CALLED TO THANKSGIVING
Acts 29 #9
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Thanksgiving Service
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
(Psalm 118:1–6, 14, 17, 28-29, NLT) “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Let all Israel repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? … The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. … I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done. … You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
(1 Corinthians 4:7, NLT) “What do you have that God hasn’t given you?”
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness—it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” –Brene Brown
1. THANKSGIVING IS THE GIFT OF TRUE FREEDOM
“Gratitude is one of those things that cannot be bought. It must be born with men, or else all the obligations world will not create it.” –George Savile
(1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT) “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
2. THANKSGIVING FRESHENS AS I REMEMBER THE GOODNESS OF GOD
The Gift of Contrast
(Luke 7:45, NLT) “You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet.”
3. THANKSGIVING IS GOOD FOR YOU
(Luke 17:19, NLT) “Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
GROWTHWORK
Making Thanksgiving a Habit
1. Practice thanking God in every circumstance
(Romans 8:28–29, NLT) “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
2. Be thankful for little things
(Luke 16:10, NLT) “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.”
3. Be thankful for what you possess rather than what you lack
(Philippians 4:11, NLT) “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”
4. Don’t be afraid to thank others
(Ephesians 1:16, NLT) “I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,”
(Philippians 1:3, NLT) “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”
(Colossians 1:3, NLT) “We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”