Giving Thanks For God’s Bountiful Blessings.

       One night I was chatting with an experienced mother about how she had changed from the first child of five to the last.  She told me she had mellowed a lot over the years:   "When my oldest (a girl) coughed or sneezed, I called the ambulance.   When my youngest (a boy) swallowed a dime, I just told him it was coming out of his allowance.”   We worry about a lot of things.  It is in our nature.   Every time an angel appears the first words from his mouth are “Fear not…” or “Do not be afraid.”  

    Since God is concerned for each of us as His redeemed children, the Apostle Paul assures us this concern certainly extends to our basic daily needs (but not our greed). The Apostle wrote, (Phil. 4:19) “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. This promise was made in connection with the financial support the Philippians had sent to Paul for his missionary ministry. He was assuring them that their giving would never be their lack. God would supply their needs, and the reason for His supply, was nothing less than “His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”     Governing God’s provision is nothing short of the wealth of what God has done for us in Christ. Again, Rom. 8:32 comes to mind.

    The Lord Jesus gave us His teaching against anxiety regarding our daily needs. He focused on the fact of God’s personal care for our basic needs in Matthew 6:25-34. Three times He tells us “do not be anxious” (6:25, 31 and 34). Five times questions are asked that are designed to show the foolishness of anxiety.

     Why is anxiety foolish? It is foolish because it is futile in view of the Father’s loving care and knowledge of our needs. He teaches us such worry is the product of being people of “little faith.” Worry is the product of failing to reflect on the fatherly care God must have for us as His people since He shows such wonderful care for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Finally, He shows that due to God’s loving care and the temporary and evil nature of this world, our greatest priority and concern must be the spiritual.

  Of all of God’s gifts, the greatest one He has given is the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus paid our sin debt, so a holy and just Judge could forgive us our sins and give us eternal life as a free gift. This gift is available to those who will call on Christ to save them from their sin in simple but sincere faith (John 3:16; Rom. 3:19-26; 6:23; 10:13; Eph. 2:8-10). For this gift of His Son, the gift which meets our greatest need, the Apostle Paul says, (2 Cor. 9:15) "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!".

    We, like the Pilgrims, have a choice. In life there will always be those things that we can complain about (the Pilgrims had lost many loved ones), but there will also be much to be thankful for. As our society becomes increasingly secular, the actual “giving of thanks to God” during our annual Thanksgiving holiday is being overlooked, leaving only the feasting. May God grant that He may find us grateful every day for all of His gifts, spiritual and material. God is good, and every good gift comes from Him (James 1:17). For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good.