4 Things to be Thankful for This Thanksgiving
A time to be thankful.
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
As today is a reminder to be thankful, let’s consider a few things we ought to be thankful for every day - not just on Thanksgiving.
A Time to Be Thankful for Our God
Psalm 107 calls for “the redeemed” to praise God for His goodness, steadfast love, and wonderful works He has done to us. I hope you will take a few moments to read Psalm 107 and be thankful for Who our God is and what He has done to bless your life.
Be Thankful for God’s Goodness.
Psalm 107 begins by saying, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!” When we remember that God is so powerful, He merely “spoke” the world into existence (Genesis 1-2), how thankful we ought to be that He is “good!”
Rulers in our world who have great power but are bad are called “dictators” and “tyrants.” How terrible it would be to live in a land where a tyrant rules! But isn’t it wonderful and comforting to know that our God is “good?”
In His goodness, He cares about those who are not good by “teaching” and “guiding” them in His way (Psalm 25:8-9).
Be Thankful for God’s Steadfast Love.
The first verse of Psalm 107 goes on to praise God for “His mercy” or His “steadfast love,” which “endures forever.” Not only is God good, but He continues to be merciful, kind, and loving. We ought to be thankful that God is “rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us” (Ephesians 2:4)!
Our God is “full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15). God loves us so much that He sent His own Son into this world to die in our place for our sins (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Be Thankful for God’s Wonderful Works.
Psalm 107 describes how God heard the cry of His people in trouble and “delivered them out of their distresses" (Psalm 107:6). God “satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9).
The psalmist described a people who had fallen and become helplessly enslaved. God “brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces” (Psalm 107:14).
Four times in Psalm 107, the psalmist declares that people should give thanks to the Lord “for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107: 8, 15, 21, 31). When something is repeated, it is emphasized. Considering all God has done, we should be thankful for His wonderful works.
A Time to Be Thankful for Our Savior
1 Timothy 1:12-17 begins with Paul writing, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord…” As Paul considered his life when he wrote to Timothy and thought about what his life used to be, he expressed thankfulness for what Jesus had done for him.
All Christians should be thankful for the same things Paul was thankful for in 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
Be Thankful Jesus Gives Us Strength.
Paul thanked Jesus for enabling or giving him strength and appointing him to His service. Paul knew that once he had been “without strength” (Romans 5:6). Yet, Jesus’ death for him meant that now he had been forgiven of his sins by the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9). In Christ, he had been given strength to serve God (Romans 6:13-17).
None of the things we can do in service to the Lord would be possible without His death in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21). It’s such a blessing to be able to serve God, but that blessing is not possible without the gift of His Son (John 3:16).
Be Thankful Jesus Gives Us Mercy.
Paul knew who he had once been – “a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.” He also knew that he had “obtained mercy” through Jesus Christ. He wrote of the “exceedingly abundant” grace of Jesus and the “faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” Paul was thankful that God gave him something different than what he deserved (Romans 6:23).
Without the mercy of Jesus Christ, we would all receive what we rightfully earned – death and eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). Every day we get to live on this earth as a child of God (1 John 3:1) ought to be a reminder of God’s abundant mercy and matchless grace He has shown us in His Son.
Be Thankful Jesus Gives Us Life.
Paul was thankful that God showed him mercy and longsuffering in Christ Jesus “as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” In Christ Jesus, we “have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Knowing that he deserved death for his sins, Paul expressed his thankfulness that God offered him eternal life through His Son.
What a tremendous hope we have in Jesus Christ – the resurrected Son of God! We should always remember that our hope of eternal life would be worthless if Jesus never rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12-26). Because of Jesus’ sinless life and powerful resurrection from the dead, sinners who deserve death can have hope of eternal life with God!
When we consider Jesus, we have so much to be thankful for!
A Time to Be Thankful for the Bible
The Bible is God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Psalm 119 describes the blessings of God’s word and the many benefits God’s word has for us. Some of the blessings and benefits of God’s word that we should be thankful for include the following:
Cleanses Our Way.
“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word” (Psalm 119:9). Cleansing does not come from continuing to walk our own path, but by listening to God’s word and following His way. Peter reminded Christians that they had “purified” their souls “in obeying the truth” (1 Peter 1:22). Those who submit to God’s way are the ones cleansed by the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:8-9).
Revives Our Souls.
“My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:25). We are spiritually revived through God’s word. Peter reminded Christians that they had “been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God…” (1 Peter 1:23). Growing spiritually and bearing fruit for God begins with the seed - which is God’s word – being sown into our hearts (Luke 8:11, 15).
Strengthens Our Souls.
“My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:28). God’s word is full of His promises to be a source of strength and refuge for His people. Moses praised God for being his “strength and song” (Exodus 15:1-4). David praised God for being his “refuge and strength” and “a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). When we are feeling weak or discouraged, God’s word strengthens our souls by reminding us of His promises.
More Valuable Than Riches.
“The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver” (Psalm 119:72). David wrote that the Lord’s judgments are “More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold” (Psalm 19:10). A person who has God’s word and keeps it is better off than the wealthiest person on earth who ignores God’s word (Matthew 16:26).
Forever Settled in Heaven.
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). Peter reminded Christians that God’s word lasts forever. “Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Peter 1:23-25). We can trust God’s word because it doesn’t change. The truth remains the same.
How thankful we ought to be for the Bible – the word of God! What a blessing His word is to us!
A Time to Be Thankful for the Church
Paul told many of the churches he wrote to that he was thankful for them. Let’s examine some of the reasons why he was thankful for them.
For Fellowship in the Gospel.
Paul was continually thankful for the church in Philippi (Philippians 1:3-5). They helped Paul in many ways, including financial support (Philippians 4:15-18). The church in Philippi was a long-time supporter of Paul’s missionary work, and he was thankful for the fellowship they shared in taking the gospel to the lost. When we look around at the church, we should be thankful for a group of people who share with us in the gospel and take that good news to others.
For Gifts by God’s Grace.
Paul told the church in Corinth that he thanked God for the grace God had given them (1 Corinthians 1:4-8). The Christians in Corinth had been blessed by God and came up short “in no gift” (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). While some used their miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit improperly, Paul was thankful that God had so richly bestowed these gifts upon them. We don’t have the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit today (1 Corinthians 13:8-13), but our brethren are still talented in many different ways. We should be thankful for the many talents in the church.
For Faith in Difficult Times.
Paul was thankful for the faith of the Christians in Rome (Romans 1:8). They faced difficult circumstances and remained faithful to the Lord. As a result of their steadfast endurance, their faith was spoken about throughout the whole world. We ought to be thankful for the example of faith we see in the church today – especially from those facing difficulties.
For Love for Others.
Paul was also thankful for the faith and the love that the church in Colosse had for all the saints (Colossians 1:3-8). While discrimination was common among Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, slave and free – the Christians in Colosse were an example of what it meant to love one another in Christ Jesus. Be thankful for the love your fellow Christians demonstrate for others.
For Work in the Kingdom.
Paul thanked God for the “work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope” that the church in Thessalonica had “in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4). This church understood their purpose in having been “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). We should be thankful to our brethren who serve in the Lord’s kingdom!
Our God, our Savior, the Bible, and the church are only four of the blessings in our lives that we should be thankful for!
And not just on Thanksgiving, but every day!
Amen
Beautiful! I shared this .