Today, in session 6 we talk about gratitude which leads to peace a which enables us to not be anxious because through prayer and thanksgiving we receive God's peace which is beyond our understanding.
To get a copy of the book click this LINK or the image of the book at the end of the notes for the session
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Really? In every situation pray with thanksgiving.
You may or may not know who Corrie ten Boom was, but she was a Dutch Christian watchmaker who along with her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family members helped many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home. She believed her actions were following the will of God. They were caught, and she was arrested and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, is a biography that recounts the story of her family's efforts and how she found and shared hope in God while she was imprisoned at the concentration camp.
In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom tells a remarkable story about gratitude. During World War II, she and her sister Betsie lived in three different concentration camps. The entire ten Boom family had been arrested for providing a safe haven to Jews and Nazi rebels. It’s estimated they saved eight hundred lives before being caught and sent away. Corrie describes how the barracks of the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany was infested with fleas. The sisters were forced to sleep on wooden platforms with straw on top, but the straw was dirty, smelly, and crawling with the skin-biting pests. Corrie writes I sat up quickly and bumped my head on the platform above. “Fleas!” I jumped down to the floor. “The place is crawling with fleas! I . . . I don’t know how I can cope with living in such a terrible place!” “Corrie, I think God has already given us the answer,” my sister Betsie said. “What was that verse we read from the Bible this morning?” I pulled out my Bible from the bag I wore on a string around my neck. In the dim light, I read from 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ Oh, Betsie, that’s too hard in a place like this!” “No, come on, Corrie—let’s try. What are we thankful for?” my sister asked. “Well . . . if we must be in this awful place, I’m thankful that we’re together.” . . . “That’s right!” Betsie’s eyes danced. “And thank you, God, for the fleas—” Corrie goes on to say that the flea infestation kept the guards out of their barracks, allowing Corrie and Betsie to read the Bible aloud twice a day for any woman who wanted to hear. More and more women found the light of Christ in the darkest of places because of fleas.
A major source of our anxiety is the "if onlys".
If only I were thinner, I’d have the good life.
If only I were richer, I’d have the good life.
I had more money
I had more time
I had more help
Now you suggest some "if onlys"
The if only syndrome can lead you to conclude that the good life is only one purchase away, one romance away, or one promotion away. It’s a lie that can lead you to borrow more money, work long hours, and take unnecessary risks. The antidote to the if only syndrome is gratitude. Why? Because gratitude forces you to recognize what God has already given to you. While the anxious heart says, “Lord, if only I had this, that, or the other, I’d be okay . . .,” the grateful heart says, “Lord, you’ve already given me this, that, and the other, and I thank you.”
Grateful people are contented people and Christ-based contentment turns us into strong people.
2 Peter 1:3 NLT By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
Count your blessings. Let's list some of them:
Do you see any friends? Family? Do you see any grace from God? The love of God? Doyou see any gifts? Abilities or talents? Skills?
Focus more on what you do have and less on what you don’t. The apostle Paul modeled this outlook.
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| Peace brings contentment |
Philippians 4:11-12 NIV I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Contentment is defined as a state of happiness or satisfaction, but is that what it really means to be content? Is having a new luxury automobile, that dream home, that job you have wanted, the perfect family, a comfortable retirement, all that’s needed for us to be content? If you're like most people, including me, you never really get to complete satisfaction. You may get to the happiness part, but my guess is that few of us ever reach the satisfaction part of the definition.
But contentment is not settling for the consolation prize. It is being in a place of extreme satisfaction. Being content in Christ has nothing to do with our emotions or our stuff. It is resting in Him knowing that He will provide everything that we need materially, emotionally, or spiritually.
Matthew 6:31-34 NLT “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Contentment is the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is subjective. What matters is someone’s perception of happiness. Scientists say this emotion can be studied and measured because people can reliably and honestly self-report their increases and decreases in happiness levels.
Joy is a state of mind, a combination of emotions, and in the spiritual context is localized in our heart. Joy contains elements of contentment, confidence and hope. - Dr. Cheryl A. MacDonald - Cheryl MacDonald, Psy’D.Health Psychology of San Diego
You can have joy and be happy, but you can’t have real happiness without joy. Happiness is based on what’s happening now. If you're healthy, financially secure, and the relationships with family and friends are good it’s a time of happiness. However, let trouble come with any one or more of these things then those “happy feelings” are gone. That’s not what happens when you have joy.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit biologist and philosopher, once wrote, “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”
While happiness is dependent on circumstances, joy, on the other hand, is true contentment that comes from internal things like faith in the God. Real joy is eternal and doesn’t depend on circumstances.
Philippians 4:4-9 NLT Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Happiness is settling for the consolation prize. Contentment is joy!
1 Peter 1:8-9 NLT You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
Contentment had little to do with your emotions, but instead with choice. When Paul was commending his friends in Philippi for their concern for him, he assured them he was more than fine no matter what his circumstances were:
Does your happiness depend on what you drive? Wear? Deposit? Spray on? If so, you have entered the rat race called materialism. You cannot win it! There will always be a newer car to buy or a nicer dress to purchase. And since the race is unwinnable, you are setting yourself up for anxiety. Define yourself by stuff, and you’ll feelgood when you have a lot, and you’ll feel bad when you don’t.
Contingent contentment turns us into wounded, worried people. If we look to Paul as our example, we would be looking at a man that on the surface should not have had joy or contentment. In fact, that he wrote the letter that has our anchor verse while he was in prison.
His secret? His relationship with Jesus. Within its 104 verses Paul mentioned Jesus forty times. At an average of every 2.5 verses, As a result, he was content. In Jesus, Paul found all the satisfaction his heart desired.
- Can death take our joy? No, Jesus is greater than death.
- Can failure take our joy? No, Jesus is greater than our sin.
- Can betrayal take our joy? No, Jesus will never leave us.
- Can sickness take our joy? No, God has promised, whether on this side of the grave or the other, to heal us. Can disappointment take our joy? No, because even though our plans may not work out, we know God’s plan will.
Death, failure, betrayal, sickness, disappointment—they cannot take our joy, because they cannot take our Jesus.
What you have in Christ is greater than anything you don't have in life. You have God, who is crazy about you, and the forces of heaven to monitor and protect you. You have the living presence of Jesus within you. In Christ you have everything.
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