-November 24, 2022 — Thanksgiving Day —
Good morning, happy Thursday,
“In everything give thanks, for this God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (Thessalonians 5:18).
“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
Today is Thanksgiving Day in America. It is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. While it is a great blessing and one of my favorite days, every day should be a day to give thanks to the Lord. For the children of God, our thanksgiving should be daily; in fact we should live thankful lives. God has richly and abundantly blessed us with so many blessings and benefits.
Psalm 103:1-2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” It is good to meditate on our blessings and then thank the Lord for them. We will find we run out of time before we run out of things to be thankful for. We are encouraged to be thankful in all things and for all things.
To be thankful in all things encompasses many things, including things that are good and bad, positive and negative. God always has a purpose and works things together for our good. To be thankful for all things focuses mainly on the good, beneficial things. There really isn’t anything we can’t find a reason to thank God.
Today on this national Thanksgiving Day, we pause our busy, stressful lives to thank God for all His many blessings on us, our church, our families, our friends, and our country. Life doesn’t have to be perfect for us to be thankful. I am so happy and thankful to be home from the hospital after my two procedures, just in time for Thanksgiving Day.
Let us then live thankful lives abounding in gratitude to God in all things and for all things. Stay safe and healthy.
In joyful thanksgiving,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 