In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

One of the most explicit Bible verses related to the matter of thanksgiving is this one in 1 Thessalonians.

This verse commands believers to give thanks to the Lord, not FOR everything, but IN everything! There is a big difference there! Certainly, we ought to be thankful, not just because we are told to be thankful, but because we have much to be thankful for!

However, I have discovered that thankfulness can be a very fickle thing. Often, our thankfulness focuses on things that are purely physical in nature. We are thankful for our health. We are thankful for our families and our homes. We are thankful for our financial stability. We are thankful for the things we have. Yet, all of these things are subject to change. Think about it, health can break, families can split up and bank accounts can run dry. What do we do then? How does that affect our thankfulness?

I would like to suggest that we remain thankful for all the physical blessings we enjoy, and that we learn to look beyond those changing things to some things that never change, which of course leads us to the spiritual, eternal things.

Let’s be thankful for our Savior:

• His abiding presence for we are never alone (Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 28:20).
• His assisting presence as “Helper” and “Comforter” (John 14:16).
• His anchoring presence; Jesus never changes, He is still the great “I Am!” (Matthew 28:18).

Let’s be thankful for our Salvation:

• The price of it; we can be thankful it is given freely without cost to us (Isaiah 55:1; Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 22:17).
• The pain of it; for us the price was low, but for God, the Father, it was unimaginable for it cost the life of His Son (Isaiah 53:4-7; John 3:16).
• The purpose of it for through it Christ Jesus is able to sanctify, to separate for God’s use those who have received His gift (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Timothy 1:12-15).

Let’s be thankful for our Separation:

• He has set us apart inwardly from the world through the redemption of the Blood of Jesus (Matthew 16:24; 2 Corinthians 6:17).
• He has created within us a new creation that is different from all those who are running to the things of the world (Isaiah 43:18; Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Let’s be thankful for our Sanctuary:

• We are reminded that we are living in a world that is constantly changing. The child of God however can rejoice in the fact that this world is not the end all for them! (Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 13:14).
• We can thank the Lord that when this journey is over, we have a city awaiting us were we can rest from our labors and where we can enjoy the sweet presence of the Lord. We do know that we will be with Jesus and that it will be a blessed home waiting every child of God! (John 14:1-3; Revelation 21:4).

Therefore, we need to take a close look at the real blessings of the Lord! Let us be thankful for all the things He gives us. Let us praise Him for our health, our families, our financial blessings and so on. Let us not take them for granted. But, let us learn to be more thankful for those things which we can never lose! Let’s learn to be ever thankful for those things that cannot change! When all the physical blessings have faded and we can find no reason for praise in them, let us thank the Lord that there are some things that will never change! In these things we have an unchanging reason for eternal thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and abundant blessings to all my brothers and sisters in CHRIST JESUS!

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.