Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone.
Mulling over what the subject should be today, I thought, cleverly enough, that thanksgiving might be a timely subject. According to my NIV Exhaustive Bible Concordance, ‘thanks’, ‘thankfulness’, and it’s related words are mentioned 138 times. Apparently it’s important. And the vast majority of times it is mentioned, it is because we are to give thanks to God:
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” [Philippians 1:3]
“…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” [1 Thessalonians 5:18]
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” [Psalm 107:1]
And here is a verse that we can keep in mind whenever we are with family, friends, or brothers and sisters in the faith:
“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” [1 Thessalonians 3:9]
We know that God appreciates and acknowledges thanks because of the story about the time Jesus healed ten men who had leprosy:
“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”” [Luke 17:15-17]
Now I hope that everyone reading this would have been that one in ten who would have given thanks to Jesus. In fact, I’m sure of it. But consider this–on that rare occasion when we should give thanks to God, but then we don’t, that puts us in the ‘nine’ category, and no one should want to be in that group. We have too much to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Give thanks in all circumstances,
–Keith