Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I'm sooo excited!
As you know, Thanksgiving is a time of the year where we all get together with family, gather around the table, eat food and talk about what we're most thankful for.
The problem with Thanksgiving is that there are things we tend to forget about.
1. We forget Who we are thanking.
I can be thankful for something but easily forget that God is the One who has blessed me with those things or those people. I am not in control of my life, God is. I didn't decide to be born, God did. I didn't save myself, God did (through Jesus). I didn't bless myself with the blessings that I have, God did. So, remember Who it is who has blessed you with what you have.
2. We forget that we don't deserve it.
How can we be truly thankful if we think we deserve the things that have been given to us? Let me rephrase that...
How can we thank the Sovereign God, who holds everything together if we think we deserve the things that He has allowed us to have?
Are you convicted yet? If not, then let me explain more.
You and I are sinners. We have rebelled against God. One sin is worthy of eternal death forever. Well my friends, it saddens me to say but I know that all of us have sinned more than we could even count. So, how much are you worthy of eternal death and punishment? Let's just say...it's obviously what we all deserve. Ephesians 2:1-3 says,
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
At the beginning of the passage it doesn't say, "And you were DYING in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked." Nope. That's not what it says. It says, "And you were DEAD in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked".
We are so sinful that we are (or were) spiritually dead. How can a dead man (or woman) be made alive again? I'll tell you in the next point. But do you see how unworthy we are of any blessing? We don't even deserve to be alive on this earth. So, remember that every gift you receive is something you don't deserve.
3. We forget about the biggest blessing of all.
Okay, so to answer the previous question, "How can a dead man (or woman) be made alive again?" let's look back at Ephesians 2. Starting at verse 4 it says,
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved" Verses 4-5
The ONLY way we can be made alive is through Christ's blood. Check out Romans 10:9:
"if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Wait.....saved from what??? If we trust in Christ then we will be saved from the punishment that we truly deserve. God sent Jesus to die for our sins in our place to save our dead souls.
Sooo......what does this have to do with being thankful? It has EVERYTHING to do with being thankful. If we trust in Christ and NOT in ourselves for righteousness then God will allow us to be with Him one day in heaven.
That is truly the greatest gift anyone could ever receive. If you are a believer then this is the gift that you should be most thankful for. If Christ has given you eternal life...then what more could you want? Any other gift that you receive is just an added bonus to this amazing gift.
Thank Christ for His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead daily. For you truly don't deserve it.
4. We forget to continue to be thankful.
For me personally, I don't thank God nearly enough. In God's word it says that we need to be,
"giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20
And to,
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks always and in everything? Give thanks in all circumstances? So...even in our trials??? Yes, we should thank God even in our trials.
Now lets look at Romans 8:28-29:
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
We can be thankful because God uses our trials and suffering for good. That good is becoming more like Christ. Isn't that awesome??? He is so gracious to us!
Well, I hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving! And don't forget to thank the One who has created you! ;)
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