As born-again believers, we are exhorted to give thanks in everything, in all things (I Thessalonians 5:18). In this Age of Grace, we have much to be thankful for. Why? Because God’s accomplished work in Christ Jesus has changed our lives. We can now expect to live a life that is more than abundant, to see God’s mighty power at work in our lives, and much more. In Christ, we have much to be thankful for on a daily basis, and we can reflect on how these blessings have a resounding impact in our lives personally.
Here is a list of some of the blessings that we can be thankful for daily:
1. We can be thankful for the gift of Christ in us that God made available in the new birth and for all that entails. What riches are encompassed in this one gift! It places us in God’s family, makes us fellow heirs with Christ, gives us access to God as our Father, frees us from the wrath to come, gives us the ability to operate all nine manifestations of holy spirit, and includes the right to be in health and prosper. A lifetime would be too short to unfold all the nuances of this one gift!
2. We can be thankful for the victory we have over death and the grave.
I Corinthians 15:54,55,57:
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our adversary, the Devil, is no longer able to hold us captive through fear of death. God’s Word gives us a clear understanding that the Devil has the power of death and it is God Who brings life (Hebrews 2:14,15; I John 5:11). As believers, we have the hope of Christ’s return for his saints and our gathering together unto him. We have the promise of the rewards of the future. We no longer walk in darkness regarding our future, but we can be at peace, being certain of God’s promise that His gift of holy spirit, His seed within, is eternal.
3. We are thankful for the answers to prayer we have.
Colossians 4:2:
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.
I John 5:14,15:
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
We know that God hears us. How encouraging it is to know that He delights in our prayers and gives heed to them. We can expect our believing prayers to have an impact, to be effectual (James 5:16). Therefore we can be thankful, watchfully anticipating that we will receive according to God’s promises.
4. We are also thankful for the believers, the household of God to which we have been called. What a great example the Apostle Paul was in this category. He was continually thanking God for the believers and praising them as they stood on the Word.
I Thessalonians 1:2,3:
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith [believing], and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.
Paul was thankful for their believing, their love, and their hope. He was thankful for the way they received the Word, for the witness of their lives, for their faithfulness, for their support. He was very specific about what he was thankful for, and we can be also.
Keeping a journal of the things we are thankful for can be a helpful tool in maintaining a thankful heart as the Word exhorts us to do. Recording the specific things we’re thankful for gives us a catalog of our personal blessings to review. What an encouragement in our walk with God!
Psalms 103:2:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
We can record the blessings from our day, such as verses that hit our hearts during study time, answers to prayer, and sweet fellowship with fellow believers. We can record the times we gave and saw it meet someone else’s need, or when our words ministered to someone’s heart. The list goes on! How about recording specific personal moments of learning and growth, or personal experiences of seeing the Word work? Those would be wonderful things to look back on and reread with thankfulness. Taking the time to reflect on and consider these things helps us to see them in different perspectives, which can deepen our awareness of how God works in our lives—and that gives us even more to be thankful for!
With all that God has done for us, we can expect to have much to be thankful for daily. As we take time to reflect on these many blessings, we more fully acknowledge the greatness of His Word and how it has a powerful and personal impact in our lives. What valuable fuel this is for us in our daily walk with the Father. That is something to be thankful for!