Conspicuous Gratitude (cont'd)

You know anybody in your heart, all I have on I have a heart full of love but wasn't in your heart has to be express in order for the benefit anyone tell me you love me, show me you love me gratitude like love is an action word hello and welcome to this Thursday. Addition of Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Thanks for spending part of your day with us. So let me ask you is there anyone in your life, to whom you're grateful a friend, parent, a coworker just think it say in the time to say it is now. Today's Destin for victory messages straight ahead, stay right here or visit.net to listen on demand any time that's pastor Paul.net you can also listen to or subscribe to the Destin for victory podcast at Apple podcast or wherever you go to get now must join Pastor Paul first message conspicuous gratitude so you all you close all because you been hurt people hurt you all former spouse or whatever hurt you and you got some people who abuse you in your past parental abuse and stranger abuse and some of you people in key points in your life did you wall and so you shut down and closed all and you've gotten some really angry and harsh and bitter and you are close then, but when you close the doors and windows and shutters of your life trying to protect yourself from what you also do is shut out to help and I came to tell you. God wants to really see you. He wants to bring you to a place where you allow the right people to play the right role in your life so they can help you get where God stake in the past. I like the first half of the message better.

It was more chilly now you all up in my business, yes, but I'm not gonna stand me I just need to let you know that you need to open your cell but not every body but the people story. I'm here to help you get where you're going and when they tell you the truth. Do yourself a they don't have it in for you. Just because they're not affirming you all day every day doesn't mean that they don't love you. Sometimes you have to people to heal people don't believe me ask a doctor they can perform any of the surgeries that people need without hurting them, but they'll give you as much anesthesia knockout do whatever it is and do the deed work and then as they bring you to give you pain medications to try to help you get yourself together. Don't try to live a pain-free life.

The only way to limit free life to live a life where you shut out everything and everybody all right therapies over and get back to my message now. Gratitude demonstrates heartfelt appreciation for your MVPs, your most valuable people. Now for those folks in your life. Well they can come in a variety pack some of them may be blood relatives or adoptive relatives. People who have literally been family to you.

Not all of them are MVPs.

But God wants to raise up some who can be a blessing to you MVPs doesn't include relatives.

Perhaps it includes mentors people who brought you along a key point in your life will part of your educational growth and that processing your life. Sometimes it's friends that God will just raise up for you and sometimes you really don't have history. But when you meet, you know it's a bit behind connect. That's what happened with Jonathan and David. The Bible says they met and as they got to know each other. God knit their hearts together. The Bible says Jonathan love David like his own soul and those men walk together in real company. Gotta give you covenant partners. Again, if you open yourself up, God will bring some people in the church in a healthy church. Gotta connect you with folks so that you cannot only do charts together, but you can do life together when you get outside of the sanctuary when you close all the virtual servers you still need people in your life, Monday through Saturday only works right.

When somebody who knows the Lord like you know him will walk with you will check in with you will covenant with you will hear you when you are hurting will advise you when you are ignorant of what you need to do will assist you in some practical ways and you need to be open and when God gives you those kinds of complement conventions. Those kinds of people you need to learn to express gratitude to them now. Why do I kind of other categories I to go into all them, but you probably know better than I some of the categories of people who have made a positive difference simply sit down and say for the people that in these years of my life have made no real positive impact on my life. Some of them were in the past in a certain season if they hadn't been for them.

You never got through that season summer in your present and some need to hear from you that you really recognize them. You need to open up to them and you need to thank God for them now. Why do I call this message conspicuous gratitude. Glad you asked the question you asked such great questions. Glad you asked.

Why is this message conspicuous gratitude. Here's why. Because gratitude is only invaluable when spoken or demonstrated in a helpful and timely way.

Put that on the screen.

If you can. Gratitude is only valuable when Ken or demonstrated in a helpful or timely way. Let me say one more time, somebody is not locked in.

Listen to what Pastor saying gratitude is only viewable when it's spoken or when it's demonstrated in a helpful or timely way. See some people say all I'm very grateful. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that no one very, very grateful. Listen the gratitude in your heart. Do anybody any good cycle in your heart know I have a heart full of love wasn't in your heart has to do something has to say something has to be expressed in order for the benefit anyone. Don't tell me you love me, show me you love me and so gratitude is like that gratitude in your heart really help anybody. It needs to express himself with words and actions.

It needs to be a combination of what you say why, along with what you're doing to prove that what you say is legitimate and I will know what to write this message up until I help you understand that God wants you to learn to practice gratitude that is conspicuous story is told, a woman who went to a funeral just minutes before the service started. People had been viewing and gathering and what have you matter in their seats and in just a moment the minutes of the walkout and the service will begin and this woman got there just moments before the official start. All the flowers and the sprays were upfront, along with the casket and she walked in with a big pot of soup and she put the soup up there right next to one of the flower sprays and and she walked viewed and she went to her seat. The family was outraged and incensed woman come in here with so see mom this sacred environment by doing such a thing and somebody just spoke out to her and said you are all bringing so to this service, how you mock our loved one. You know Sam is you know Sam can't eat that soon the lady said excuse me, but if Sam can smell the flowers. Sam can eat this soup.

Let me tell you something extra we will fly contrary to our 10 somebody we never bothered to pick up the phone and speak to while they were ill and coming to see me on the need to learn that gratitude must be spoken and expressed a helpful and timely way. Sometimes your grateful what is tonight we bring to light too late for it to benefit the person you're grateful for. I need you to understand I need you to think about it. Look at what we do and to become funerals I been Sabin. My dad was a pastor. I grew up going to funerals. All my life I was one of those kids. I just love hanging out with my dad and sometimes you have to do if you or something them and the other my other siblings were nestlings and I want to hang out with him as I go.

I went to more funerals with him just wanted to hang out but I did it matter is, I've seen people put on flat out shows and funerals.

Just carrying on just what in the world is the matter with this family that will hold families. We knew one of them died. All you got to go be a serious portion of total people just go crazy laid out in the floor. Try to get in the Next the second half of today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Sheppard. First we want to thank all of you whose prayers and financial support help Esther Paul share the gospel all over the world this past years presented us with new opportunities for ministry so your support is critical today. Although we see hope on the horizon as a relates to the pandemic. We do need your help to be able to continue to share the hope that only can be found in Jesus. So as God leads. We would ask you to prayerfully consider making a generous gift to Destin for victory today. You can do that by calling 855-339-5500 to give over the phone or visit.net to make a safe and secure donation online.

If you're grateful to someone in your life. Make sure to say it out loud.

But don't just be grateful for them openly grateful to them consistently as pastor Paul with the rest of today's destined for victory message. Conspicuous gratitude will treat you will have to put on a floor show when they die. And we need to learn that gratitude is at its bass when it's spoken constantly throughout one's life. Don't tell me you're grateful for me and while listening was last time I idler all yeah yeah you got three years ago. You did express how grateful you were now I need to know if I'm still blessing you let me know.

From time to time you appreciate it and we made a sense of God that gratitude is part of how we give honor to God how we express humility toward other people and gratitude also helps us demonstrate heartfelt appreciation for the MVPs in our lives because God has given all of us. Some folks who have been nothing short of a blessing and you need to demonstrated so make the mistake of waiting too late. Don't make the mistake of waiting until a person is dead and then doing the nicest things for them when they're alive. That's the time to do it.

Don't make the mistake of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea is a war they look in your body when you get chance I won't turn to, and in the interest of time in your Bible. I want you to notice what the Bible says Jesus crucifixion about two gentlemen, one's name is Nicodemus you can learn about him and you can learn about a man named Joseph of Arimathea. Let me just mention two passages you want to look at if you're not familiar what I'm saying. John's gospel chapter 19 verses 39 through 42. Again, I'm not going to walk you through them and Matthew's gospel chapter 27 versus 57 through 60.

Just note those John 1939 through 42 and Matthew 2757 through 60. Why do I point them out, because after Jesus died without these men love them and were grateful for him. Both of them were Pharisees. Pharisees were not counsel that actually condemns Jesus the seas among the Jewish religious leaders were in the highest counsel in their religious organization and a Jesus. Jesus greatest trouble came from Pharisees, but to them secretly admired him to them secretly followed him. You know about Nicodemus because you thought about him way back in John chapter 3 and again we were walking an interesting time but you know about Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night and then later on you find out after the crucifixion, about a man named Joseph of Arimathea he to was a Pharisee of them were secret followers of Jesus of them loved and admired him, but neither of them went on the record until after he died both on the record as doing something nice for him after he died. You'll find when you look at those passages that Joseph Arimathea said I tell you what high am going to donate my personal towing the one that I had hewn out of rock. He was a rich man. The Bible tells you he was rich and so he put them in our lab in stone that he himself expected to be married in but he said I'm going to get this to this man that I love and admire and he gave them his own. Two. Nice gesture, although the fact was, he will only need it for the weekend could come Sunday morning. He was did not going on but all that Joseph inexpensive tone to him and we find out that Nicodemus was the one that made sure that he was wrapped properly and buried properly, and all that these men went out of their way to take care of undead Jesus. I want to tell you. Don't wait too late.

Don't wait too late. Don't do your best stuff to somebody after they be while they're here is when it counts. While they can see your love in action while they can hear your words of affirmation, that's the time to demonstrate your conspicuous gratitude. Don't be a secret admirer.

People need a secret admirer. People need a conspicuous admirer. Somebody was on the record find the people be MVPs in your life and go on the record, I love you. I appreciate you not anything shaking all the time, but the fact that they care about you and they show it and they do right by you on a regular basis that is what the of your conspicuous gratitude. Don't be one of the people who can hardly get up a compliment out of yourself, but we wanted people, somebody who cooks a great meal for you and you don't even have the decency wow that was great. Thank you see anybody so prideful never get one of the missionaries I grew up knowing a mother Brazil said she was at the home of a man whose wife was just fabulous crooked chief. She really went all out. That just made the most lavish wonderful meals and she said we were my husband and I were there with her and her husband had this wonderful meal. My husband was going on and on. All my goodness, thank you so but this is an and I was joining then yes this is the woman's husband just sat there just disgruntlement because we finally made it self-conscious because we work going on and on about the food that he was a get pretty good and she said I want to say why don't you be a man and say hi thank you for this meal and some people are so full of themselves that they don't even know how to be grateful, much less be conspicuously grateful for my brother, my sister, I pray that you and I will never be in that company so you can show gratitude, you know some of the most helpful people will make you believe they don't need anything from you all. I'm back in therapy him stops will be printed. Now here he come to therapy again. Sometimes people who are the greatest caregivers are folks who specialize in making you feel like they don't need anything don't be pulled. They don't quote unquote needed, but they would sure appreciate it. That's what happened back in the book of second Kings chapter 4 when Elisha and his servant would stop by showing him and the woman assured him she was rich and she and her husband built sweet for them to live in in their home when Elisha and Guy Hayes.

I would come through town. She acted like I just want to be a blessing and she did.

But one day Elisha said wait a minute I can stay in this lady's house all the time. She and her husband have been so good to me and I do nothing, so he said to his servant asked her what can we do to be a blessing to her.

My brother, my sister, I want to tell you find of MVPs in your life if you can find out without asking leave a better, but if you don't know and you have to ask him do that so that you know what what are some of the things I could do for you know such a blessing to me.

I appreciate I know you're not going to get anything back but I just want to find a way to bless you and look at her response.

She said no I'm good.

He said, can I speak to the commander of the Army when you're not on good my security just cannot speak can I do not know I'm good. She couldn't even think of what she needed. She was giving just to be a blessing to him but to Hayes.

I said well one thing I know she got having children. She's been married for a lot of years and having children and her husband is old, not as a prominent express in those days from the date but especially in those days and Elisha said, I feel the word of the Lord rising up in me and he spoke to her and said this time next year you can have a baby boy and she saw many God, please don't.

Don't you know what she was transcendent.

Don't know blow smoke.

Just try to make me feel good.

I don't don't don't do that to me. I've been walking and contentment.

I want to stay content. Don't get me worked up over having a baby again, but he won blow smoke you speak a word of the Lord, and you know like I do that next year she had a bouncing baby boy. You need to find the MVPs in your life and if you can find out apart from them do it if you can find out how can I be a plus.

Continue because we need to demonstrate gratitude to the folks in our lives who are the MVPs in your life, your most valuable people.

Be sure to express your gratitude to them and do it on purpose tell them out loud. Tell them openly and tell them consistently.

Your pastor Paul Shepherd launch the destiny for victory program to help reach the world for Christ and also to help people grow in their faith, but he didn't build the ministry alone and he can't sustain it alone takes people like you men and women from all walks of life were committed to praying for the ministry and offering financial support when you can as you give your generous gift today. We have a gift of her own to share with you pastor Paul's booklet built on a solid foundation during his earthly ministry, Jesus told his followers that storms and trials are inevitable but surviving them depends on how strong the foundation were built upon in this booklet. Pastor Paul describes the importance of building our lives on the rock, which is the word of God and explains the blessings that come from doing so. That's built on a solid foundation or gift to you by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory call us at 855-339-5500 to give over the phone or visit.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

I want to ask you, are you in a crowd that's preventing you from seeing the glory of God. And if you are going to have to make some special arrangements because Jesus is coming for you. He's looking for you and you're going to have to be in a position where you can see him and he can see you that's next time and pastor Paul Shepherd's message. He's looking for you. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory