Give Thanks For God’s Word!

November 28

Give Thanks For God’s Word!

We have invested thanksgiving into the last 22 days of our lives.  Take a moment today to review your list of three things for which you were thankful each day.  Reflect, ponder, and give thanks to Jesus for all your blessings. 

But, let’s make Thanksgiving Day about more than looking backwards at the things for which we gave thanks in the last three weeks.  Let us make Thanksgiving Day be about giving thanks for the Word of God.

In his first letter, the Apostle Paul encourages the Christ-followers in Thessalonica to give thanks for the Word of God. 

In I Thessalonians 2:13 Paul writes; “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.”

+We hear the Word of God when we read the Bible, when we pray, and through conversation with friends. 

+We hear the Word of God when we get still and silent, when we worship with God’s people, and when we serve the poor. 

+We hear the Word of God when we journal, when we spend time in creation, and when we share the love of Jesus with another person.

Paul calls us to give thanks to God for the Word of God we have received no matter how we have received God’s Word. 

I encourage you to make a list of three messages you have received as the Word of God in the last three weeks.  Be as specific as possible; no vague platitudes or generalities!  Do your best to discern as precisely as you can the Word of God for you in this season of life. 

There is more.  In his second letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul tells the Christ-followers to give thanks to God for God’s gift of salvation for you.

In II Thessalonians 2:13 Paul writes; “But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

The Word of God is revealed to us.  Then, we receive and accept God’s Word as truth and light.  Next, we experience the power of God’s forgiveness and the love of God’s Son.  Our heart, mind, soul, and even our body is transformed by God’s grace and our faith. 

For the blessings of a changed life through the Word of God, Paul says “…we must always give thanks to God…”  Those who have heard the Word of God will give their lives to love and serve God.  For these gifts and opportunities we give thanks that God has spoken into our lives.

Enjoy your big meal today as you gather with family and friends.  Give thanks for the good things in our country, the love of Jesus, and the Word of God revealed to you.  When your mouth gives thanks to God, your heart will overflow with delight in God’s greatness, goodness, and generosity.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug