Day 331 Give Thanks

 

11/27/2025

  "Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given
Jesus Christ, His Son"

 

At last Thanksgiving Day has arrived, and we give thanks for the goodness of our God! I am particularly grateful for His loving care today. I had a wonderful quiet time before having to focus on preparing our holiday meal. Holidays are very difficult for me, because I am not able to be with my family, whom I have not seen in many years, plus I have recently lost another close friend. Holidays are very difficult for many people due to loss or traumatic situations, but I enjoy the company of the Lord, and I am always content whether alone or with a friend or loved one. Of course having my younger son living here has been an adjustment, after living so many years alone, but we do laugh and enjoy our time together. I've been trying to cook nutritious meals, as he has a medical diagnosis of diabetes, but although I'm a good cook, according to my friends and family, I really don't enjoy it. Baking is another thing, though. That I enjoy. I made two pumpkin pies today, but when I went to put one into the oven, I touched the side of the oven and burned my finger, jerked and spilled the contents into the hot oven. I was so discouraged. I had to shut off the oven and clean up the mess, which was not easy since the oven was at 425 degrees. I muddled through in God's grace, but I admit that I did become upset. I hadn't eaten anything, so my hands were shaking, and I was weak from low blood sugar, so it was my clumsiness. Fortunately, I was able to bake the pies and finish the rest of the meal, and we have leftovers! So I do praise God for His much-needed assistance. He cares about everything that concerns us!

This is our final day of our study with CBN, 9 Days of Gratitude and Thanksgiving, and today we are looking at Jesus is the Ultimate Gift-Giver. A couple of days ago we discussed God's righteousness as it relates to Jesus in the following Scripture:

"For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Because of Jesus' death on the cross, substituting his life for ours, He who knew no sin, we are able to have fellowship with God. We are the righteousness of God only through Jesus Christ our Lord. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are transformed into His likeness, adapting His character as our own. What a glorious gift. The devotional writer explains his sacrifice as follows.

"When sin entered the world in Genesis 3, the human race was eternally separated from being in community with God. Through God’s goodness, mercy, and grace, He provided the Jewish people with strict laws to help put them in the right position temporarily with Himself as they awaited the Messiah. No matter how faithfully the Jewish people followed the laws, they had to continue making different sacrifices to atone for their sins as they waited for the Messiah to come to make the ultimate sacrifice. This would be a one-time, for all-time sacrifice." 

As believers in Christ we have passed from death to life through the death, burial, and his resurrection from the dead. The Scriptures tell us that if we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, we are saved and will inherit eternal life (Romans 10:9). This is indeed the best news one can have - to inherit eternal life. Not only that, but according to John 15 and Romans 11 we are grafted into the vine and share in the inheritance of God's chosen people. We have a responsibility to walk in this newness of life, living our lives to bring Him glory. 

As we continue to live our lives in gratitude and with thanksgiving in our hearts, we are careful to obey the commands that Jesus instructed His disciples to do before He ascended into heaven. Jesus told His disciples that they would be known as His followers by their love for one another (John 13:35). Jesus also said that they would be known by the fruit they bore (Matthew 7:16-20). His followers were upset about His words when He spoke of leaving them, but He reassured them they would not be abandoned, as He was sending the Comforter, Holy Spirit. 

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

As Jesus was preparing to ascend into heaven, He instructed His disciples in Mark 16:15-18:

"And He said to the, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.'"  

And in Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus instructed them: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 

These commands apply also to all who have received Jesus as Savior and Lord. We have been given the gift of salvation, and we are told to go into the world, beginning with our own families, extending into our neighborhoods or spheres of influence - work, school, community - and then into the world, teaching them the good news of Jesus Christ. The wonderful gift of eternal life through salvation!

This Thanksgiving think about what you are most thankful for and think about Jesus as the ultimate gift-giver. How will you use the gifts He has given you? To whom will you share the good news?