Philippi might've been doing good at this time, but Paul wasn't. um And so
Community and Global Impact of Faith
00:25:20
rob
what does the church at Philippi do? um And this is kind of a ah backhanded gratitude from Paul, but ah we'll take it nonetheless. ah Verse 10 says, I rejoice in the Lord greatly because of you. Once again, ah you renewed your care for me. You were in fact concerned about me, ah but lacked the opportunity to show it. And so I kind of jokingly say it because he's like,
00:25:49
rob
You finally supported me again. You had stopped, but now you have. the But Paul is is saying, you guys are are showing your support for me. And so what I want to get at is how can we use this scripture, but also how do we apply this to our lives? When things are going well for us, how can we be a blessing to others?
00:26:15
rob
to maybe be the hand of God that's providing the provision that um the that God uses to bring what others need so they can be thankful in the time of turmoil.
00:26:29
brandon g b
Well, you just pretty much answered that in your question, you know, that we can be the means, you know, through which God provides for the needs of others. And that's exactly what he's getting at in verse 10. He is thankful that they're concerned about him again, and they met a need he couldn't meet himself, which was, I think his rent. You know, I mean, Paul was a hard worker, but he couldn't work from house arrest.
00:26:57
brandon g b
from that point of confinement. And so the bills were piling up and he needed provision and he thanks them for their ah for their provision in verse 18 of this chapter where he says, I've received full payment and more. I'm well supplied having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
00:27:21
brandon g b
And so the Philippians were doing all right. You know, they were just anxious about Paul, but they were doing fine and Paul wasn't.
00:27:28
Christian McKenzie
and Yeah.
00:27:29
brandon g b
And to further further fuel his contentment in thanksgiving, they decided it was God's will for them to meet this need that he had. And that's something I think we all need to do.
00:27:41
brandon g b
We can learn actually, not only from Paul in this letter, but from the Philippians example, that we should meet the needs of others um who have lack, especially during this tumultuous season, where so many are just grasping for straws and trying to make ends meet.
00:27:47
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:27:55
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:28:00
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Well, you just wanted to read verse 18 because you wanted to show off that you could say that name. You know, let's not, you know, be this on.
00:28:08
brandon g b
Oh, did I actually do it right?
00:28:09
Christian McKenzie
No. Yeah, you did. You did.
00:28:12
brandon g b
I can't believe it.
00:28:13
Christian McKenzie
I was surprised too, because I'm sitting there sanding it out. And I was like, did he just say that right? And, and you did.
00:28:19
brandon g b
Wow.
00:28:20
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. I mean, you said it with confidence too. Like, yeah.
00:28:22
brandon g b
Miracles do happen, man.
00:28:24
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:28:25
brandon g b
I've just been calling him E-man for short.
00:28:27
Christian McKenzie
yeah but ah no I ah think too, when we look at other people and imagine ourselves in their situation, it creates a compassion and a deeper understanding for what they're going through. and And sometimes we even remember times where we went through that type of struggle. and And it's easy to say, well, you know, Paul's over here and we're over here and, you know, whatever, we're not gonna pay attention to so what his problems are. But then to start thinking, you know, what if I was
00:29:11
Christian McKenzie
in that spot. What if I couldn't get my bills paid? What if I couldn't work? And then all of a sudden you're like, man, here's how I would feel. And that can move you to compassion sometimes. And that's what I try and look at too.
00:29:30
Christian McKenzie
There are people that, you know, I see their life and at first glance, you know, I, you know, we don't need to help them out there. They need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get to work. But then sometimes we forget to consider all of the variables that are going on around them. And as you were just saying, Brandon,
00:29:54
Christian McKenzie
Paul was a hard worker. you know he He stopped and was building tents at one point. That was one of his trades to work hard and and fund the ministry that God had called him to. And someone might look at Paul and say, well, you know why is he not paying his bills and not even consider all of what it meant to be you know on that house arrest and what he could and could not do. So look at the people around you and and you know look at their situation instead of saying, why aren't they taking care of this? Consider that there might be things going on in their life far beyond what you understand. And you know I was a little kid.
00:30:45
Christian McKenzie
Once that didn't have much and some people, you know, kind of pushed me aside, but it was the people that looked at me and said, you know what? And he's going through this, this and that. And I would want help. Those are the ones that helped me and they invested in me.
00:31:02
Christian McKenzie
Uh, they made my life better. It enriched their life too, because they could rejoice and still get to rejoice. And, and, uh, knowing that, you know, I benefited from that. I just visited the family this you know past week, uh, going back to my hometown to to do a wedding real quick. And, and, uh, I stopped by to to say hi to them. And it was such a joy because they invested so much in me. It was a joy for me, but it was also a joy for them.
00:31:32
Christian McKenzie
to to see where I've gone in my life, how much they invested in me, that and it was something God had called them to do and they didn't ignore the call. so
00:31:44
brandon g b
Amen.
00:31:45
rob
really So the ah next place I wanna go with this is what part does our faith family play in all of this?
00:31:51
Christian McKenzie
and
00:32:02
rob
Why is it so important first to have a faith family? And and how does um how does that play and in both parts? So when we are in that turmoil,
00:32:14
rob
How does our our church, our faith family help us? And then turn that on its head when things are going well for us, how can being part of the the church ah benefit those around us?
00:32:30
brandon g b
and called to bear one another's burdens, you know, and so fulfill the law of Christ. That's what Paul tells us in Galatians. And if you're not part of a faith family, you don't have any shoulders to cast your burdens on.
00:32:45
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:32:45
brandon g b
And that's why it's so crucial. And actually being part of a church family will also fuel this gratitude and thankfulness that we're talking about.
00:32:56
brandon g b
As a matter of fact, Paul mentions this in Colossians chapter 3. He says in verses 15 through 17, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. There's one command in the context of the church to be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms
Conclusion and Encouragement to Trust in God's Provision
00:33:20
brandon g b
and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. There's number two,
00:33:26
brandon g b
Verse 17, in whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Three times talks about thankfulness in the context of the church. And if we really want to fuel that gratitude in our hearts, we've got to be in a Bible believing, Jesus loving, burden bearing, God worshiping church.
00:33:52
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, we we even read the Proverbs as iron sharpens iron. So does a good friend or you go over to the book of Hebrews and we always like to quote, you know, do not forsake the assembling of each other as some have.
00:34:14
Christian McKenzie
That starts out before talking about stirring up love in one another.
00:34:19
brandon g b
Hmm, right.
00:34:20
Christian McKenzie
And that's something that that meeting together does. It does that part where it strengthens us. For example, I enjoy our friendship. I enjoy talking to you all.
00:34:32
Christian McKenzie
And even if you start in the book of Genesis, or you talk about the frozen chosen too much, I still enjoy it. ah So, but yeah, so, but when it when it comes down to it,
00:34:42
brandon g b
Only some get that reference.
00:34:51
Christian McKenzie
A friend keeps you sharp and and is good for you. And a friend also stirs you to do your best. I remember there's still a conversation. I remember, I don't think Brandon was in this conversation. He got of entered into the friendship a little bit later. We were just getting to know him. But I remember one time I wasn't doing my best and a couple other people in this conversation weren't doing their best. And it was Brother Rob that was there that noticed that. And he wasn't mean, but he kind of brought up, you know, like, hey guys, kind of hanging around right now. and And we're in the slums. We're not doing what we're called to do. And he said, I think we need to get back on track. And I didn't even have a retort for it at first. I was like,
00:35:48
Christian McKenzie
Uh, you know, I wanted to say, you know, like get in your lane, Rob, who do you think you are? But then I was like, Oh man, he's right. You know, we're, we're sitting around doing something we ought not to do. We were, we were making some jokes and, and they seemed innocent, you know, at first, but he said, we're making jokes at the expense of a person that needs our love. And I was like, Oh man, he's completely right. And.
00:36:17
Christian McKenzie
And so he sharpened me at that moment and he stirred me to something good. He stirred up that love for good works and reminded me of who I am in Christ. and And that's what's important about a faith family, whether it be your church, and I think you need to be in a local church, but you also need to surround yourself with good Christian people. So yeah.
00:36:46
rob
I wanna take this from beyond the personal, and we've done that by looking at the local, the faith families, body of believers. What about universal? So um we know the turmoil that our world is in. My hope and my prayer is that things are getting better, but the truth of the matter is, is that until the end comes, there will be wars and rumors of wars and nothing's gonna change that.
00:37:16
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:37:17
rob
And so no matter if it gets better for a few years or worse for a few years, it's probably gonna even its way out within the decade. um History proves that anyways. And so um how does our interaction with God on a personal level personal level with our Thanksgiving, um our peace,
00:37:46
rob
our interaction with the local body of believers, um how does that impact the globe? um And what can we do to ensure that the globe is impacted um by the provision that God gives us when we're thankful?
00:38:14
brandon g b
Um, well, I can give you, I guess, a real life example. So one thing that our church does and y'all's churches probably do the same thing as we give to Samaritan's Purse and we participate in Operation Christmas Child, a great gospel ministry, one of the best out there. And none of our members right now can go to these.
00:38:38
brandon g b
third world countries to stand on a soapbox and preach the gospel. They might have the want to, but not the ability.
00:38:48
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:38:48
brandon g b
And through this ministry, we can impact the globe and not only send, you know, Christmas gifts to kids all over the world, but send the gospel because Samaritan's Purse thankfully presents the gospel when they present those gifts.
00:39:02
brandon g b
And so the general principle though of of telling that is we need to give to those who have need around the world out of our abundance, out of what God has done for us. And something else to mention is if we'll continue to impact others through our example of gratitude, thankfulness, and contentment, we're reaching one person.
00:39:28
brandon g b
and that person will reach another person. And it'll be a continuous chain of impact that will eventually reach around the globe, I truly believe.
00:39:40
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, well, and in that same manner, thinking along what you were talking about, Brother Brandon, Paul was in a very unique spot. He was kind of in the middle of the godless culture, a place that he had prayed that he'd be able to one day get to, to preach the gospel,
00:40:06
Christian McKenzie
And he was under constant observation. He couldn't do everything that he wanted to do. He was awaiting a trial that had no real date determined.
00:40:21
Christian McKenzie
But you read through the book of Acts and you get to see what happened here. He got to preach unhindered for two years.
00:40:32
brandon g b
Right.
00:40:33
Christian McKenzie
And That was something that you know probably the Philippians were not able to do, preach unhindered there for two years. But they could give to the guy so that he could not have to worry about all of his material needs. And he could focus on just preaching the gospel at that time. And that's exactly what you do and when you're helping out with like Samaritan's Purse. Our church does that as well.
00:41:00
Christian McKenzie
And we give to a cooperative program as the Southern Baptist Church that goes into fueling ministries and missionaries all over the globe. And what happens is we take care of material needs at that time that those missionaries and those ministries can't take care of so that they can focus on the true mission of preaching the gospel.
00:41:29
Christian McKenzie
You know, we can't go preach the gospel, but we can send a bunch of Christmas presents over to the ones that are to hand out and to use as a gateway to sit down and say, hey, you don't get these things all the time. We've got a bunch of boxes of gifts for you. Let me tell you about the best gift. And that's what, that's what you know, the Philippians were doing right there. They were doing something that they, they were giving to something that they couldn't fulfill the greatest part of the mission in preaching the gospel, but they could give a little bit to help out and make it easier for Paul to do so.
00:42:08
rob
You know, I ah got to go to Dallas when I was serving in Arkansas. I got to go dallas to Dallas with the church to work at the distribution center that packed up the boxes, went through and make sure every box had what they needed in it.
00:42:28
rob
and nothing that they couldn't have in it. And then we shipped them out and they went around the world from there. And some of the cool things was um throughout that experience, every hour or every two hours, they would have somebody either on a screen or somebody live there in person tell the story of how God met not just their need, but their want. And in a way that completely convinced them that it was God that gave them that gift. Somebody else might've packed it, but down to the exact item, what they had prayed for. And and these kids aren't praying for for toys and that kind of stuff. It's a lot of times a toothbrush. It's so you know stuff that they need.
00:43:24
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:43:24
rob
um And I remember one girl just saying, you know her Her family life was terrible. They they didn't ah have what they needed. Samaritan's Purse came in. Not only did they give her this gift that had, um one of the things she wanted was a ah teddy bear. She had had some kind of stuffed animal before, but something had happened to that stuffed animal. um And it was like the only consistent thing in her life that that she had that brought her joy.
00:44:00
rob
um And so she prayed and and God gave her that gift through the shoebox. But Samaritan's Purse also told her about Jesus and she was able to ah become a ah follower of Jesus. And then they also met some of the physical needs that that she had. and so um Then she is now going all over the world and telling people about Jesus herself and and how he met her in some remote village at the end of the earth ah just because faithful Christians were filling shoeboxes.
00:44:38
rob
And so all of that being said, that just being one example, I want to ah to conclude with this verse and kind of final thoughts. So ah verse 19 says, and my God will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to god to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. As we bring this episode to a close, um what's your final thoughts on this topic of of being thankful in the middle of turmoil?
00:45:17
brandon g b
Well, that verse you read is a great reason to be thankful.
00:45:21
rob
Yeah.
00:45:22
brandon g b
That's a promise we can take to the bank.
00:45:23
rob
Yep. That's right.
00:45:24
brandon g b
We have, we have needs and God will supply every single one of them, according to Paul's spirit inspired words. And what's encouraging about that verse is Paul says that God will do that ah according to his riches and glory.
00:45:33
rob
That's right.
00:45:41
brandon g b
which is interesting wording. He doesn't say that he will meet our needs out of his riches, but in accordance with them. And it's kind of like if if you know a billionaire, like if you've got close ties to Elon Musk or something, um if he were to write you a check for 10 bucks,
00:46:04
brandon g b
That would be out of his riches, right? He would be taking from what he has and giving it to you to you as a gift. But if he gives you a billion dollars, that's in accordance with the riches he has. it's it's It's similar to the wealth that he has stored up. And that's exactly what Paul is saying about the meeting of our needs. god does not meet our needs scantily. He meets them in accordance with his glorious riches, which means we super abound when God sees fit, as he always does, to meet our needs.
00:46:47
Christian McKenzie
I agree. have Yeah, that's, I've never heard it put that way. Uh, but that's, that's really good. I like that. And I'm not going to try and top it.
00:46:59
brandon g b
Well, I am preaching that text in two Sundays, so.
00:47:02
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. So yeah, I'm going to have to sit send me those notes.
00:47:07
brandon g b
All right.
00:47:07
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:47:09
rob
So um thank you guys for another great podcast. In this time of Thanksgiving, or our hope um is that no matter what turmoil you might find yourself in,
00:47:25
rob
or what good tidings you might find yourself in, that um that you would be thankful for everything that God has given you. And in that thanksgiving, that that you would seek God with everything you have. um He's got a great plan and a purpose for your life. And he's going to supply the needs that you have to accomplish what it is he has set forth for you. And so no matter what turmoil you're in, he is going to meet the needs. um If you are in a good place right now, maybe he's going to use you.
00:48:07
rob
to to meet the needs of those in need.
00:48:09
Christian McKenzie
Yes.
00:48:10
rob
um And so what better way this Thanksgiving to show you're thankful to God than to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you guys so much for joining us.
00:48:22
rob
ah Brother Brandon, do you wanna close us in a word of prayer?
00:48:25
brandon g b
I will. Let's give thanks to the Lord. Lord, we thank you for your truth that sanctifies us and sets us free. And we are so thankful for all that you've done for us, all that you do. And we just pray, Lord, you would continue to help us to be content and help us Lord to meet the needs of others out of the abundance you've provided for us. Well, we know that's exactly what Christ has done. He met our greatest need because of the riches of his grace.
00:48:55
brandon g b
And we pray that we would do likewise. Lord, we just pray that you would bless our listeners and bless all of us, especially with strength and power to live faithfully for Jesus 168 hours a week. And it's in his name we ask and pray these things. Amen.
00:49:11
Christian McKenzie
ah Amen.
00:49:12
rob
Amen.