How To Be Thankful
1. How Can I Show My Thanks?
2. How To Show Our Thanks For Our Church
3. How To Show Our Thanks To The Lord
4. Giving Thanks For Our Veterans
5. Sharing Christmas Memories
6. How To Show Our Thanks For God’s Word
7. How To Show Gratitude For Our Gifts
8. Show Thanks By Serving The Lord
9. Prayer, Faith, Peace, Thankfulness
10. Showing Thanks For Friends
11. Being Thankful For Forgiveness
12. Being Thankful To God For Supplying All Our Needs
13. Showing Thanks For Love
14. I’m Thankful For Answered Prayer
15. Jesus Gave Thanks For Loaves And Fish
16. Continue In Prayer
17. Showing Thanks For A New Day!
18. Being Thankful For Eyes To See
19. I Am Thankful For Ears To Hear
20. I Am Thankful For My Voice
21. We Can Show Our Thanks By Using What We Have For The Lord
22. Be The One That’s Thankful
1. How Can I Show My Thanks?
Throughout the month of November I often try to write about something I am thankful for each day. I was thinking about it, and praying that God would show me His direction. I feel like the Lord is leading me to write about how we can show our thanks to God and to others. Let’s find some scriptural answers on, “How can I show my thanks?”
2. How To Show Our Thanks For Our Church
My list of things to be thankful for is never complete without the thanksgiving I have for our church. I have been going to Pine Grove Baptist Church over 35 years. God’s Word is preached and taught every service. We love Pastor Rick Byerly and his wife, Susan. The people are like family. We worship, sing, pray, and fellowship together. We can show thanks for our church by being faithful in attendance, and praying for our church and its members. We can be an active member. We can invite others to visit and welcome those who come. We can reach out in love to those who can’t attend. I am thankful that God placed me in Pine Grove those many years ago. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:16-17)
3. How To Show Our Thanks To The Lord
Psalms is a wonderful book of songs and praise to our God. Psalm 100 tells us how we can show our thanks to our Lord through our worship and songs of praise. Each line of this Psalm is a message of thanksgiving to our God!
“1 <<A Psalm of praise.>> Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100)
4. Giving Thanks For Our Veterans
Today is Veterans Day and I am thankful for our veterans. In addition to telling them we are thankful, we should pray for them, and for our leaders.
“1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:1-4)
5. Sharing Christmas Memories
My daughter enjoys her Christmas villages and she asked me if I still have mine. So I looked and I found it. It always had a place on the piano until my collection of Snoopy stuff took over the space. I also found the first stockings I made for our children back in 1980. And Annie just sent me a text photo of the stockings she is making for her children. I saw a ceramic tree with the little plastic bulbs that are popular again so I went to the attic and found my old one. The date etched on the bottom is 1977. I think we got it the first year we were married in 1978. I am going to make a vintage space this year. I have some Fisher Price toys that the grandchildren play with that are from the 1980s. I am thankful for Christmas memories. Watching “Charlie Brown Christmas” is a favorite memory I have from growing up. I still enjoy hearing Linus recite from Luke 2. My children know I like it and my Peanuts collection grows a little every year. It also reminds me of my Grandpa Moyer Beasley reading from Luke 2 every Christmas Day with my aunts and uncles and cousins all squeezed into the small room. I am so thankful for Christmas memories and I could go on and on telling about them. One way I show that I am thankful for these memories is making new memories with my family. It is fun to see my daughter share some of the same joys of Christmas with her children. It is a blessing to know my grandchildren are being brought up in church, just as Michael and I were, and just as we brought up our children in church. I remember my Mom baking cookies with me, and I baked cookies with my children, and it is such a joy when the grandchildren come over and we bake cookies and other goodies. I am so thankful for the old memories, some reaching back to when I was a child, and the new memories that I get to make every year, not just at Christmas but all year long. “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” (Psalm 16:6)
6. How To Show Our Thanks For God’s Word
As we talk about being thankful for God’s Word, the obvious thing we can say is to read His Word and to obey His Word. Do we pick and choose which parts of God’s Word we want to obey? I decided to do some deep cleaning before getting my Christmas decorations out. When I was standing on a step stool and dusting the built-in book shelf in the living room I noticed that the dust on the top shelf was unbelievable. Whenever I would clean the room, I dusted the shelves that I could reach. I only cleaned the parts that show. I was thinking about that and I wondered if we do the same thing with our lives. Do we try to follow what is right that shows, with the way we dress, our actions, and our conversation, and neglect the part that doesn’t show, like our thoughts, our pride, or judging others? If we are thankful for God’s Word and His guidance, then we can show our thanks by following all of His Word, and not just the parts that show. Jesus told His followers, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:14) We also have this reminder in James 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
7. How To Show Gratitude For Our Gifts
Gifts. With the colder weather, I think more and more about gifts. It is so hard to come up with things to get for our family for Christmas. The grandkids range from almost 4 years old to 19. And I try so hard to come up with something special for our kids and their spouses. Today I want to talk about the gifts that God has given us. Jesus is our special gift. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” (II Corinthians 9:15) James tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
We are to say, “Thank you” and show gratitude. “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” (Ephesians 5:20) Whether your gift is singing, teaching, or the gift of helps, one of the best ways to be thankful to the Lord for our gifts is to use them for Him. I was reading in Romans and Paul gives us some really good advice on how we can show the Lord thanks for our gifts.
“6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” (Romans 12:6-13)
8. Show Thanks By Serving The Lord
Yesterday we talked about gifts and we must talk more about showing thanks for our gift of Salvation. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” (II Corinthians 9:15) Preacher John Byerly recently preached a sermon on, “Serving The Lord”. He told how the Samaritan woman at the well served the Lord by telling others about Jesus. We can show our thanks to God for His salvation by taking the gospel message to someone else. First of all, she simplified the message, “Come, see a Man.” We can tell others, by telling them to come and see Jesus. We can invite them to church to come and see Jesus. Next, she told them that Jesus knows all about us. “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29) She told them that this was “the Christ”, letting them know that Jesus can forgive us of our sin. We can all share the gospel message.
9. Prayer, Faith, Peace, Thankfulness
January will mark three years since my cancer surgery. Often in my prayers I ask the Lord to help me not get cancer again, if it’s His will. Thursday I had a CT scan, which my oncologist schedules as a precaution since I was not able to finish the chemotherapy. He called me shortly after I got home. I knew it couldn’t be good news for him to call me so quickly after the test. A spot showed up on the scan which had not been there before. He scheduled an MRI for Monday as a follow-up to see what’s going on. I listened quietly, and after hanging up, I cried, as I told Michael the news. Then I prayed. I asked the Lord to strengthen my faith to trust Him more, and for peace. The Lord gave me peace and sweet assurance through faith. I thought about not telling the news until I could find out more, but I know that there is power in prayer. I know that I have family and friends who will pray for me. I don’t know what may show up on Monday in the new scan, but I do know that my Lord is still in control and I am on the path that He has for me. I don’t know what will happen next week, next month, or next year, but I do know that my Lord will be with me because He has promised to never leave me. Following prayer, faith, and peace, is thankfulness. I am thankful for the promises of God. I am thankful for the presence of God, even during our darkest storms. And I am thankful for the peace of God, the peace that passes all understanding. I desire your prayers.
“6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:6-8)
10. 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)
11. 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.
12. 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 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)
13. 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)
14. I’m 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!
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. Showing Thanks For A New Day!
Good Morning! If you are awake and reading this, then that means God saw you through another night. You have been given the gift of another day. A brand new day! You may have obligations, or physical restrictions, but you have a choice in how you will approach this gift of time. This is Thanksgiving week, so let's choose an attitude of gratitude. Be thankful for the food you have to eat. Be thankful for your family or friends. Be kind to those you meet. They may not know the peace that comes from knowing the Lord Jesus. Share the joy of the Lord. Bask in His love. "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
18. Being Thankful For Eyes To See
I was reading one day and I thought of how it is really amazing that I can look at some small characters on a page, and my brain processes those strings of letters into words and I understand them. I can look at some musical notes on a page and messages are sent to my fingers to press keys on a piano to play a tune. At the same moment my foot presses the pedal in rhythm to the beat. At the same time I am looking at the notes, my eyes see words and I hear the music and I can open my mouth and sing the song.
Our eyes are like windows that we open in the morning to see the light. "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:" (Ecclesiastes 11:7) Our prayer for our eyes today is two-fold. "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." (Psalm 119:18) Use your eyes to read your Bible and see the things of God. Also, shield your eyes from the things you should not be looking at. "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes:..." (Psalm 101:3) I am thankful for physical eyes to see, and also for eyes that open to us the window of knowledge and understanding.
"17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power," (Ephesians 1:17-19)
19. I Am Thankful For Ears To Hear
Not only am I thankful for eyes to see, I am also thankful for ears to hear. My hearing has been getting worse over the past few years and it was getting harder and harder for me to hear my grandchildren. I finally got some hearing aids this summer and it has helped. I am hearing things that I missed… prayers in church, the sweet voices of my grandchildren, quiet conversations, and even the birds that sing. I am thankful for ears to hear because that’s how the Lord spoke to my heart as a young girl. My grandpa Moyer Beasley was preaching about the rich man in hell and I fell under conviction and asked the Jesus to forgive me of my sin and save me. That was a long time ago and the Lord has been with me all this time, all the way. Jesus said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15) Have you heard that Jesus saves? Please believe on Him today.
“13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:13-17)
20. I Am Thankful For My Voice
Happy Thanksgiving. I can send this message of Thanksgiving far and wide through emails and on Facebook. It is so convenient to text or message my family and friends a personal, “Happy Thanksgiving” message. When the Lord brings someone to my mind I pray for that person and send a text of encouragement. These are quick and convenient ways to keep in touch with those we love. But, there is something I am even more grateful for… a voice. It means a lot to me when someone sends me a message of encouragement and lets me know that a prayer is going to heaven for me. It brings an even bigger smile when I get a phone call. There is something special about hearing a familiar voice and knowing that someone took time out of a busy day to talk to me. I am thankful for my voice. I can say, “Thank you”, when someone opens the door for me, or helps me in some way. The Lord hears our voice of weeping and distress. “Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.” (Psalm 6:8) “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” (Psalm 18:6) I can express my feelings from despair and discouragement to hope, peace, and victory through my voice. I can sing praises to my wonderful Lord through my voice. “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 104:33) I can reach the Lord with my voice at all times. “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Psalm 5:3) “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:17) We can pray, praise the Lord, and sing to Him in our heart, but on this special day of Thanksgiving, let’s lift our voices to the Lord.
21. We Can Show Our Thanks By Using What We Have For The Lord
There are many things in this world that only the rich and famous can experience. There are places that I will never be able to visit and people that I will never meet. But I am so thankful that one day I met the Savior. And I am thankful that He has a purpose for me on earth and a place for me in heaven. We don’t have to be rich or famous to serve the Lord. Let’s look at Luke 8:3. “And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.” These women ministered unto Jesus with what they had. We can all use what we have to serve Him. Some may say, “Well if Jesus were here today, of course I would give Him the best of anything I have.” Jesus said, “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came
unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:34-40) Jesus knows what we have. We need to use what He has given us to serve Him and be the best Christian we can be.
22. Be The One That’s Thankful
I was trying to think of a good Thanksgiving devotional to close out these thoughts on thankfulness as we look ahead to Christmas. And the thought came to my mind, “Just be thankful!” This made me think of the story Jesus told of the ten lepers that were healed and only one returned to tell Him, “Thank you.” Do you think we are any more thankful today? I wonder if even one in ten is thankful today for all that God has given. So, today let’s remember to be thankful! Be the one! Give thanks to the Lord! “To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.” (Psalm 30:2)
“11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:11-19)
