A few years ago, someone researched and noted the following statistics.
- If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of the world.
- If you have money in your bank, your wallet, and some spare change, you are among 8 percent of the world’s wealthy. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.
- If you can actually READ this post and understand it, you are more fortunate than the 3 billion people in the world who cannot see, cannot read, or suffer mental challenges.
- If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture or the horrible pangs of starvation, you are more fortunate than over 500 million people alive and suffering
1. Giving Thanks is Obeying God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Being thankful no matter what is an act of direct obedience to God. This simple act is a great way to show our thankfulness to Him.
2. Giving Thanks Brings Us Closer to God. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15.
3. Giving Thanks Keeps Us Humble. Giving thanks reminds us that we can’t do it all, regardless of our efforts. Psalm 25:9 says it well, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”
4. Giving Thanks Helps Us Stay Positive. It’s difficult to wallow in your own sorrows when you are practicing thankfulness. Romans 12:12 reminds us to, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
5. Being Thankful to God Gives Us Peace. When life starts to spiral out of control, you can find peace through prayer. Colossians 3:15 tells us to, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
6. Giving Thanks Leads to Joy. Colossians 1:12 says, “. . . and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people . . .” Jesus is the Prince of Peace and His peace gives us joy. We surrender ourselves to the joy found only in Christ by giving joy.
7. Giving Thanks Defeats Satan’s Lies. If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, then Satan is the Prince of Lies. He uses those lies to deceive and weaken us. In that weakened state, we’re less likely to trust God and less likely to be thankful. When we walk with God and give Him thanks, we defy Satan’s lies.
8. Giving Thanks is a Testimony of Faith. When the world turns upside down, and life seems more wrong than right, if we can still give thanks to God, we are a testimony to what He has done for us. We are a testimony to how He has worked in our lives.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Remember, “It doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty, be thankful that you have a glass and there’s something in it!”