There’s much to be thankful for

As Thanksgiving has once again come upon the calendar this year, this is a wonderful season to reflect on the things of life and how many blessings there are in our lives.  Having a family is a blessing.  Having a job is a blessing.  Having a home or place to live is a blessing.  Having a church to attend is a blessing.  Having a pastor is a blessing.  Having brothers and sisters in Christ is a blessing.  Having bills that are paid is a blessing. 

People should remember there are things that they have that many other people do not have.  If individuals are not careful, they may begin to see what they are missing more than how blessed they are with what they do have within their lives.  This can be a deception that begins to breed discontentment.  One of the best methods to overcome this problem is to be thankful.  Christians, especially, should be thankful and give thanks unto God (Ephesians 5:20). 

During this time of year, many people use the Thanksgiving holiday as a reminder to be thankful, but there should be a constant attitude within the hearts of the people to be thankful all year long.  Even with this mindset, a person does not have to be thankful “for” bad situations or bad things but be thankful “in” those situations (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  What is there to be thankful for “in” those situations?  If a person is a Christian, they have Jesus as their Savior (John 3:36), God as their Father (1 Corinthians 8:6), and the Holy Spirit as their Comforter (John 14:26) and Guide (Romans 8:14). 

The will of Jesus Christ for His people is to be thankful by rejoicing and praying every day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  As Christians serve God and are faithful to Him, they begin to remember His benefits (Psalm 103:2).  This should be a motivation to serve God throughout the whole year and be thankful for Who He is as opposed to only having this attitude one day on Thanksgiving.  When God’s people have the fruit of the Holy Spirit of peace (Galatians 5:22) and the peace of Christ rules their hearts, there is a thankful attitude (Colossians 3:15). 

Thanksgiving should not only be a time of gathering with family and friends to be thankful for them but also a time for those gathered to recount or testify of what God has done within their lives that they are thankful for (Psalm 9:1).  The best testimony that any person can have is to be thankful that God sent His Son Jesus to be beaten so His people could have healing in their bodies (1 Peter 2:24), gave His life as the Supreme Sacrifice for salvation (1 John 2:2), resurrected having dominion over death (Romans 6:9), and now sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12).  With a life that is not perfect by their actions, but given power to overcome sin (1 John 5:4) and spiritual enemies (James 4:7), Christians have so much to be thankful for.