GIVING THANKS

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In Christ, Mark

Today is a departure from the norm because with Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I wanted to take a few minutes to write about giving thanks. I could wait for tomorrow but I know most of my readers will be enjoying a nice meal with family and/or friends, feasting on some turkey and the trimmings, and watching a little football. As you do, please remember above all, to give thanks.

I don’t know what you give thanks for. Maybe before the holiday, you could take a few moments to write them down. Let me give you some things I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving.

First of all, I’m grateful to Jesus for dying in my place, paying the price for my sins, and offering me, a sinner not worthy of anything, a chance to live with Him forever one day. Frankly, without that truth, life would be void of hope.

Next, I thank God the Father for loving His mankind creation so much that He wasn’t willing to allow them to perish. And so He did something amazing. He gave His only Son as a living sacrifice to provide atonement for a lost and sinful world. We will never know any greater love than what we find in the Father (God) and the Son (Jesus). We need to give thanks for that love.

I would thank God for my parents after this. After all, had they not conceived me and brought me into the world, I sure wouldn’t be typing this today. I was truly blessed with two loving, caring parents who taught me about the Lord and how to live right. I give thanks for that. And although Dad has moved onto his eternal promise, my mother is still going strong and is a rich blessing to me.

My wife Grace, aka Amazing Grace, was the woman God used to draw me back to Him and I haven’t turned back since. We’re soon to finish our 20th year together and it only keeps getting better. Just ten years ago, she was in intensive care with her bone marrow disease and we weren't sure she would make it but God blessed her with remission and she continues to stay that way. We give thanks to God for that and I give thanks for "Amazing" Grace and all she has done for me in my life as my constant companion, confidant, and best friend.

God has blessed me with two beautiful daughters, both unique and special in their own ways. Stephanie and Danielle are both well into their adult years now and have made me so very proud in the way they have lived their lives. I give thanks for them each and every day and know the best is yet ahead as they seek and fulfill God’s purposes.

I give thanks for siblings, for my brother and brothers-in-law and my sisters and sisters-in-law. I am thoroughly blessed with so many family members who love and care about me and I can only pray that I do the same for them.

I give thanks for my church family at Bayside Baptist Church in Virginia Beach and particularly the Sunday School class I teach. God is alive and well in the hearts and minds of our body of believers and it’s such a blessing to be a part of it as we seek to glorify God by leading others to trust and grow in Christ.

I give thanks to friends, especially friends who serve as encouragers like Al Kaniss. There are just some people who show you the selfless servant nature of Jesus in the way they carry themselves. Al is just one of those people and thank you Lord for blessing my life with him and others.

I give thanks for my job after a long career in the United States Navy. I’ve only been employed with Fleet and Family Support Center Norfolk for a few months now but it has been a true blessing. I’m on a great team led by a great supervisor and I’m surrounded by a facility full of dedicated, caring professionals who come to work every day to make a difference in the lives of Sailors, Veterans, and their families.

I have a wonderful home and transportation as well as food in the pantry and refrigerator to eat. Not everyone has these blessings and I get that. This is why we never should take anything for granted and give thanks for everything, no matter how small it might seem.

I am grateful for good health and the opportunity to do the things God calls me to do. Each day we rise and take breath is a reason to praise Him for granting another day to live and love and learn.

Finally, I give thanks for the talents and gifts God has given me. I try and use them to His glory, thus why I’m so committed to write daily. I also sing and soon will be an actor for the first time, the lead in our annual Christmas Program, a dinner theater this year. I’m excited about that opportunity as God speaks through me to hopefully bring the salvation message of Jesus to all who will come.

In the final translation, there’s so much to give thanks for. And we should always be doing it, no matter what we’re going through in life, in good times and in bad. We do this because God’s word tells us to do so. It’s the defining exhortation on thanksgiving as found in the scriptures and it’s what I’ll end this devotion with. Consider these words of Paul and God as you prepare for tomorrow and beyond:

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and may God richly bless you always. If you like, write a comment to this devotion and tell everyone what you're most thankful for.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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