Thankfulness Doesn't End After Thanksgiving: Building a Daily Habit

Hey, carpool crew. Maybe you're having some Thanksgiving leftovers or just catching up on a little bit of sleep. No matter what, I'm Pastor Justin and I'm so glad you're here. Happy Friday. Well, Thanksgiving might be over. The turkey's gone, the leftovers are in the fridge, and maybe you're still feeling a little full, but here's something important to remember. Thankfulness isn't just for one day. We've been talking about it all month long. Thankfulness isn't about a month of the year or a holiday on the calendar. It's something we can do every single day. Our verse is from First Thessalonians chapter five, verse 18. Give thanks in everything for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Now we've highlighted that verse before and I know that verse doesn't say give thanks on Thanksgiving. It says in everything. That means we can be thankful when things are easy and when things are hard, when we're celebrating and when we're struggling, because when we keep thanking God day after day, it starts to build something strong inside of us. Faith. Do you remember the story of Daniel? This is my son's favorite story. Daniel was taken to a far away land where he didn't know anyone. He missed home, but even there, the Bible says Daniel prayed and gave thanks to God just as he had done before. That's in Daniel chapter six, verse 10. Daniel didn't wait for everything to be perfect before he was thankful. He thanked God in every situation, and because of that, when hard times came, like being thrown in the lion's den, his faith was strong and it was steady. That's what thankfulness does. It builds endurance. It strengthens your heart like a muscle that gets stronger the more you use it. So if Jesus were sitting next to you in the car today, I think he'd say, keep thanking God, not just on special days, but every day. The more you thank him, the stronger your faith will grow. You know how when you practice something like playing the piano or dribbling the basketball, you get better the more you do it? Well, that's what thankfulness does. When you say thank you, God, every day for your family, for your food, for your friends, even for challenges you're going through, your heart becomes trained to see the good that God is doing. It's like building a thankfulness habit that grows your faith one day at a time. So don't let thankfulness stop after Thanksgiving, because thankful hearts don't need a holiday. They just need you to take a moment. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And hey parents, if you love carpooling with Jesus, make sure you subscribe to get all of our weekend episodes as well as our other shows like Goodnight Psalms and carpooling with Heroes of the Bible. This Saturday we're gonna be talking about why Christmas is important to Christians. Then on Sunday, November 30th, we kick off Advent with daily episodes leading all the way to Christmas Day. You don't wanna miss it. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts. And before you go, answer this question together. What's one thing you can thank God for, not just today, but every day this week? I'll see you tomorrow or Monday on carpooling with Jesus.