Being Thankful

Are you a thankful person? Do you give thanks to those who do something nice for you? Have you been thankful to the point of being sacrificial? Do you show your thankfulness by telling others why you are thankful? Are you thankful for all that God has done for you?

I venture to say that most of us were taught to say “thank you” when someone does something for us or to help us out. It is good that we say it, but how thankful are we in our heart? Are we thankful enough to do something in return for the other person? Sometimes we are.

There are many reasons to be thankful today. We have a place to live, clothing, food, water, and transportation. Most of us have jobs, even if only part time. My guess is no one reading this is wondering where their next meal will come from. We may wonder what the meal will be, but not whether there will be one or not.

Have you thanked God recently for His blessings? God has provided all that we have. Sometimes we like to think we have earned it. Yet, we have merely done what God has assigned us to do. God has blessed us with the job that pays for what we have. God blessed us with the skill to perform the job we have. God provided the education we received and continue to receive.

As we go into this time of thanksgiving, perhaps we should thank God first. I suggest we all take a few minutes to make a list of everything we can thank God for. No, don’t list every item of clothing, simply list clothing. Here is a short list for you to consider as a starting point:

A place to live, clothes, food, water, family, friends, a job, school, education, ability to reason, transportation, beauty of God’s creation, God’s written word, music, and you continue with your list.

The most valuable thing to be thankful for is Jesus Christ. He sacrificed Himself so that we may spend eternity with God. He provides the means by which we can talk with God. Jesus is the reason for our hope, joy, and peace. Let’s all give thanks to Him and through Him to God the Father.

While we are being thankful, let’s also show our thankfulness by doing good for someone else. Do good for your family and friends. Do good for a stranger. Do good for those less fortunate. Share the goodness in which God blessed you with others. In doing so, you will show your thankfulness to God.

I pray we all tell God just how thankful we are for His blessings. I pray we show our thankfulness by sharing with others. I pray each one of us will make a list of what we are thankful for, thereby increasing our thankfulness. Be thankful. Show thankfulness. Tell God you are thankful.

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.