- It's Thanksgiving season,
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which of course is a lot
of people's favorite holiday.
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Even though if we're
really honest about this,
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a lot of us have actually
forgotten how to be thankful,
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so today on Authentic,
recovering the lost art of
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gratitude. [upbeat music]
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So here we are,
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it's Thanksgiving season
here in the United States,
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and I know I didn't say anything
about Canadian Thanksgiving
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when it was October,
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so listen, my
apologies to those of you living
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on the north side
of the 49th parallel.
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I just hope you can
still pull something useful
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out of today's subject,
just use it next October.
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Today I thought it would
be nice to take a little break
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from some of the
heavier subject matter
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that we usually talk about
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and maybe just think
about the fine art of gratitude,
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because, well, the
practice of thankfulness
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seems to be a bit of a lost
art here in the modern west,
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especially in recent history.
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I mean, think about this,
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here we are one of the
most privileged nations
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in the history of the world,
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and certainly one
of the wealthiest,
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and I can testify
firsthand as an immigrant,
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an naturalized
American that we have
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an awful lot to
be thankful for here,
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and yet, in some ways I had
never heard so much in gratitude
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as I have in
recent years in a place
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where people actually
have more to be thankful for
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than many other
parts of the world.
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I mean, I know, I
know America has problems
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and it's certainly not a utopia,
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but at the same time we
should probably not forget
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that we really have
more than most, we really do.
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I remember years
ago crossing the border
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into the United
States, and back in those days,
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I was still down
here on a work visa.
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The border agent looked
at my passport and said,
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"Well, I guess
you'll be applying
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"for a green card any day now."
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I said,
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"Maybe, I don't know,
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"I don't know
what the future holds."
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Oh, he said,
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"You'll be staying.
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"Once you see what we have here,
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"you're gonna wanna
live here for good."
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Now, of course as a
citizen of another country,
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my pride was a
little bit wounded because
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the standard of living in my
country is really pretty good.
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I mean, how dare he
suggests that America
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might have
something more to offer me?
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But you know something?
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It turns out in a lot
of ways, he was right.
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I've personally
discovered that America
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really is a land of opportunity.
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Personally I
found it much easier
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to get ahead in this country,
at least back in those days,
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and I was amazed by just
how much access Americans have
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to just about
anything they want.
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Now, again, that's not to
suggest that my home country
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is some kind of backwater
where the living is hard
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because that's not true either,
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I come from a
really good place to live
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and a lot of
people love to live there,
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and still I couldn't help,
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but notice just how much
you have here in America.
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This really is one of
the most prosperous nations
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in the history of the planet,
probably the most prosperous,
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and yet at the same time
as I listened to a lot of
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my new American neighbors
talk about their country,
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I heard a lot of
complaining about
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just how bad they
thought everything was.
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And in some ways I
found that misdefined because
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as people complained
about politics, and the economy,
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and the state of society,
and a million other things,
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they were also complaining
about how many people
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were trying to
sneak across the border
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into this
country every single day.
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Somehow those two
things don't compute.
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If life in America is really
as horrible as some people say,
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then why would so
many people be willing
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to risk everything to get here?
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It doesn't add up.
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And again, I am
not gonna suggest
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there isn't
room for improvement,
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or that we don't
have some serious problems
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because obviously we do,
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but now that it's Thanksgiving,
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I thought maybe for just a
few moments, even just one day,
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you and I could try to recover
the fine art of gratitude,
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because as it turns
out, gratitude is something
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that doesn't come
naturally to most of us,
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surprisingly, it's
something you have to practice.
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Human nature being what it is,
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it seems like we have
this tendency to gravitate
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more toward discontentment
than we do toward contentment.
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And a state of
constant discontent
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will almost always give
you a miserable existence.
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So the question we
need to ask ourselves
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in light of the
fact that none of us
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gets more than a few
short years on this planet,
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the question is, why
in the world would anybody
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want to live a miserable life
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when there's a much,
much better alternative?
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I'm reminded of a
story in the Bible
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where this group of men
suddenly approaches Jesus
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and they have a
very serious problem.
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All of them are
outcasts from society,
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and the reason they're outcast
is because they have leprosy.
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Now, back in that day,
it was an incurable disease
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and it was also transmissible.
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So it meant that victims
had to be run out of town
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to go live somewhere
else in a leper colony.
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That was the only
option available to them.
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And I mean, talk
about social distancing,
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if these people ever
came near another group,
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they had to announce
their presence by crying out,
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"Unclean, unclean,"
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so that people
could get out of the way
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and save themselves.
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I mean, we think the current
pandemic is inconvenient,
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but imagine
having a deadly disease
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that completely isolates you
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from the rest of
civilization forever.
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There was no coming home,
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and there was no cell
phone, no Zoom, you were out.
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So here's the story as you find
it in the Gospel of Luke 17.
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It says,
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"Now it happened as He,"
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That's talking about Jesus.
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"Went to Jerusalem
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"that He through the
midst of Samaria and Galilee.
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"Then as He
entered a certain village,
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"there met Him ten men who were
lepers, who stood afar off."
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Now of course they had
to stand a far off because
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they had a deadly
contagious disease.
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So here they have
a legitimate problem,
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something to be
legitimately unhappy about.
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It continues in verse 13.
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"And they lifted up
their voices and said,
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"'Jesus, Master,
have mercy on us!'
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"So when He saw
them, He said to them,
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"'Go, show
yourselves to the priests.'"
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Because you see, in
order to be restored to society
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and declared healthy,
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it required an
examination from a priest.
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"And so it was," it says,
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"that as they went,
they were cleansed."
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Now, if we had more time,
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there are all
kinds of little details
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in this story we could look at,
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things like the fact
that God really cares
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about human suffering and
He notices when you're hurting.
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Or we could study
the fact that these guys
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apparently had to start walking
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in the direction of the
priest in order to be healed,
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which teaches us something
about the nature of faith.
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It's more of an
active process than passive.
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But for
Thanksgiving, just for now,
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let's zero in on what
happens next, this is verse 15.
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It says,
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"And one of them, when he saw
that he was healed, returned."
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You know, it almost
sounds like he turned around
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as soon as he knew he was better
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before he ever
got to the priest.
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"And with a loud
voice glorified God,
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"and fell down on his face
at His feet, giving Him thanks.
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"And he was a Samaritan."
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Now that last phrase is
not just a passing comment.
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Just in case some of the
culture of the biblical world
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might be new to some of you,
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lemme just take a moment and
explain what a Samaritan was.
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Back when the Assyrian Empire
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attacked the 10 northern tribes
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and took those people captive,
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they repopulated the
region with a bunch of outsiders
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they brought in from
other parts of their empire.
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And over time because
of these people's proximity
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to the tribe of
Judah to the south of them,
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these new
outsiders kinda developed
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their own version
of the Jewish faith.
00:08:07.55\00:08:10.09
They had their
own sacred mountain,
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their own version
of the Scriptures,
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and their own religious rituals.
00:08:13.96\00:08:16.12
But as far as the
religious authorities
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in Jerusalem were concerned,
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the Samaritans were a
little better than Gentiles.
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In fact, I guess
they really were Gentiles.
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And so Jerusalem
considered these people
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to be ritually unclean.
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When the
Babylonian captivity ended
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and the tribe of Judah came
back home to rebuild Jerusalem,
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they actually refused to
let the Samaritans participate
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in the
reconstruction of the temple,
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so the Samaritans
went and built their own.
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People traveling from Jerusalem
would go out of their way
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to avoid traveling
through the region of Samaria
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if there was any
other conceivable way
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they could get to
their destination because
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they didn't want to set foot
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on what they considered
to be unclean territory.
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So this one leper,
the Samaritan was somebody
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that most of Jesus' followers
considered to be unclean
00:09:04.77\00:09:08.21
even if he didn't have leprosy,
00:09:08.21\00:09:10.11
but to make matters worse, he
did have this dreaded disease,
00:09:10.11\00:09:13.21
and so I guess in
some ways we could say,
00:09:13.21\00:09:15.25
this man was
considered doubly unclean,
00:09:15.25\00:09:18.99
and yet out of the 10 lepers
that Jesus healed that day,
00:09:18.99\00:09:22.52
this is the only guy
who came back to say thanks.
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He's the only one.
00:09:26.16\00:09:28.36
It continues now in verse 17,
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"So Jesus answered and said,
00:09:31.63\00:09:34.64
"'Were they're not ten cleansed?
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"'But where are the nine?
00:09:36.91\00:09:38.34
"'Were they're not
found any who returned
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"'to give glory to God
except this foreigner?'"
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Notice now how Jesus recognizes
this man's outside status,
00:09:43.91\00:09:48.28
and well, that's for the benefit
00:09:48.28\00:09:50.05
of those who are
watching what's happening.
00:09:50.05\00:09:52.32
"And He,' it says,
'Jesus said to him,'
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"'Arise, go your way.
00:09:54.89\00:09:57.26
"'Your faith
has made you well.'"
00:09:57.26\00:09:59.89
So here's what we've
gotten in this story,
00:09:59.89\00:10:02.50
even though it
doesn't really say it,
00:10:02.50\00:10:04.83
I think we can probably assume
00:10:04.83\00:10:06.74
that the other nine
lepers were not Samaritans,
00:10:06.74\00:10:10.54
they probably came from
a more privileged class,
00:10:10.54\00:10:14.48
and yet the only one,
00:10:14.48\00:10:15.98
the only one who
actually practiced gratitude
00:10:15.98\00:10:19.48
was the outsider.
00:10:19.48\00:10:20.92
The man who had less to be
thankful for than all the rest.
00:10:20.92\00:10:25.25
And that might just be a
really important lesson for us,
00:10:25.25\00:10:28.56
some of the most
privileged people
00:10:28.56\00:10:30.43
who have ever lived on
the face of this planet.
00:10:30.43\00:10:33.40
I'll be right back after this.
00:10:33.40\00:10:36.13
[light music]
00:10:36.13\00:10:37.37
- [Announcer] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:10:37.37\00:10:39.50
Sometimes we don't
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00:10:39.50\00:10:42.90
but that's where
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00:10:42.90\00:10:45.34
it's our guide to a
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00:11:03.56\00:11:05.79
- You know, I wish I could just
remember all of the details,
00:11:07.36\00:11:10.10
but I remember listening
to the radio a few years ago,
00:11:10.10\00:11:13.64
really decades ago
and I heard this guy who,
00:11:13.64\00:11:16.50
if I remember this
correctly, didn't have any feet,
00:11:16.50\00:11:19.34
and he was forced
into a life of begging.
00:11:19.34\00:11:23.48
And again, if I'm
remembering this correctly,
00:11:23.48\00:11:25.48
he also had some
additional health challenges
00:11:25.48\00:11:27.68
that made his
life really unpleasant.
00:11:27.68\00:11:29.98
He had nothing going right.
00:11:29.98\00:11:32.49
And somebody was
talking to him on the radio,
00:11:32.49\00:11:34.82
I think it might've
even been one of those
00:11:34.82\00:11:37.33
on the street interviews,
and they asked this guy,
00:11:37.33\00:11:39.89
"Why are you so happy?
00:11:39.89\00:11:41.50
"What are you happy about?"
00:11:41.50\00:11:43.13
And that's when this man
started to recite a poem,
00:11:43.13\00:11:45.70
and fortunately, I
remember just enough lines
00:11:45.70\00:11:48.90
from this poem to be
able to track it down
00:11:48.90\00:11:50.64
and bring it in today.
00:11:50.64\00:11:52.01
Some of you have
probably heard this
00:11:52.01\00:11:53.51
at some point in your lives,
00:11:53.51\00:11:54.71
but I think it
really bears repeating.
00:11:54.71\00:11:56.98
It's by John Paul Moore,
00:11:56.98\00:11:59.28
at least the version
that I found online in,
00:11:59.28\00:12:01.28
and instead of
hearing this in my voice,
00:12:01.28\00:12:03.82
I want you to imagine
the voice of a homeless man,
00:12:03.82\00:12:06.62
somebody begging
on a street corner
00:12:06.62\00:12:08.92
because that's
the way I heard this.
00:12:08.92\00:12:11.26
So when they asked this guy,
00:12:11.26\00:12:12.49
how in the world
he could be happy,
00:12:12.49\00:12:14.23
here's how he
responded by saying this,
00:12:14.23\00:12:16.83
"I've never made a fortune,
and I'll never make one now,
00:12:16.83\00:12:19.93
"but it really doesn't
matter 'cause I'm happy anyhow.
00:12:19.93\00:12:23.20
"As I go along my journey,
00:12:23.20\00:12:24.71
"I'm reaping
better than I've sowed,
00:12:24.71\00:12:26.94
"I'm drinking from the saucer
'cause my cup has overflowed.
00:12:26.94\00:12:30.68
"I don't have a lot of riches
00:12:30.68\00:12:31.95
"and some times
the going's tough,
00:12:31.95\00:12:34.02
"but with kin and
friends to love me,
00:12:34.02\00:12:35.95
"I think I'm rich enough.
00:12:35.95\00:12:38.05
"I thank God for the blessings
that His mercy has bestowed,
00:12:38.05\00:12:41.49
"I'm drinking from the saucer
'cause my cup has overflowed.
00:12:41.49\00:12:46.06
"He gives me
strength and courage
00:12:46.06\00:12:47.66
"when the way
grows steep and rough.
00:12:47.66\00:12:50.23
"I'll not ask
for other blessings
00:12:50.23\00:12:51.80
"for I'm already blessed enough.
00:12:51.80\00:12:53.77
"May we never be too busy
to help bear another's load,
00:12:53.77\00:12:57.01
"then we'll all be
drinking from the saucer
00:12:57.01\00:12:59.61
"when our cups have overflowed."
00:12:59.61\00:13:02.44
Now, I don't know about you,
00:13:02.44\00:13:03.91
but when I first heard
that I suddenly realized,
00:13:03.91\00:13:05.61
hey man, I'm more like the
nine lepers who never came back
00:13:05.61\00:13:08.75
than I am like that Samaritan,
00:13:08.75\00:13:10.22
the social outcast who
took the time to say thanks.
00:13:10.22\00:13:15.22
I mean, look,
I'm not a wealthy man
00:13:16.42\00:13:17.66
by any stretch
of the imagination,
00:13:17.66\00:13:19.09
and I've got lots of
problems in my life, believe me,
00:13:19.09\00:13:22.16
but I'm also not begging
on a street corner today.
00:13:22.16\00:13:24.80
And as far as the
global population is concerned,
00:13:24.80\00:13:27.07
I'd have to say that, you
and I, we're all one percenters.
00:13:27.07\00:13:29.94
I know that doesn't really mesh
with most people's thinking,
00:13:29.94\00:13:32.67
but it's true if
you think about it.
00:13:32.67\00:13:34.58
I have traveled the world
00:13:34.58\00:13:35.94
and I have seen
real grinding poverty.
00:13:35.94\00:13:38.58
And even a hard
life here in America,
00:13:39.71\00:13:41.72
difficulties here are better
00:13:41.72\00:13:43.49
than some of the
places I've seen.
00:13:43.49\00:13:45.89
I've seen a man with 14 kids
subsisting in a 10 by 10 hut.
00:13:45.89\00:13:50.89
I've had poverty stricken
mothers in India run up to me
00:13:52.29\00:13:54.46
as I'm walking
through the village
00:13:54.46\00:13:55.80
and they try to
give me their children
00:13:55.80\00:13:57.80
because they can't
afford to feed them,
00:13:57.80\00:13:59.33
and they think
I'm a rich American
00:13:59.33\00:14:01.07
who can take them back home.
00:14:01.07\00:14:03.04
Here at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:14:03.04\00:14:04.74
we sponsor a home
for girls who are rescued
00:14:04.74\00:14:07.28
from the horrific
world of human trafficking,
00:14:07.28\00:14:10.01
and most of them were forced
into childhood prostitution
00:14:10.01\00:14:13.15
because of the devastating
poverty they were born into.
00:14:13.15\00:14:16.92
Look, I've seen
suffering on a scale
00:14:18.05\00:14:19.69
that sometimes
keeps me awake at night.
00:14:19.69\00:14:22.02
I remember the
day that I climbed
00:14:22.02\00:14:23.89
into a cellar
behind a church in Rwanda
00:14:23.89\00:14:25.96
where the bones of
thousands of genocide victims
00:14:25.96\00:14:28.76
were stacked on shelves,
and I found this tiny skull,
00:14:28.76\00:14:32.43
it must've come
from a two-year-old
00:14:32.43\00:14:34.00
and it had been
sliced in half by a machete.
00:14:34.00\00:14:37.67
And here I am living
in the wealthiest country
00:14:37.67\00:14:40.51
in the history of the world,
00:14:40.51\00:14:41.78
and if I'm
really honest about it,
00:14:41.78\00:14:43.18
I'm probably more
prone to grumbling
00:14:43.18\00:14:45.11
than most of the people I've
met live in these other places.
00:14:45.11\00:14:48.68
And I don't know why it is,
00:14:48.68\00:14:50.72
but it always seems to me like
the people who have the most,
00:14:50.72\00:14:54.06
spend the most time complaining.
00:14:54.06\00:14:55.92
And honestly, there's
something wrong with that.
00:14:55.92\00:14:58.83
Every year we dedicate
just one day to thankfulness,
00:15:00.30\00:15:02.70
one out of 365,
00:15:02.70\00:15:04.73
and that's a far worse
ratio than one out of 10.
00:15:04.73\00:15:08.07
So what would happen if we
actually tried to make gratitude
00:15:08.07\00:15:10.71
a more regular
part of daily life?
00:15:10.71\00:15:12.47
What if we just took more time
00:15:12.47\00:15:14.48
to recognize how
good we really have it?
00:15:14.48\00:15:17.55
You know, right now it
seems like this country
00:15:18.71\00:15:20.22
is more polarized and less
happy than it ever has been
00:15:20.22\00:15:23.35
at least in my lifetime.
00:15:23.35\00:15:25.39
Every so often, you know,
00:15:25.39\00:15:26.89
I go and waste a little bit
of time perusing social media,
00:15:26.89\00:15:29.12
and I can't help but notice
00:15:29.12\00:15:30.53
that that's getting to
be a very unhappy place.
00:15:30.53\00:15:33.09
In fact, some days there's
really nothing social about it.
00:15:33.09\00:15:36.63
And one of the
biggest things I'm noticing
00:15:36.63\00:15:38.30
is just how many people
wanna blame somebody else
00:15:38.30\00:15:40.94
for everything that
goes wrong in their lives.
00:15:40.94\00:15:43.67
It's a non-stop barrage.
00:15:43.67\00:15:45.77
Y'all what's
wrong with this country?
00:15:45.77\00:15:47.31
How dare you
believe what you believe?
00:15:47.31\00:15:49.78
And you know, I think it might
be the illusion of anonymity
00:15:49.78\00:15:52.41
that makes us
behave like that online,
00:15:52.41\00:15:54.35
always at each other's throats,
00:15:54.35\00:15:56.62
but what if we
were just more thankful?
00:15:56.62\00:16:00.36
Again, I'm not saying
you don't have problems
00:16:00.36\00:16:02.16
because most people do,
00:16:02.16\00:16:03.66
and I'm not saying we
live in some kind of paradise
00:16:03.66\00:16:05.83
where nothing needs
fixing because we don't,
00:16:05.83\00:16:08.66
but just how much does
complaining contribute to fixing
00:16:08.66\00:16:11.67
it? The answer is it doesn't.
00:16:11.67\00:16:14.10
And not for a minute
would I dare to pretend
00:16:14.10\00:16:16.67
that I'm not
part of the problem,
00:16:16.67\00:16:17.81
because I am, I love grumbling,
00:16:17.81\00:16:20.38
so maybe I'll be
the first to admit
00:16:20.38\00:16:22.04
that I need to improve my
capacity for thankfulness.
00:16:22.04\00:16:26.21
I know that most
of you are familiar
00:16:26.21\00:16:27.62
with the Ten Commandments
00:16:27.62\00:16:28.85
or at least
you're aware they exist
00:16:28.85\00:16:30.45
because they're such a formative
00:16:30.45\00:16:31.99
part of Western civilization
or at least they used to be,
00:16:31.99\00:16:35.86
and out of those
Ten Commandments,
00:16:35.86\00:16:37.33
there's one that doesn't
really get much airplay because
00:16:37.33\00:16:40.06
well, most people forget it.
00:16:40.06\00:16:41.53
And ironically the one we forget
00:16:41.53\00:16:43.43
is the one that begins
with the word, remember.
00:16:43.43\00:16:46.13
It says,
00:16:46.13\00:16:47.40
"Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
00:16:47.40\00:16:48.87
"Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
00:16:48.87\00:16:50.94
"but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
00:16:50.94\00:16:54.34
"In it you shall do no work,
00:16:54.34\00:16:55.64
"you, nor your
son, nor your daughter,
00:16:55.64\00:16:57.28
"nor your male servant,
nor your female servant,
00:16:57.28\00:16:59.78
"nor your cattle,
00:16:59.78\00:17:01.12
"nor your stranger
who is within your gates.
00:17:01.12\00:17:03.28
"For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth,
00:17:03.28\00:17:05.85
"the sea, and
all that is in them,
00:17:05.85\00:17:07.46
"and rested the seventh day.
00:17:07.46\00:17:09.86
"Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day
00:17:09.86\00:17:12.23
"and hallowed it."
00:17:12.23\00:17:13.86
So now you're wondering,
00:17:13.86\00:17:15.33
what in the world does that
have to do with Thanksgiving?
00:17:15.33\00:17:16.87
Well, for quite a few years,
00:17:16.87\00:17:18.83
Jean and I have deliberately
taken the time to observe
00:17:18.83\00:17:21.47
the Sabbath the way it's
described in that commandment.
00:17:21.47\00:17:23.97
Not out of some
kinda legalistic impulse
00:17:23.97\00:17:26.71
to try and win points with God,
00:17:26.71\00:17:28.78
but because we became
convinced that the Sabbath
00:17:28.78\00:17:30.75
must have been
designed as a gift for humanity.
00:17:30.75\00:17:33.58
After all Jesus said,
the Sabbath was made for man.
00:17:33.58\00:17:37.99
And so we started
making the effort to keep it.
00:17:37.99\00:17:41.62
On Friday night at sunset when
the biblical Sabbath begins,
00:17:41.62\00:17:44.39
we deliberately
put aside our work
00:17:44.39\00:17:46.43
and all of our
worries for 24 hours
00:17:46.43\00:17:48.20
until the sun
goes down the next day.
00:17:48.20\00:17:50.07
And we gathered the
kids in the family room,
00:17:51.20\00:17:52.77
Jean would put out a
special platter of food
00:17:52.77\00:17:54.94
and we lit a couple of candles
00:17:54.94\00:17:56.27
and recognition
of this special time,
00:17:56.27\00:17:58.47
we read Bible
stories, we prayed together
00:17:58.47\00:18:00.74
and I've gotta say,
00:18:00.74\00:18:01.91
it became a real
highlight in our house.
00:18:01.91\00:18:04.45
And one of the things we
often did as the evening began
00:18:04.45\00:18:06.95
was to just go around the circle
00:18:06.95\00:18:09.12
and list what
we're thankful for.
00:18:09.12\00:18:11.32
I remember one
time having company over
00:18:12.52\00:18:14.16
and they joined us
as we lit those candles
00:18:14.16\00:18:16.49
and we began to
rehearse our gratitude
00:18:16.49\00:18:18.36
and I'll never
forget the response.
00:18:18.36\00:18:20.00
They said,
00:18:20.00\00:18:21.20
"Wow, it's like you
guys have Thanksgiving
00:18:21.20\00:18:23.23
"every single week."
00:18:23.23\00:18:24.87
And it's true, we kinda did.
00:18:24.87\00:18:26.37
So I mean, try to
imagine what might happen
00:18:26.37\00:18:28.80
if every single
week you took time off
00:18:28.80\00:18:30.74
from all your problems,
00:18:30.74\00:18:32.17
you didn't even let
yourself think about them,
00:18:32.17\00:18:34.14
and you added 52 extra
Thanksgiving days, every single
00:18:34.14\00:18:39.15
year. What would that be like?
00:18:39.88\00:18:40.82
I'll be right back after this.
00:18:40.82\00:18:42.95
[light music]
00:18:44.39\00:18:45.65
- [Announcer] Here at
the Voice of Prophecy,
00:18:45.65\00:18:46.59
we're committed to creating
00:18:46.59\00:18:47.82
top quality programming
for the whole family.
00:18:47.82\00:18:50.03
Like our audio adventure
series Discovery Mountain.
00:18:50.03\00:18:53.53
Discovery Mountain
is a Bible based program
00:18:53.53\00:18:55.96
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:18:55.96\00:18:58.30
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
00:18:58.30\00:19:01.07
from this small mountain
summer camp in town [mumbles]
00:19:01.07\00:19:03.94
with 24 seasonal
episodes every year
00:19:03.94\00:19:06.44
and fresh content every week.
00:19:06.44\00:19:08.58
There's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:19:08.58\00:19:11.78
- Today I enjoy associating
with a group of Christians
00:19:15.18\00:19:17.89
that really value the weekly
Sabbath, they see it as a gift.
00:19:17.89\00:19:21.79
And yet, sometimes
people will come to me and say,
00:19:21.79\00:19:24.03
man, if you observe the Sabbath,
00:19:24.03\00:19:25.83
that's gotta be
some kind of legalism.
00:19:25.83\00:19:28.00
You're doing this
to earn points with God
00:19:28.00\00:19:30.27
or to get into heaven.
00:19:30.27\00:19:31.47
And I guess if I was
trying to impress God
00:19:32.63\00:19:35.47
with religious observance,
they might have a point,
00:19:35.47\00:19:38.34
it would be a waste of time
trying to impress God that way,
00:19:38.34\00:19:42.11
but if you consider the Sabbath
00:19:42.11\00:19:43.58
from a biblical point of view,
00:19:43.58\00:19:45.38
if you look at
how it was designed,
00:19:45.38\00:19:47.12
you discover it
was created as a gift.
00:19:47.12\00:19:50.09
I mean, go back
to the story of Eden
00:19:50.09\00:19:51.52
and you'll find two things
00:19:51.52\00:19:52.72
that God gives the
human race as a gift,
00:19:52.72\00:19:55.36
the institution of
marriage and the Sabbath.
00:19:55.36\00:19:58.43
And you'll notice that both
of these things are relational
00:19:58.43\00:20:01.16
and that's because
of the character of God,
00:20:01.16\00:20:03.30
He's a God who
craves relationship.
00:20:03.30\00:20:06.40
Marriage the Bible tells us
00:20:06.40\00:20:07.84
is a picture of Christ's
relationship with His church,
00:20:07.84\00:20:10.61
and the Sabbath
is dedicated time
00:20:10.61\00:20:13.04
for building a
relationship with God.
00:20:13.04\00:20:15.48
Here's the way the
Bible describes it,
00:20:15.48\00:20:17.28
now in Genesis 2, it says,
00:20:17.28\00:20:20.68
"Thus the heavens and the earth,
00:20:20.68\00:20:22.32
"and all the hosts
of them, were finished.
00:20:22.32\00:20:24.25
"And on the seventh day
00:20:24.25\00:20:25.49
"God ended His
work which He had done,
00:20:25.49\00:20:27.42
"and He rested
on the seventh day
00:20:27.42\00:20:29.06
"from all His
work which He had done.
00:20:29.06\00:20:31.16
"Then God blessed the
seventh day and sanctified it,
00:20:31.16\00:20:34.13
"because in it He
rested from all His work
00:20:34.13\00:20:36.36
"which God had
created and made."
00:20:36.36\00:20:38.67
After the six days of creation,
00:20:39.87\00:20:41.40
the next thing God
did, He took a day off.
00:20:41.40\00:20:44.57
And since the Bible tells us
00:20:44.57\00:20:45.91
that God neither
faints nor is weary,
00:20:45.91\00:20:49.24
I've come to believe
that God must have established
00:20:49.24\00:20:51.45
this weekly break for
us, to set an example for us.
00:20:51.45\00:20:55.45
You know, when my youngest
daughter was just a toddler,
00:20:56.92\00:20:58.29
she had a horrible
time staying in bed.
00:20:58.29\00:21:01.16
So we would go up and
help her say her prayers
00:21:01.16\00:21:03.89
and tuck her in,
00:21:03.89\00:21:05.33
and then turn off the
lights and head downstairs,
00:21:05.33\00:21:07.50
and then five minutes later,
00:21:07.50\00:21:09.63
she was out of a room
insisting she wasn't tired yet.
00:21:09.63\00:21:12.20
So one night I decided
00:21:12.20\00:21:14.10
to help her
conquer this restlessness,
00:21:14.10\00:21:16.24
and I laid beside
her on top of the covers.
00:21:16.24\00:21:18.61
And I said,
00:21:18.61\00:21:19.67
"Now you do what daddy does."
00:21:19.67\00:21:21.58
I close my eyes,
00:21:21.58\00:21:23.08
and I took a deep breath,
and she took a deep breath,
00:21:23.08\00:21:25.58
and I said, let it out,
00:21:25.58\00:21:26.85
and she let it
out and she copied me.
00:21:26.85\00:21:29.45
And of course I fell asleep
00:21:29.45\00:21:31.09
and she got up
and went downstairs,
00:21:31.09\00:21:32.55
but you kinda get my
point, I'm setting an example.
00:21:32.55\00:21:36.16
And it's entirely
possible that your Maker
00:21:36.16\00:21:38.59
was trying to show you an
example the best way to live.
00:21:38.59\00:21:41.73
Maybe He was making a
specific sanctuary in time
00:21:41.73\00:21:44.47
so that you
could just stop trying
00:21:44.47\00:21:46.33
and struggling all the
time and just be His child.
00:21:46.33\00:21:50.14
And you gotta wonder,
00:21:50.14\00:21:51.57
what would happen
00:21:51.57\00:21:52.97
if you had that
opportunity every single week?
00:21:52.97\00:21:56.54
And what would happen if you use
00:21:56.54\00:21:57.81
that dedicated time
to practice gratitude?
00:21:57.81\00:22:00.52
You know, I don't
live an exorbitant life,
00:22:00.52\00:22:02.35
but this week I had
a roof over my head,
00:22:02.35\00:22:04.62
and I had food to eat, I
shop at Target and Kohl's,
00:22:04.62\00:22:07.59
but I have clothes on my back.
00:22:07.59\00:22:10.16
I don't own a new car, but
right now I have a reliable one.
00:22:10.16\00:22:13.50
And even though I'm feeling
00:22:13.50\00:22:15.16
the effects of aging like
everybody else, I'm upright
00:22:15.16\00:22:17.90
today, and I can
see the world around me
00:22:17.90\00:22:19.60
and I have the gift of life.
00:22:19.60\00:22:22.14
I mean, look, it is easy to
find things to be unhappy about.
00:22:22.14\00:22:25.71
Believe me, I'm a
pro, I'm good at it,
00:22:25.71\00:22:28.68
but why in the
world would you waste
00:22:28.68\00:22:30.45
this one short lifetime focusing
on everything that's wrong?
00:22:30.45\00:22:34.22
It doesn't make sense,
not when you have a choice.
00:22:34.22\00:22:37.39
Now look, I'm gonna
take one last quick break,
00:22:37.39\00:22:40.39
so while I'm away, do this,
00:22:40.39\00:22:41.79
why don't you go
and get a pen and paper
00:22:41.79\00:22:44.16
and write down just three
things you're thankful for?
00:22:44.16\00:22:47.93
You probably have
time to make it five or 10,
00:22:47.93\00:22:50.27
write them down, I think
you're gonna be surprised
00:22:50.27\00:22:52.67
by what you feel by the
time you're done with the list.
00:22:52.67\00:22:55.27
I'll be right back after this.
00:22:55.27\00:22:57.51
[light music]
00:22:58.57\00:22:59.81
- [Announcer] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:22:59.81\00:23:03.71
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:23:03.71\00:23:08.28
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:23:08.28\00:23:10.49
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:23:10.49\00:23:13.52
Our free Focus on Prophecy
guides are designed to help you
00:23:13.52\00:23:16.99
unlock the
mysteries of the Bible
00:23:16.99\00:23:18.69
and deepen your understanding
00:23:18.69\00:23:20.30
of God's plan for
you and our world.
00:23:20.30\00:23:22.76
Study online, or
request them by mail
00:23:22.76\00:23:25.17
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:23:25.17\00:23:28.10
- You know, in
addition to a weekly time
00:23:29.37\00:23:31.44
for gratitude and thankfulness,
00:23:31.44\00:23:34.21
I take the first hour of every
day for the same reason too.
00:23:34.21\00:23:37.98
In the early hours
before the office is open
00:23:37.98\00:23:40.35
and the world starts
punching me in the teeth,
00:23:40.35\00:23:42.78
I head into my little study
00:23:42.78\00:23:44.59
and I sit in my chair
and I think about my life.
00:23:44.59\00:23:47.42
You know, lately I've been
reading from the Book of Psalms
00:23:47.42\00:23:49.52
and some days, I actually
only make through a single verse
00:23:49.52\00:23:53.53
because I wanna always
slow down and ask myself,
00:23:53.53\00:23:56.10
how does what I read
actually apply to me?
00:23:56.10\00:23:59.33
Then I spend a
little bit of time
00:23:59.33\00:24:00.87
being thankful for what I have.
00:24:00.87\00:24:03.61
Believe my life has been hard,
00:24:03.61\00:24:05.87
but there's
always, always, always
00:24:05.87\00:24:08.74
something to be thankful for.
00:24:08.74\00:24:10.85
This is the time of
year when children dress up
00:24:10.85\00:24:13.15
like Puritans and Pilgrims
00:24:13.15\00:24:14.68
and rehearse the
stories of Plymouth Rock
00:24:14.68\00:24:16.79
and the hardship of that
00:24:16.79\00:24:18.22
first winter they
had in the new world.
00:24:18.22\00:24:20.59
And somehow those people
had less than we do by far,
00:24:20.59\00:24:25.13
and yet they found
more to be thankful for.
00:24:25.13\00:24:28.03
And if we're honest, we'd
have to admit that most of us
00:24:29.43\00:24:31.57
we're really like the nine
lepers who never came back.
00:24:31.57\00:24:34.57
Compared to the rest of
the planet, let's be honest,
00:24:34.57\00:24:36.97
we live a privileged existence
00:24:36.97\00:24:39.77
and we still somehow
managed to convince ourselves
00:24:39.77\00:24:42.94
that our lives are lacking,
that we've been done wrong.
00:24:42.94\00:24:47.18
You know, there's a
passage in the Old Testament
00:24:47.18\00:24:49.05
that kinda
describes how most of us live
00:24:49.05\00:24:51.12
and it's found in Proverbs 27.
00:24:51.12\00:24:54.36
It says,
00:24:54.36\00:24:55.59
"As in water face reflects face,
00:24:55.59\00:24:57.96
"so a man's
heart reveals the man."
00:24:57.96\00:25:00.40
He's about to hold up a mirror
00:25:01.23\00:25:02.96
so you can get a
good look at yourself.
00:25:02.96\00:25:04.77
"Hell,"
00:25:04.77\00:25:05.97
he says that's
literally Sheol or the grave,
00:25:05.97\00:25:08.40
"Hell and
destruction are never full,
00:25:08.40\00:25:11.44
"so the eyes of man
are never satisfied."
00:25:11.44\00:25:16.08
Just like the
graveyards in your community
00:25:16.08\00:25:18.35
never stopped
demanding new victims,
00:25:18.35\00:25:21.18
our talent for
complaining he says
00:25:21.18\00:25:23.39
never runs out of
things to be unhappy about.
00:25:23.39\00:25:26.55
If you choose to
look at the world
00:25:26.55\00:25:28.16
from the perspective
of an ungrateful heart,
00:25:28.16\00:25:30.69
you're always
gonna come up empty,
00:25:30.69\00:25:32.23
and you're always
gonna want something more.
00:25:32.23\00:25:35.33
And then over in
the New Testament,
00:25:36.50\00:25:38.43
we have the example of Paul,
00:25:38.43\00:25:40.07
a missionary who was
persecuted, relentlessly,
00:25:40.07\00:25:43.07
treated miserably, and
eventually put to death.
00:25:43.07\00:25:47.01
And here's how this man
chose to look at the world.
00:25:47.01\00:25:49.24
Just listen to this.
00:25:49.24\00:25:51.25
"Not that I speak
in regard to need,
00:25:51.25\00:25:53.48
"for I have learned in whatever
state I am, to be content.
00:25:53.48\00:25:58.09
"I know how to be abased,
00:25:58.09\00:25:59.89
"and I know how to abound.
00:25:59.89\00:26:01.86
"Everywhere and in
all things I have learned
00:26:01.86\00:26:04.46
"both to be full
and to be hungry,
00:26:04.46\00:26:07.23
"both to abound
and to suffer need.
00:26:07.23\00:26:10.40
"I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me."
00:26:10.40\00:26:14.20
You know,
Thanksgiving really easily
00:26:15.27\00:26:18.54
is my very
favorite holiday because
00:26:18.54\00:26:21.14
there's something about it.
00:26:21.14\00:26:22.41
It's just so
pure, so uncomplicated,
00:26:22.41\00:26:25.81
especially when you compare it
00:26:25.81\00:26:27.05
to a busy complicated
holiday like Christmas.
00:26:27.05\00:26:30.62
Thanksgiving doesn't
come with half the fuss,
00:26:30.62\00:26:32.62
it really seems just
to be about thankfulness.
00:26:32.62\00:26:36.39
I know for some people
it's also about football,
00:26:36.39\00:26:38.46
but really it's
just about thankfulness.
00:26:38.46\00:26:41.36
And as far as I'm concerned,
00:26:41.36\00:26:42.93
there is nowhere near
enough thankfulness anymore.
00:26:42.93\00:26:46.23
Our appetite for more stuff,
more things is bottomless,
00:26:46.23\00:26:51.24
but our aptitude for
thankfulness could use a little
00:26:52.84\00:26:55.78
work. I mean, imagine going
through life content, content.
00:26:55.78\00:27:00.42
Listen, I'll tell you what,
00:27:01.85\00:27:03.92
as soon as the
show's over, I'm gonna go
00:27:03.92\00:27:05.82
and make another list of things
that I can be thankful for.
00:27:05.82\00:27:08.92
Maybe you should go
and do the same yet again,
00:27:08.92\00:27:11.69
and maybe get your
whole family together,
00:27:11.69\00:27:13.46
encourage them all to do it
00:27:13.46\00:27:15.16
including that one
person in your house
00:27:15.16\00:27:17.27
who always, always has
something to complain about.
00:27:17.27\00:27:20.07
Make the lists, then sit
down and read them together.
00:27:20.07\00:27:24.77
And for goodness
sake, be thankful
00:27:24.77\00:27:28.08
because it's just
a better way to live.
00:27:28.08\00:27:31.05
So listen, happy Thanksgiving
00:27:31.05\00:27:33.31
and thanks for joining me today.
00:27:33.31\00:27:34.58
I'm Shawn Boonstra and
this has been Authentic.
00:27:34.58\00:27:38.52
[upbeat music]
00:27:38.52\00:27:41.19