Dear friends,Thanksgiving should be a continual occupation for the Christian, a reflection of our identity as people saved by the grace and power of God. Thanksgiving was part of the Old Testament requirements in keeping God’s covenant and it is repeatedly emphasized in the New Testament as well. It should be a part of our prayers, a part of our worship, a part of our service in Christ’s Name, and a part of our joy. It is something that we will be expressing when we are in Christ’s physical presence in heaven – we should, therefore, become well acquainted with thanksgiving right now!
As I was driving home this morning, I was reflecting on the last few days and praying about the things on the schedule for this week. And amid my requests were a lot of thank-yous to the Lord. It had been an eventful week and the one to come seemed like it would follow suit and so there was a lot to thank God for. But once I started expressing my gratitude to Him, I decided to extend my list. I ran into a detour (because of a burning car – not mine) and so I took my time driving an alternate route home, keeping my eyes on the road while my prayers soared heavenward. Among the specifics in my thanksgiving prayer were these 10 items:
1) I thanked God for my salvation. Yes, it’s been over 40 years but since the effects go on and on, so should my gratitude. After all, it’s because of what Christ accomplished on the cross (which I applied by faith in the spring of 1970) that I know Him, have the power to live in the Spirit, have a pure purpose in life, a forever home in heaven, and more. How can I NOT be grateful for salvation?
2) I’m thankful for my marriage to Claire, a truly exceptional woman. Her love and laughter, her intelligence and strength, her faith and fighting spirit have enriched my life in ways too numerous to count.
3) I thanked God for the autumn. It’s the one season here in Nebraska I really do love. The coolness of the air, the changes of color in the scenery, the approach of Christmas, the suggestion even of winter’s sleep after which the cycle begins again – all these things make the season really nice.
4) As I was coming back from an interview on KCRO, I was naturally drawn to thank God for that opportunity to talk about Vital Signs Ministries and the things we’re involved in. It turned out that the guest scheduled for the first segment didn’t show so that there was even more time to promote the ministry, share important information about the sinister schemes of Planned Parenthood, and tell the audience how to get more effectively involved in raising Christ’s banner in the public square.
5) I also spent time expressing my thanks to God for His most recent blessings on our work: the World-Herald publishing a pro-life column of mine, opportunities to speak to a pro-life group in Columbus and an AWANA group here in town, high numbers of people viewing Vital Signs Blog, lives saved from abortion, our new inspirational presentations uploaded onto YouTube and other internet sources, and more.
6) Thanksgiving is also in order for the resurgence of conservative values among American voters. And so I thanked God for that even as I prayed anew for yet more eyes to be opened about the immense dangers represented by “liberalism” – dangers like more abortion, more promotion of sexual deviance and homosexual “marriage,” out of control spending, the tyranny of a Nanny State that seeks to steal away our freedoms of speech and religion, and more.
7) I took some time to thank the Lord too for the delight and comfort and strength I find in His Word. In particular, I thanked Him for leading me back again to Romans and Hebrews in my personal study and to Nehemiah for the sermon series at church.
8) I am thankful that God continues to sustain my Mom even as she deals with her dementia, decreasing strength and other issues. Her spirit remains lively and sweet. And she is at a place she loves and where she receives good care. It’s a place where we have been able to get involved in too. And that’s important not only in making it more home-like and comfortable for Mom, but because it increases the quality of her care.
9) The burning car I mentioned earlier also prompted me to thank the Lord for our vehicles. And for our house and lawn. And for getting the chance to re-finance our home at a cheaper rate. And for the little dog next door. And for the success I’ve already seen from over-seeding the lawn last month. And for all the other “little things” that make driving up to my house a source of pleasure.
10) And finally, I am very thankful for God’s leading us to Faith Bible Church. We have made good friends there. We’ve enjoyed the opportunities to serve the people there and to be encouraged, stimulated and taught by them. Faith Bible Church represents such a good example of how small churches can be successful by concentrating on what God has for them, rather than foolishly trying to imitate what God has for others. The renewal of confidence, energy and joy that we’ve seen in the last couple of years at Faith Bible Church is extremely exciting. So too is the love of the Christians there for God’s Word; their willingness to learn; their commitment to serve the Lord in a variety of critical ministries; their partnership with Vital Signs Ministries; their faithful example of honoring Christ at their places of employment; and their friendly openness to others. I know that Claire feels the same way as I do in being very, very thankful for all these wonderful blessings.
