Thanksgiving

I was inspired by the idea of thankfulness recently. Being thankful for what we have rather than what we do not have. All of us at some point in our childhood can remember a time when our parents said to us: "Be thankful for what you have, instead of worrying about what you don't have." I remember those words well. Growing up in a single-parent household I often focused on the "have-nots" rather than the "haves" As a kid I didn't realize exactly everything I had until I began to understand the loving comfort of God. Our great provider. Looking back now I can see how the Lord always provided for my family even when times were tough. There was always a way.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. Psalm 118: 1-18

I love this Psalm because of it's repetitiveness. I once heard that anything important is worth repeating. What more can we want than for a love that endures forever! What we sometimes forget to do is trust in God's love for us. It never fades! Even when I was saved by the Lord and committed my life to Him, I still screwed up. I still made mistakes.... I am far from perfect... but I held onto the truth that God's love endures forever! All I had to do in those hard moments was ask him to restore me and set me FREE from the pain and the burdens of sin.

I often think about people who have addictions. You are so consumed by sin that they forget there is a way out. When the enemy tells us that we are stuck, that we will never change and there is no quitting our bad habits ... we can be so blind to see that there is an answer.

jesus

Jesus dying on the cross was no simple thing. The more I heard it as a kid the more it became one of those things you just heard about in church. It held no real meaning to me until I understood.

When we think about sacrifice we are often reminded of the men and women who serve and have served in our military. When we think about how much they give up to protect our nation from harm it often brings tears to our eyes. When we hear about how some of them lose their lives serving overseas our heart breaks. And we are thankful for their sacrifices in-deb ted to the measures in which they have given in order to save us.

Jesus died on the cross so that we may never be put to death for the sins we have committed. He loved us so much that the thought of us spending an eternity in hell broke His heart.

How many of us would offer to take the place of a murderer on death row? How many of us would stand in the way of a gang fight with bullets flying? How many of us would take the place of someone who spent their lives lying and cheating others?

Jesus died so that we may live. He died so that we may ask for forgiveness. He died so that we didn't have to fear the darkness anymore. He died to bring us in the light. His love endures forever.

Being thankful for what we have can be difficult when we think about what we don't have. Yet, we as Christians know that we have Jesus. We are thankful everyday for his enduring love and his provision in our lives. But what about those who don't know Jesus? What about those who live their lives not knowing what there is to be thankful for.

During this season of thanks, let's help spread the word about God and His enduring love which he gives freely.

There is hope for the hopeful.