November 24th, 2025
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
Thankful No Matter What!
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:25-34
Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn’t make it.
Terrified, one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!"
John answered, "I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life."
"But your daddy was a preacher – surely he taught you some sort of prayer! So pray John, pray! The bull is catching up to us."
"All right," panted John, "I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: ’O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.’"
This is the time of year when we focus on giving thanks. Hopefully, not only giving thanks, but feeling thankful.
Some of us don’t feel thankful. We feel worried. We feel like the bulls are catching up with us.
We feel anxious, concerned, lonely, distressed, or just plain bored. If we were to sit down and write a Thanksgiving letter to friends, family, and so on, how would we do it?
You know how that would go. You'd first write a generic letter, and you would copy it over and over, adding something personal at the beginning or end of the letter. But most letters would say the same thing – It would say things like, “Have a good thanksgiving, Be grateful to God…Hope you have a pleasant time with your family…”
You know, things like that.
But how would that work when writing to a woman whose son was recently in a tragic auto accident where his girlfriend was killed instantly, and he was still deep in a coma.
It is sometimes hard to give thanks.
What if you sent a Thanksgiving greeting to a friend, saying "remember to give thanks", forgetting it would be his last Thanksgiving. His cancer has spread.
It is sometimes hard to give thanks.
What about the card you might send to a relative who is struggling with a mother who can no longer remember her son.
It is sometimes hard to give thanks.
Yet in our text today Jesus is saying, “Don’t worry about your life.”
So what is your thanksgiving like?
Is it joy and gratitude, or anxiety and worry?
Sometimes it is hard to follow the instruction of Jesus and not worry about our lives.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said something very similar when wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Paul was always giving thanks to God. In another letter, he wrote, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
In 1 Timothy 2:1 Paul says, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people."
Before you say that it was easy for Jesus, Paul and others to give thanks because they were spiritual giants and had it simple; think again.
Paul talked about how difficult his life was in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. It wasn’t easy.
He said, “I have worked hard. I have been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”
Yet this is the man who wrote, “Give thanks always!”
He meant that we should be thankful when things are going great, but he also meant we should be thankful when things are not going our way.
It’s hard to be thankful when someone in our family dies or when our health is threatened. When we lose our job or go through a divorce or face a failure in our life.
And yet Paul wrote "give thanks in all circumstances."
Paul knew hard times, and he knew he should give thanks to God, even in the most difficult of situations. It is difficult to be thankful in all situations.
Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won’t think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this."
Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."
There is a story from Budapest, about a man who went to the rabbi and complained, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?" The rabbi answered, "Take your goat into the room with you."
The man was incredulous, but the rabbi insisted. "Do as I say and come back in a week."
A week later the man came back looking more distraught than before. "We cannot stand it," he told the rabbi. "The goat is filthy."
The rabbi said, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week."
A happy man returned to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat--only the nine of us."
But being thankful in all situations is not simply a matter of having a positive attitude. It is more than simply looking on the bright side.
It is difficult to be thankful when the doctor tells you that you have cancer, or when the teacher gives you a failing grade or the boss cuts your salary, or when a beloved friend dies.
Thankfulness to God is not simply a self-centered appreciation for the things God does for us, for the things God gives to us. Thankfulness to God is a God-centered appreciation for the faithfulness of God in our lives.
Can you be thankful to God no matter what?
I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and that it will be a launching point for thanksgiving every day no matter what.
This Sunday we begin our Advent celebration, preparing our hearts for Christmas. It is also the launch day for your daily readings from our Advent devotional guides. I will bring a message titled Light Dawns in the Darkness based on Psalm 112:4. We will light the first candle and celebrate Jesus.
Always thankful for and with you,
Jon
Thankful No Matter What!
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:25-34
Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn’t make it.
Terrified, one shouted to the other, "Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!"
John answered, "I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life."
"But your daddy was a preacher – surely he taught you some sort of prayer! So pray John, pray! The bull is catching up to us."
"All right," panted John, "I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: ’O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.’"
This is the time of year when we focus on giving thanks. Hopefully, not only giving thanks, but feeling thankful.
Some of us don’t feel thankful. We feel worried. We feel like the bulls are catching up with us.
We feel anxious, concerned, lonely, distressed, or just plain bored. If we were to sit down and write a Thanksgiving letter to friends, family, and so on, how would we do it?
You know how that would go. You'd first write a generic letter, and you would copy it over and over, adding something personal at the beginning or end of the letter. But most letters would say the same thing – It would say things like, “Have a good thanksgiving, Be grateful to God…Hope you have a pleasant time with your family…”
You know, things like that.
But how would that work when writing to a woman whose son was recently in a tragic auto accident where his girlfriend was killed instantly, and he was still deep in a coma.
It is sometimes hard to give thanks.
What if you sent a Thanksgiving greeting to a friend, saying "remember to give thanks", forgetting it would be his last Thanksgiving. His cancer has spread.
It is sometimes hard to give thanks.
What about the card you might send to a relative who is struggling with a mother who can no longer remember her son.
It is sometimes hard to give thanks.
Yet in our text today Jesus is saying, “Don’t worry about your life.”
So what is your thanksgiving like?
Is it joy and gratitude, or anxiety and worry?
Sometimes it is hard to follow the instruction of Jesus and not worry about our lives.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said something very similar when wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Paul was always giving thanks to God. In another letter, he wrote, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
In 1 Timothy 2:1 Paul says, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people."
Before you say that it was easy for Jesus, Paul and others to give thanks because they were spiritual giants and had it simple; think again.
Paul talked about how difficult his life was in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. It wasn’t easy.
He said, “I have worked hard. I have been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”
Yet this is the man who wrote, “Give thanks always!”
He meant that we should be thankful when things are going great, but he also meant we should be thankful when things are not going our way.
It’s hard to be thankful when someone in our family dies or when our health is threatened. When we lose our job or go through a divorce or face a failure in our life.
And yet Paul wrote "give thanks in all circumstances."
Paul knew hard times, and he knew he should give thanks to God, even in the most difficult of situations. It is difficult to be thankful in all situations.
Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won’t think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this."
Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."
There is a story from Budapest, about a man who went to the rabbi and complained, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?" The rabbi answered, "Take your goat into the room with you."
The man was incredulous, but the rabbi insisted. "Do as I say and come back in a week."
A week later the man came back looking more distraught than before. "We cannot stand it," he told the rabbi. "The goat is filthy."
The rabbi said, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week."
A happy man returned to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat--only the nine of us."
But being thankful in all situations is not simply a matter of having a positive attitude. It is more than simply looking on the bright side.
It is difficult to be thankful when the doctor tells you that you have cancer, or when the teacher gives you a failing grade or the boss cuts your salary, or when a beloved friend dies.
Thankfulness to God is not simply a self-centered appreciation for the things God does for us, for the things God gives to us. Thankfulness to God is a God-centered appreciation for the faithfulness of God in our lives.
Can you be thankful to God no matter what?
I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and that it will be a launching point for thanksgiving every day no matter what.
This Sunday we begin our Advent celebration, preparing our hearts for Christmas. It is also the launch day for your daily readings from our Advent devotional guides. I will bring a message titled Light Dawns in the Darkness based on Psalm 112:4. We will light the first candle and celebrate Jesus.
Always thankful for and with you,
Jon
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