1 Thessalonians 5:18

All right, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 18 says, "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Let's pray really quick, and we'll dig into the word.

Heavenly Father, we just lift up your word today and this time that we have together. Lord, I pray that you would do a great and mighty work in and through your people today. Help us to draw close to your throne, Father God, through your word, and that you would leave us different than when we started today. Help us to be closer to you and more like you. As we go through your word, I pray that you would give us wisdom and discernment. Speak through me and speak through all of us, Lord God. I pray that you would be glorified, and we pray these things in your name. Amen.

Now, back to 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 18: "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." So simple. Point one: give thanks in and for everything. We could close in prayer right here; it could be that simple. But, of course, I'm going to complicate it this morning.

As I see it, this verse has three separate parts: give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, and the third part is for you. First, in everything give thanks, which seems pretty simple, right? Just be thankful in everything. Why do we require a commandment then?

As we go through Scripture and look at what the Bible teaches, we know that when God gives us a commandment, first of all, it's important, and second, we probably wouldn't do it without the commandment. That's why He has to put it in there as a commandment. So why do we need specifically a commandment to give thanks?

Very often, we don't see a reason to give thanks, and there are some typical factors that contribute to our not being thankful. I found five of them. The first one is that we tend to take things for granted due to habituation. Because it's always been that way, we don't think about being thankful.

When the food shows up on the plate every day, sometimes we forget to be thankful. When there are always clean clothes, we can also forget to express our gratitude. You can see the things that I do at home and the things that other people do for me through this. God bless my wife. The things we see all the time just become normal; they become unseen. That's sometimes why we have trouble being thankful.

Sometimes we have a comparison mindset where we focus on what others have, thinking mine is not as good as theirs, and so I forget to be thankful. If you want to see this play out in real life, especially if you have kids, dish up ice cream for each one of your children and make one of them either demonstrably larger or demonstrably smaller than the others. What you will see is that the person who gets the smaller portion will not be thankful for the ice cream. They will be upset that somebody else got more. Instead of being grateful that they have ice cream, they will wonder, "How come they got more?"

That's why in our house, here's a pro tip for you: the person who scoops the ice cream is the last person to choose their bowl. It's fantastic. You have never seen a more scientific disbursement of ice cream in your life. Just use their own little sinful hearts against them. Then I keep what's left in the container for myself. It works out well.

Perfectionism is another thing that prevents us from being thankful. It emphasizes what's lacking. We expect things to be perfect, and when they're not, we tend to be upset that they aren't. Under this point, I noted that my stupid house is falling apart. Homeowners know that everything falls apart. We had a year for it. We didn't start out the year with issues, but partway through, we had the opportunity to replace the roof, which was great. We received a huge blessing, and our cost was reasonably low as far as roofs go, which I understand can vary. Then our air conditioning went out, and I thought, "Oh no."

Once again, that's another one of those expenses that you look at and go, "Oh, this is bad." I have a tendency to not be thankful in those kinds of situations. Recently, our dryer died, and I thought, "Oh, Lord, what are you doing to me?" Instead of being thankful for all the things that I do have and the fact that I'm generally not the one who has to use it anyway, I found myself complaining.

We have a tendency to expect perfectionism and not be thankful when things don't meet our expectations. The fourth thing is that we often feel entitled to the good things in life. We feel like we deserve it. We think, "I worked really hard. I have honored the Lord. I have done these things. Why am I having difficulty?" This sense of entitlement can be overwhelming.

As I was putting this list together, I chuckled because most of these points sound like ad campaigns. You watch an ad, and they say, "Oh, you don't want this same old thing. Get something new and better." Or you see that your neighbor got a new Toyota, and we all know we're celebrating Toyota-thon. So, why not jump in? Then, when something breaks, like a car, we think, "Oh, this stupid car; we should just get rid of it." But it's just a window regulator. No, no, no, the whole thing is falling apart.

Feeling entitled is reinforced by messages we receive. For instance, McDonald's tells us we deserve a break today, and we think, "Yeah, I deserve a break today."

However, there is one more particular reason we have difficulty giving thanks, and it's something we often hear about this time of year. As we approach the holidays, point one in your outline, if you are taking notes, is that depression and anxiety cloud how we perceive our lives. The statistics on the number of people struggling with depression and anxiety have skyrocketed over the past several years, especially among young people. We are hitting, quite honestly, without being hyperbolic, epidemic proportions.

As we explore the topic of depression and anxiety among young people, we will look at 1 Kings chapter 19. If you turn with me, we will spend some time there. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring you one.

In 1 Kings chapter 19, I want to set the stage for you as to what is happening at this point. Elijah the prophet, the prototypical prophet of the Old Testament, is central to this narrative. Whenever the Bible refers to "the prophet," it is talking about Elijah. He is the prophet's prophet; he is number one. Just before chapter 19, Elijah experiences one of his greatest successes.

Elijah sets up a meeting with the prophets of Baal. Israel was struggling to follow God and avoid following idols, and they were failing to avoid the latter. Baal had a huge following, and the people were sacrificing to idols, worshipping Baal, and engaging in all sorts of hideous practices. To address this, Elijah proposes a good old-fashioned battle—a prophet-off. He sets up two altars: one for himself and one for the prophets of Baal. He tells them that they can pray to their god, and he will pray to his God. Whoever's God burns up the sacrifice on the altar will be recognized as the true God, and that is who they will worship.

Elijah allows the prophets of Baal to go first. They take the oxen, place it on their altar, and begin their sacrifice, crying out to Baal. Knowing how this will turn out, Elijah lets them go for a while. Then he taunts them, saying, "Hey, apparently he’s not hearing you. Maybe he’s hard of hearing, or maybe he’s busy," which is a cleaned-up translation of the original language. He suggests that perhaps Baal is in the bathroom or otherwise indisposed, encouraging them to yell louder.

The prophets of Baal start yelling louder and screaming. Elijah allows this to continue for most of the day. They are cutting themselves, and their blood is gushing over the altar as they try everything they can to get Baal's attention. Finally, Elijah says, "All right, let's set up my altar." He instructs them to put the sacrifice on the altar and to pour water from the big water pots over everything.

Now, going back to Boy Scout 101, you don't want water on your fire. It's kind of a bad thing. So they dump water on the fire, on the wood, on the sacrifice, and on the altar. He has them dig a ditch around the altar, and they pour water over and over on top of their sacrifice and the altar until the ditch around it is full of water. Then Elijah just prays, "Lord, light it up." And boom! Fire falls down, consumes the altar, consumes the sacrifice, consumes the wood, and consumes all the water that was in there. The people of Israel are like, "Whoa, I guess God is God."

Elijah then says, "Don't let those guys get away." So they killed 450 prophets of Baal on that day. If you are Elijah, that's a good day. God has shown Himself strong, and you are sitting there going, "Wow, this is amazing."

Then we get to chapter 19. In chapter 19, verse 1, it says, "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done." Ahab is the king, and he's bad; Jezebel is the queen, and she's worse. He told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, "So let the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as one of them by tomorrow about this time."

When he saw that, he arose and ran for his life. He went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. What we see here is that Elijah gets this message from Jezebel, who says, "I'm going to kill you." It all falls apart in his mind. He becomes terrified. It says that he gets the message of doom here in verse 2, and then in verse 3, when he saw the message, he acted on that intrusive message and ran to Beersheba, leaving his servant there.

Now we see that he's heard this message of doom, he's acted on it, and now he's starting to isolate himself. In verse 4, it goes on and says, "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness," where he distanced himself from others. He came and sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die, saying, "It is...

Enough. Now, Lord, take my life. I am no better than my father.

So what do we see happening here? We see him distancing himself from anybody that he knew. He left his servant and gone a day's journey into the wilderness. Underneath this tree, he is marinating on this intrusive thought that he is going to die. He is just stuck there, circling the idea that he is better off dead. He doesn't even want to live anymore, and he is engaging in destructive self-talk that results in a lack of hope, a lack of engagement, and a lack of energy.

This is Elijah's pattern of destruction. He experiences success when things are going well, but then he faces a lull when things look dull or bleaker. He receives a message of doom, engages with it, and acts on it. He isolates himself, distancing himself from previous relationships and care structures. This leads to destructive self-talk, and the downward spiral begins. He ends up in a state of hopelessness, disengagement, and low energy, effectively trapped in a dark tunnel with no end in sight.

If you are someone who deals with depression, this may sound eerily familiar. If you have struggled with it, you might recognize the pattern: the thought starts, and you grab hold of it. Suddenly, everything looks bad and dark, leading you into a spiral. The lack of hope, engagement, and energy can become so overwhelming that the tunnel seems endless, and you no longer see a light at the end of it.

Then, in verse 5, as he lays under the broom tree, suddenly an angel touches him and says to him, "Arise and eat." He looks, and there by his head is a cake baked on coals and a jug of water. So he eats, drinks, and lays down again. The angel of the Lord comes back a second time, touches him, and says, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." He arose, ate, and drank, and he went in that strength for 40 days and 40 nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

This is God triaging Elijah in the state that he is in. He starts with contact with others, where the angel reaches out to him and says, "Hey, you know what you need to do right now? You need to eat and drink water." Proper nutrition and hydration are important. Once again, Ben and Jerry's does not qualify as proper nutrition.

Proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep are essential. We see a pattern of basic self-care, as this happens at least twice. The angel approaches Elijah and says, "No, no, we're going to eat again because this journey is going to be too long for you." The angel, acting on God's behalf, has realistic expectations for Elijah. He doesn't just say, "Okay, well, everything's going to be great and everything's going to be fine." Instead, he sets realistic expectations.

Elijah then embarks on a 40-day journey to the mountain of God, which involves exercise, a change of location, and a shift in routine. This is super important. If you struggle with depression, exercise and the basic patterns of care, including proper hydration, are crucial. One of the most powerful findings in dealing with depression, especially in addiction, is that a change in location or routine can be transformative.

There was a study conducted during the Vietnam War that illustrates this point. The government recognized that soldiers in Vietnam were using hard drugs, particularly marijuana, which was easily detectable. However, heroin use was not as obvious. Consequently, there was a heroin epidemic among American soldiers in Vietnam. The army feared they would send these soldiers back to the States as raving addicts, which would be disastrous. To address this concern, they commissioned a study to follow these soldiers upon their return to the U.S.

What they found was astonishing. The change in environment and routine was so drastic that less than one percent of the soldiers, I believe it was around 0.2%, actually continued to use heroin after returning home. This highlights the importance of location and routine changes. If you're struggling and always go to the same coffee shop and order the same thing, try a different one. If you always drive the same way to work, take a different route. These small changes can help us break out of negative patterns.

Then we get to verse nine, where God has the first conversation with Elijah. Elijah went into the cave and spent the night in that place, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him.

The Lord came to Elijah and said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah responded, "I have been zealous for the Lord of hosts. For the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with a sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life."

We see here a couple of things. God has a conversation with Elijah at the appropriate time, asking him a question designed for self-reflection: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" This is a personal question, a self-assessment. However, Elijah's response is interesting. He starts by asserting, "I have been zealous for the Lord of hosts. I've done the right thing. I've been correct in all of this." He does not acknowledge any part of the situation as his fault. Instead, he erroneously recounts or exaggerates his circumstances to make his behavior seem legitimate. He presents his situation in a way that reinforces his belief that there is nothing wrong with him or his response.

Elijah then expresses a feeling of isolation and a complete lack of hope, stating that he is all alone and that they are going to kill him. In response, God tells him, "Go and stand out on the mountain before the Lord." He instructs Elijah to leave the cave, stand at the mouth of the cave, and see what happens.

Behold, the Lord passed by, and a great strong wind tore into the mountains, breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Following the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice.

Notice that Elijah has not moved yet. Scripture does not indicate that he responded during the windstorm that was breaking rocks, during the earthquake that was shaking the mountain, or during the fire falling from heaven. All of these events would normally elicit a response from us. The last time we experienced a small tremor, everyone in our house was aware and reacted. However, it does not record Elijah responding at all to anything until the still small voice.

God was not in the destruction. He wasn't in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. But the thing that broke through, the thing that reached Elijah, was a still small voice. Scripture does not record what that still small voice said. That's a message personally for Elijah, which gives me hope because it means that God personally cares about us and will respond to each of us in a way that is personal and important to us.

So it was, in verse 13, when Elijah heard the voice that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out to stand at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah hears the still small voice, grabs his mantle—his symbol of authority, his symbol of his prophetness—and wraps it around his face because he knows that he cannot look upon the face of God. He goes to the edge, making the movement to the entrance of the cave. He is moving towards God at this point.

God asks him the exact same question: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The question didn't change; it still forced introspection and self-reflection. Having heard the voice of God, of course, Elijah's response is completely different, right? No. He responds in exactly the same way. He said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord of hosts because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They've torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life."

Elijah repeats the exact same response: "I've been faithful. Nobody else has. The people hate you, and they've gone rogue. I'm the only one left, and now they're coming for me." Notice the subtext running through this. "I did what you asked, and it hasn't worked. God, I did what you called me to do, but the children of Israel have turned away. They've killed the prophets with the sword, and now they're coming after me. I'm the only one left. There's no hope. There's nothing."

I listened to you, and nothing has worked. In effect, saying, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why have you left me alone here? Why is everything falling apart?" We know from what God tells him in just a little bit that this isn't true. We know that Elijah is looking at this incorrectly, but notice what God doesn't do. God doesn't berate Elijah. He doesn't lose his temper. He doesn't encourage him to get over it. He just responds with instructions. He's so much better than we are. It's like, "Just stop it, Elijah." But he doesn't do that.

The Lord said to him, "Go and return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. You shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king over Israel, and Elisha, the son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. Whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved 7,000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."

In God's response, we see a couple of things. God gives Elijah the assurance that those who are doing wrong will be judged. "Elijah, I am going to take care of it." That reminder that justice will come is important. We don't always get to see justice. Sometimes we ache for justice, but we don't get to see it. Justice belongs to God, and our trust belongs in Him. But sometimes that's really hard to see.

Then He says, "You're going to have a friend, a successor, and an exit." He tells Elijah that he is going to find Elisha, who will take up his mantle. He will be Elijah's Padawan, if you will, in Star Wars terms. Elijah is going to train him up, raise him up, and he will take over for Elijah, which means there will be an opportunity for Elijah to be done. There is hope. There is an exit.

He also lets Elijah know that he is not alone. There are 7,000 faithful people out there—7,000 people who have not bowed the knee or kissed Baal.

His work is not in vain. His mission and purpose have not changed. God has not discarded Elijah but has taken the time to minister to him and to send him out again. The comfort, though, is that God is at work in the nation and bringing justice. God also tells him he will have a companion and a replacement, and that there are many more who are faithful that Elijah did not know about. It is comfort and gentle correction at the same time.

So what in the world does any of this have to do with thankfulness or gratitude? What is the connection? Let's go back to our main verse here, 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." It is God's will in Christ Jesus that we would be thankful, and we know because God's commands are for our benefit. He tells us here in this verse that it is good for us. It is good for us to be thankful.

In your outline, if you're taking notes, God wants us to be thankful in everything for our benefit. God's commands are for our good. This has been proven over and over in Scripture and in our lives. In our own experiences, we see that God's commands are for our good.

Now, in this case in particular, we have a lot of scientific evidence that gratitude is protective against depression. There are four particular ways that I wanted to highlight. First, there are direct protective effects of gratitude on depression. It counters negative thought patterns. Being thankful helps to counter negative thought patterns.

Second, gratitude increases positive emotion and life satisfaction. It builds psychological resilience, enhances our self-worth and self-esteem, and reduces feelings of hopelessness. Gratitude is so powerful.

Third, it has social benefits that help to buffer depression. It strengthens our social connections. When we express gratitude to each other, we make connections. It's really hard to be distant from somebody who comes to you and says, "Thanks for what you did. It really meant something to me." It creates and makes those connections stronger.

Finally, gratitude increases our perceived social support. We're reminded that, oh yes, there are people that I'm connected to.

There are people that I can reach out to. It reduces feelings of isolation, encourages help-seeking behavior, and improves relationship quality. There are also neurobiological impacts, which are always fascinating. I love brain science.

Gratitude boosts the production of dopamine and serotonin, which are feel-good chemicals. These are the things that make us go, "Oh." That's why God created baby animals and baby humans with oversized heads and eyes; we look at them and think, "Oh, they're so cute." Dopamine and serotonin are God's way of reaching into our brains and doing what we wouldn't normally think about. They reduce stress hormones like cortisol, the damaging stress hormone. As we express gratitude, our brains are actually changing how they work. Isn't that great?

The same thing happens through prayer and worship, by the way. The pathways in the brain are changed and reinforced as we show gratitude. It improves our sleep quality, which affects mood, and it may increase neuroplasticity, which is super important as we get older or as we deal with brain injury or illness. There are certain behavioral changes that promote healthy coping strategies. Gratitude increases the likelihood of exercise, encourages social engagement, improves self-care habits, and reduces engagement in depressive behaviors. Gratitude is so powerful; it is like a wonder drug without having to take a drug.

How do we promote gratitude in our own lives? There are some scientifically evidence-based gratitude practices that have been specifically studied for depression. I love this stuff; I love geeking out on it. One of the structured practices we can do is the "Three Good Things" exercise, where you write down three good things that happened that day. Include a note of why they happened. Reflect on your own role in those things. For example, if I hadn't gone to a particular place, I wouldn't have seen something wonderful. I did a good thing by going to that place.

This exercise is best done right before bed, and studies show it will be much more effective than other methods.

Scrolling on your phone before bed can lead to insomnia and all kinds of wonderful things. That's why none of us do that, right? Right. None of us do that. Studies have shown that this can start having an effect within weeks, where your mood will change within that time.

One effective practice is gratitude letter writing. I love this one. Write detailed thank-you letters, not like the ones we used to have to write to Grandma when she'd give us something. We would just say, "Thanks," because our mom made us write it. No, be detailed. For example, say, "Hey, I saw that you did this. Thank you so much." After the first service, I actually received a detailed email from someone, and I thought, "Hey, listen. Write out detailed thank-you letters." Focus on underappreciated people, those you don't think are normally appreciated. Describe the specific impact that their actions had. Be detailed.

What I loved about this practice is that it can be delivered or kept private. However, I think that's the biggest cop-out in the world, isn't it? Writing a detailed thank-you letter and then not giving it to someone seems super selfish to me. So go ahead and deliver it. This practice has been shown to boost moods for weeks.

Now, this is the granddaddy right here: a gratitude visit. Write a letter of appreciation and read it in person to the recipient. This is a particularly powerful intervention. When you sit there and read this letter to the person, the effects can last one to three months. Imagine if we made a habit of this—finding someone every month and saying, "You know what? I'm going to go and read them this letter." It will make them feel good, and it will make me feel good for one to three months. We could potentially do this four times a year and change our mood for the entire year.

A couple of other things you could do include a morning gratitude meditation. Make it part of your prayers. Lord, thank you for this, and be specific. Thank you, Lord, for this. They knew what they were doing when they wrote that little song, "Count Your Many Blessings, Count Them One by One." Gratitude is so important. Lastly, there's gratitude reframing, where we take negative thoughts and find an alternative, grateful perspective.

And we practice this throughout the day. When my air conditioner dies, I could look at that and go, that air conditioner was installed in 1973. That air conditioner was 50 years old when it died, which is old for an air conditioner. It is not normal for it to last that long. This is God's blessing for me and my family. For many years, this would have been prohibitive; we would not have been able to pay for this. God says, I'm going to keep that thing going. I'm going to keep that thing running until you're at a place where it's not convenient, but it's not ruinous. I could look at that and say, thank you, Lord, for keeping that thing running for 50 years. It's a year younger than I am, Lord, and it has served over and over. I can reframe that and turn it into something where it's like, man, that is such a blessing.

We can do that in these opportunities. First Thessalonians 5:18 once again says, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." In everything give thanks; it's God's will in Christ Jesus for you. In case we missed the message, the Holy Spirit had Paul jot it down again in a slightly different manner, especially pertaining to what we're talking about. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. It says don't be anxious for anything. Then it tells us, but in every situation, especially those that would cause anxiety, especially those that would trigger depression, in those situations, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Point three in your outline, if you're taking notes, is that we know it is God's will for us to be thankful. It's very clear. He said it over and over. It is His will for us to be thankful. God, what's your will for me today? Be thankful. Okay, no, but what's really your will? No, no, be thankful. That's what I want from you.

We looked at things that can hinder us from being grateful, depression in particular. We also looked at ways that we can increase gratitude in our lives. If there was only an opportunity where we could get together and express gratitude, if there was only a day where we could all come together as our whole family...

There was a time when we could celebrate with a big meal, rejoice together, and express gratefulness to each other. We could call it Grateful Day or Thanksgiving. If only, right? We have an opportunity this week, in a couple of days, to live out God's will in our lives by being thankful, by being grateful, and by expressing that to each other and to Him. Let's grab this Thanksgiving and celebrate it fully. Let's not waste it.

Giving thanks requires acknowledging that something was done for us. We are thankful because something or someone did something for us. The most important thing we have to give thanks for was done on a wooden cross a couple of thousand years ago, where the sinless Son of God offered Himself as a sacrifice and payment for our sin. Our sin requires death; we've earned it. But our debt was paid when God sent His sinless Son to die on our behalf so that we could be freed from sin. We can be freed from that debt, a freedom that becomes ours when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was sacrificed on our behalf, rose again, and sits at the right hand of God the Father. Scripture says He is making intercession for us, standing before God the Father and saying, "No, no, no, it's okay, I covered that."

When we have those opportunities and we make the worst of them, when we fail and fall short, Jesus is there saying, "No, no, no, I got that, I covered that." On those days when everything looks bad and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, He is there saying, "They're mine, I got them."

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let's make sure we remember the gift that makes all of the others possible. If you haven't put your hope and trust in Jesus yet, you can do so today.

You don't have to wait. It doesn't have to be another day, another Thanksgiving that goes by where you carry your own sin. Jesus wants to take that from you. We would love today to join you in thanking God for His most precious gift.

I'm going to pray, and the worship team is going to come forward. We're going to worship a little bit.

Heavenly Father, there are so often so many things, Lord God, that we allow to keep us from being thankful. There are so many things that we end up involved with, Lord, that decrease our thankfulness. Our selfishness often pulls us out of the way. Sometimes we struggle with things that we feel like we shouldn't, and sometimes it just feels like we can't get away from it. And yet, You love us. You love us and You watch out for us. You minister to us, Lord. You save us.

On top of that, You sit at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for the freedom. Thank You for paying our debt. And Jesus, thank You for giving us the power to follow what You call us to do, Lord God, to keep Your commandments.

Lord, help us to be thankful. Help us, Lord God, to reach out to the people around us and to let them know what a gift.