Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving in America. I am not American but British (which is always awkward when I tend to spend July 4th working in the USA) however a holiday dedicated to eating turkey and watching sport on the TV is a bandwagon I am more than willing to jump on. In Luke we get a good reminder of how easy it is to forget to thank Jesus for all He has done for us.
“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”” Luke 17:11-19
It can be so easy to forget about how we need to thank Jesus for all he has done for us – we need to praise God from whom all blessings flow. Today, whether you are American or not, whether you have had a feast of turkey or not, take some time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for. And then spend time thanking God for it.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1
Allow me to get the ball rolling with some things I am thankful for today:
- The promise of undeserved salvation made possible through what Jesus did on the cross
- My family
- Sermon podcasts
- M&Ms (except the brown ones)
- My amazing American friends who are actually celebrating today
- All the epic things I get to do at Beaver Cross each summer in the name of serving God
- The red team, especially when they win
- The awesome people that let me stay at their houses over the summer
- Dunkin Donuts Orange Coolattas
- Being able to stay in touch with overseas friends through the internet for free
- All the great people who have bought a copy of one of my books (especially those who have gone on to actually read it…)
- Those times when you get a message from someone that says they miss you
- My church
- Roadtrips
- Taco nights
And most of all, the fact that His love never fails