4:13 Podcast: Your Thanksgiving Soundtrack [Episode 378]

Jennifer Rothschild: Hey, 4:13ers, this is Jennifer Rothschild. Welcome to a Thanksgiving edition of the 4:13 Podcast. I'm here with my Seeing Eye Guy, KC Wright, and it's two friends, one topic, and zero stress, and we just popped in to tell you Happy Thanksgiving.

We figure you might be in the kitchen, either cleaning up leftovers or buttering your rolls and roasting a turkey, or maybe you're in the car heading out to do some Christmas shopping early the day after Thanksgiving. Whenever you're listening, KC and I want to be a part of it, because it's Thanksgiving. And guess what we're thankful for?

Jennifer and KC: You.

Jennifer Rothschild: So welcome to the 4:13. Thanks for letting us hang out with you and your people. You know what we're going to talk about today? Guess. Okay, this will be really hard. Thankfulness.

KC Wright: Yes.

Jennifer Rothschild: We're going to talk thankfulness. And you know what? KC and I just sat in here with our coffees, we just had some protein peanut butter balls.

KC Wright: Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Rothschild: We're just going to talk Thanksgiving.

KC Wright: Yeah. We just want to encourage you from God's Word about how to develop thankfulness every day of your life, not just the one day --

Jennifer Rothschild: That's right.

KC Wright: -- of the year. So right out of this thankful gate, we want to express our own thankfulness to God for you, our 4:13ers, and all you do as you partner with this ministry of the 4:13 Podcast. It means the world to us that you allow us in your space.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

KC Wright: Because there's so many things that are vying for your affection. And it means so much that you have went to your phone, downloaded the podcast --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: -- pressed play --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: -- and you're giving us some of your time. Wow. Can we just say we're thankful for that?

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes. We are super thankful. Super thankful for you. And thankful for those of you who have left -- well, we're thankful for all of you.

KC Wright: Right.

Jennifer Rothschild: But especially thank you for leaving reviews if you've done that. That's a kind action, and I know it takes time to do it. But, yeah, we are.

And I want to know, KC -- so we're going to develop a sense of thankfulness every day?

KC Wright: Yes.

Jennifer Rothschild: You gonna tell us how? Because, like, I need to know how.

KC Wright: Yeah. You see, there is always something we can be grateful and thankful about, but we must choose to develop a grateful and thankful attitude.

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, so it's an attitude?

KC Wright: Uh-huh.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. All right.

KC Wright: In 2 Timothy 3:2, Paul, who wrote more than half of the New Testament -- thank God for Paul. We do not talk about Paul enough.

Jennifer Rothschild: No. Thank you, Paul.

KC Wright: I'm thankful for Paul.

Jennifer Rothschild: Me too. I'm thankful for him too, yeah.

KC Wright: But he said that in the last days, men shall be lovers of their own selves. And he goes on to talk about men and women that will be proud, and blasphemers and disobedient to parents. But listen, he then says in the last days, people will be unthankful.

Jennifer Rothschild: That's interesting.

KC Wright: So since we know that being unthankful will be a temptation people will be prone to fall into, we must determine in our hearts to instead run in the other direction --

Jennifer Rothschild: Amen.

KC Wright: -- and be known for being thankful and grateful. So I've just pulled out some Thanksgiving Scriptures --

Jennifer Rothschild: That's perfect.

KC Wright: -- that I just want to speak over your life and read to you. Is that okay?

Jennifer Rothschild: You know, I love hearing the Word read.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. So, yeah, go for it.

KC Wright: So the Bible commands us to be thankful, and in everything give thanks. Okay? Even if things seem to be going wrong all around us, we can stop to count our blessings. Okay? This is why it's so important to make that decision to be grateful and thankful every day of your life. When you wake up, oh, I'm so thankful he's given me another day. I'm so thankful for these slippers. I'm so thankful for this cup of coffee.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

KC Wright: I'm so thankful that I've got a roof over my head.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

KC Wright: A hot shower. Right?

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, and when you're thankful like that, KC, it helps really focus on what you've got and everything that's right, rather than everything that's wrong --

KC Wright: Right.

Jennifer Rothschild: -- which is such a temptation.

KC Wright: Well, the Bible says that he inhabits the praises of his people. So who inhabits the throne of our complaining?

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, right?

KC Wright: Right?

Jennifer Rothschild: Welcome, Satan, to my day. Could you make it worse, please.

KC Wright: I know.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right?

KC Wright: So, you know, someone once said you can praise and be raised or you can complain and remain. So I want to give you several Bible verses concerning thankfulness that you can meditate on while you're eating leftovers or just getting ready to sit down with your family.

Colossians 3:17, "And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." So this verse encourages you to give thanks to God in whatever you do --

Jennifer Rothschild: Whatever, yeah.

KC Wright: -- or are asked to do for him.

1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." So this verse says you are to give thanks to God in everything. But not for everything, in everything.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right, right, in everything.

KC Wright: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm so thankful I just got hit in my car. No, you don't want to give thanks for that. Okay?

Jennifer Rothschild: No. Right, right.

KC Wright: Well, you can be giving praise that you were protected. Okay?

Jennifer Rothschild: Right, right.

KC Wright: Psalms 26:7 says, "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works."

Jennifer Rothschild: I love that verse.

KC Wright: Yes. This verse says that we are to publish with the voice of thanksgiving. So maybe you don't publish books like J.R., or blogs or articles. But when you make your posts on social media --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: -- we all do that -- make sure you publish posts that show you have a thankful heart to God and to others. Because those are my favorite.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. You know, I'm glad you said that, KC. We need to pause at that verse because -- I've not thought of that, but publishing thanksgiving is such a witness to others, but it also changes the atmosphere.

Because, you know, when we just focus on the negative -- because there's plenty, let's be honest. We've just had an election. Things are crazy. But when we publish thanksgiving, we train our own selves and those around us to focus on the good, focus on what we have to be grateful for, and that is super powerful.

I love that, KC. I had forgotten about that verse.

KC Wright: Psalms 34:1 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Would others say your mouth is continually filled with praise and thankfulness? We need to make it our aim to be known as a thankful and grateful person.

Psalms 89:1 says, "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." Psalms 92:1-2, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto his name, O Most High, to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every single night." So this tells me that we're to start our day by thanking and to end the day by thanking.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. And you know what you do in between?

KC Wright: Thank.

Jennifer Rothschild: Thank.

KC Wright: Right.

Jennifer Rothschild: You know, it is good, the Bible says -- and by the way, KC, I love that you were reading some King James.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Some of these verses, they just are so beautiful in the King James version. But I love that phrase. It is good. It is good to give thanks. It's never going to be a negative thing. You know what I tell my people? Generosity is never a bad choice. Okay? Same concept. It is good to give thanks. It is never going to be a bad thing, my people, for us to give thanks.

KC Wright: Right, right.

Jennifer Rothschild: I love that. This is so recalibrating.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: We need this, KC.

KC Wright: Now, I'm a stickler for the Amplified Classic, and then I love the Message Bible. But when it came to these Thanksgiving Scriptures, I did, I did a Google search on the King James.

Jennifer Rothschild: There's just something about it.

KC Wright: There is.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

KC Wright: Psalms 100:4, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless his name." Does God see you as a person who is continually thankful and grateful, or someone who's just always griping and complaining?

Psalms 103:1, "Bless the Lord, O my soul --

Jennifer Rothschild: O my soul.

KC Wright: -- and forget not all his benefits."

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes. Hallelujah.

KC Wright: You know, and this psalm goes on to say, "Who heals thee of all thy diseases, who forgives you of all your sins." You know, thankfulness is such an easy place to jump into. There have been many times, you know, at church I go, "Are you thankful this morning?" and, you know, it's kind of like it falls flat. Listen, here's why you should be thankful. You're not in a hospital room right now.

Jennifer Rothschild: Exactly.

KC Wright: You're not in a jail cell right now.

Jennifer Rothschild: Exactly.

KC Wright: You're in church on a Sunday. Come on.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, it's true, KC, because it could always be worse.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: And I think sometimes unless we choose the attitude of gratefulness, we focus on the worst. And it's true, it could always be worse. So there's always a reason to be thankful.

KC Wright: Psalms 105:1 says, "Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people."

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, I love it.

KC Wright: So bottom line is, gratitude doesn't come naturally to us, but grumbling does. And so having that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 absolutely tattooed on our soul.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

KC Wright: "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God." It is the will of God for us to be thankful. We have so much to be thankful for. He's blessed us. He's taken care of you. So I want to encourage you on this Thanksgiving to turn off the complaining faucet and turn on the Thanksgiving faucet.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

KC Wright: In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you.

And I'm always reminded of the story of the little boy and his Happy Meal from the Bible. So Jesus is teaching. And what happens? People are sitting -- 5,000 have gathered on this day.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, and they're hungry.

KC Wright: Okay? Hunger pangs have set in.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Hungary crowds are not good crowds.

KC Wright: Right. And back then, they had no food trucks like we do.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

KC Wright: Okay, they didn't have the food truck parking lot. So the Lord knew that, okay, their ears are going to only last -- their hearts' receptivity and their ears being open will only last as long as the stomach -- these stomach pangs have to go. We got to fill them up.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

KC Wright: I'm filling them up in the supernatural and now I got to fill them up in the natural.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

KC Wright: So he's asking around for food, and what does he find but a little boy's Happy Meal, which is two fish and five loaves of bread. Right? Or was it the other way around?

Jennifer Rothschild: No, I think that's right.

KC Wright: I think that's right. Okay, you have to edit that part out.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, I don't know.

KC Wright: But he found a little boy's Happy Meal, two fish and five loaves of bread. Okay?

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, that is correct.

KC Wright: And the Lord does something here that I just believe is the key to the supernatural for thanksgiving in your life. He gives thanks. Now, listen, the little boy's Happy Meal is not going to feed 5,000 --

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

KC Wright: -- but he gave thanks for what was not enough and got supernaturally fed 5,000, with food left over. Because that's our God. Our God is the Ephesians 3:20 God.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yep.

KC Wright: So we pray to our God, "Lord, I've got a little boy's Happy Meal and I got 5,000 hungry mouths." But we go to God in prayer. We call, he answers; we call, he answers; we call, he answers. And he does exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask --

Jennifer Rothschild: Preach.

KC Wright: -- think according, or even imagine, and he feeds 5,000 with leftovers. So maybe this Thanksgiving is a little hard for you and you don't have enough. But can you be thankful? Because in that heart posture of being thankful for what's not enough, you just watch God. Won't he do it? He's never let you down. He's not going to start today. He's going to multiply whatever you have in front of you.

Jennifer Rothschild: So give thanks. Give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God concerning you. You can because you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. I can.

KC Wright: I can.

Jennifer and KC: And you can.

Jennifer Rothschild: Happy Thanksgiving.

KC Wright: Happy Thanksgiving.

Jennifer Rothschild: Happy Thanksgiving.

KC Wright: We love you.

Jennifer Rothschild: We sure do. I love those Scriptures. Thank you for that.