How To Be Thankful
SUNDAY
Continue In Prayer
I had the scans, and I prayed. I saw my oncologist, and I prayed. I saw the surgeon and he scheduled a date for my surgery. What do I do now? Continue in prayer. Paul reminds us to, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;” (Colossians 4:2) We begin our Christian lives in prayer. We pray to God and ask Him to save us and cleanse us from our sins. He saves us by His mercy and grace and as we go along we experience storms and trials that discourage us and toss us about. What are we to do then? “Continue in prayer.” And how are we instructed to pray? “With thanksgiving.” We don’t always understand why things happen in our lives. Changes can come suddenly and catch us off guard and we are suddenly faced with decisions that we hadn’t dreamed would come up. We may face questions and choices that need immediate attention and answers. What can we do? Many times the only thing we can do is pray and claim Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God is good. And God is still in control. When things happen that we don’t understand, we can be assured that God knows all about it. We must put our trust in the Lord… continue to pray… and give thanks to God.
MONDAY
Showing Thanks For Friends
First, I want to say, "Thank you" for all my friends and family who are praying for me. I am always honored when someone tells me that they prayed for me. God has blessed me so much with such caring friends.
There are many ways we can show thanks to our friends. The Bible tells us very simply, If you want friends, be friendly. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) It shows that we value our friendship when we are there for one another when things are hard. It is always good to have a shoulder to lean on, with sympathy and understanding. Job lost all that he had, his wealth, his livelihood, and his children and Job 2:11 tells us, “Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.” That sounds good, but Job’s friends were very hateful and critical of Job. True friends can comfort without being rude and judgmental. I searched and found a few verses that we can follow to be true friends and show thanks for our friendship.
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” (I Thessalonians 5:11)
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
“Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” (I Peter 4:9)
“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” (Romans 14:19)
Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” (Romasn 15:7)
We can even be friends of God…
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:13-14)
“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23)
TUESDAY
Being Thankful To God For Supplying All Our Needs
Sometimes I dream that I am getting ready to go somewhere and I don’t have any clothes in my closet. That is so far from truth. I currently have winter clothes in my closet and summer clothes in the spare bedroom closet. God has always provided me with clothes to wear and I am thankful. God also provides me with a place to live, and food to eat. How can I show my thanks to the Lord for giving me food on my table, and clothes to wear? Jesus tells us not to worry about food and clothes. We can also show our thanks by sharing with those who have needs. “And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.” (Luke 3:10-11) All that we have is gift from the Lord, and it is His will that we share with others.
“25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:25-34)
WEDNESDAY
Being Thankful For Forgiveness
Can you remember the burden and guilt you felt over your sin before Jesus saved you? We all sin. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:… For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:10 & 23) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) We were lost in sin. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus never sinned or did any wrong, but He came to give His life, die for us, to pay the debt for our sin. That’s forgiveness. Jesus was even willing to forgive those who put Him on the cross. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34) How can we show our thanks to Jesus for His forgiveness? By forgiving others. You may say, “But, you don’t know what he did to me” or, “You don’t understand how much she hurt me.” Jesus was hanging on a cross, and yet He had forgiveness. God’s Word tells us, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) We can show our thanks to God for forgiving us, by having a forgiving spirit towards others.
THURSDAY
Showing Thanks For Love
I am so thankful that God loved me so much He gave His only begotten Son to die for me! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) God loved me so much He adopted me into His family. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” (I John 3:1) We can show our thanks to God for His love by loving Him. In the first letter to the seven churches we see that the church of Ephesus was doing well in their works, labor, and patience, but God had one thing to say against them.
“1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:1-5)
We also show the love of God in our lives by loving one another.
“7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (I John 4:7-12)
FRIDAY
I Am Thankful For Answered Prayer
Monday I had the scheduled MRI and it was clear that I had a questionable spot that had not been there before. Thursday I had a visit with my oncologist. He had met with the surgeon and others on their team and they think it’s best for me to have it surgically removed. Because it is small he does not think I will need chemotherapy unless it comes back, which he wants to keep a check on with MRI scans. This is wonderful news for me. I had some really bad experiences with chemo in 2023 and had trips to the Emergency Room, and stopped breathing after the last two chemotherapy sessions. I am thankful that the specialists think this can be removed by surgery. The past week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me and I struggled with the unknown. I knew that the Lord is in control. I knew that He loves me and will be with me always. It was still hard, because I remembered the pain and sickness and I dreaded the possibility of going through that again. Wednesday evening Pastor Rick Byerly’s sermon was a great help to me and I want to share some of his thoughts. Maybe this will be a help to someone who is struggling.
In Romans 4 Paul tells of the faith of Abraham and how his faith grew.
1. The Faith of Salvation – Leaving All For God
Abraham left all based on God’s Word. We have salvation based on the Word of God when we leave all for God and forsake all to follow God. “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:” (Genesis 12:1-2)
2. The Faith of Serenity – Leaving All With God
Peace with God is a benefit of salvation. “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” (Genesis 13:14-15) The promises that God made at salvation are still in effect and God’s promises give us peace.
3. The Faith of Satisfaction – We Find All In God
When we accept God’s salvation, we find that God is all we need. “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)
4. The Faith of Surrender – We Yield All To God
We yield that which is precious and promised and that over which we are powerless. We have no control over things in our life and we just need to yield it to God. “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2) “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23)
As I went to bed my mind was singing, “I Surrender All”, and God reminded me of the sermon and showed me that I needed to surrender all to Him. I prayed. I didn’t tell the Lord how much I didn’t want to go through the pain and suffering again. I told God that I was giving it all to Him. I told God that whatever the outcome of this, I was trusting in Him to be with me all the way. And God gave me sweet peace that no matter what I found out on Thursday, I could put my trust in Him. At that moment the heavy burden was lifted and the sorrow that had overwhelmed me for the past week, was finally relieved. And Thursday God restored my joy!
SATURDAY
Jesus Gave Thanks For The Loaves And Fish
Most children who attend Sunday School have heard the story of how Jesus fed 5000 men, plus the women and children with the lunch from a small boy. He took the five barley loaves, and two small fish and broke them and multiplied them to feed the multitude. But first of all He gave thanks. “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” (John 6:11) The other gospels say that Jesus looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Many children are taught to “ask the blessing” before they eat. When I was young, I learned the simple prayer, “God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him, for our food. By His hands we all are fed, Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen.” Through the years I have noticed that many drop the habit of praying before they eat as they get older. It is less common to see people bow their heads and thank God for their food in restaurants. The television shows and movies of today rarely show families praying together before they begin eating. But praying before we eat is a small token of appreciation we can give to God. Jesus said, “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) Don’t be ashamed of Christ. Give thanks for your food and let that be a small witness to others that you know the Lord.
