Look around you. Is there a roof over your head? Do you have clothes on your back? Have you eaten a meal in the last 24 hours? Do you have a Bible you can read whenever you want? Are your lungs filled with air, and is blood pumping through your body? Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
If you can answer “yes” to any of the above questions, you should be very thankful. God has blessed you and me with everything we have.
The Unspeakable Gift
In the best economic times and the worst, one thing remains constant: God gave us His Son. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. The unspeakable gift is Jesus. Paul used the word unspeakable to relate the wonder of what God did for us by giving us His Son; He is a gift that is too wonderful to explain. Jesus is better than money, real estate, or fame. Why did God give us such an indescribable gift? He did it for one reason, which is clearly explained in John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. When you are asked to list things you are thankful for, the unspeakable gift of Jesus Christ should be at the top.
In Everything All the Time
As a faith leader, you've likely had people ask you to help them determine God's will for their lives. The bottom line is they need to learn how to hear from the Holy Spirit themselves, but the Bible does delineate some things are God's will for every believer. Every Christian should be a thanks giver, giving God thanks for everything at all times. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18). To give thanks means to express gratitude. You might be thinking about being grateful to God for all He’s done for you, but until you give it voice, you haven’t yet given Him thanks.
Leaders should always have a word of praise and thanksgiving on their lips – even in the midst of pandemics, unrest, confusion, and lack. We should be ready, willing, and able to say, “Thank You, God. You’ve been so very good to me!” Ephesians 5:20 puts it this way: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name [authority] of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some Christians misunderstand verses such as Ephesians 5:20 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
They think God wants us to thank Him for things the devil does. Why would He want that? Jesus came that he might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). We don’t give thanks for trouble the devil brings our way, but we are to give thanks in the midst of it – despite what the devil does, we should thank God for the victory over the devil.
When you only Have a Little, but You Need A Lot
When it seems like you don't have enough, don't look down; look up.
In John 6, well over 5,000 people with Jesus needed food. He asked Philip where they could buy bread for so many people. Philip answered him. Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? (John 6: 7-9). They needed a lot, but they had very little.
What did Jesus do? He took what He had and lifted it to the Father. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost (John 6:11-12). God provided much more than they needed, and He will do the same for you. Give thanks for everything you have and watch God multiply it.