Today’s message will be my last message of the week. As I take my Thanksgiving break to be with my family, I pray you do the same as well. From my family to yours, may you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day. May the love of God fill your heart, may you be surrounded by friends and family (socially distant), and may God’s peace flow TO you and THROUGH you as you enjoy one another.
In Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he taught us how to live a life pleasing to God. In his closing remarks, he said, “Always be full of joy. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:16-18 ERV). It’s a simple message, but it is very powerful. I know 2020 has not turned out the way many of us planned, but the Bible teaches us that no matter what happens, we should always BE THANKFUL! This is how the Father wants us to live in Christ Jesus.
So what does this mean for you today? Based on what I have taught this year, I will give you seven reasons to be thankful.
1. God sent you to this planet on purpose.
— There are many scriptures that support this.
— You are not a mistake.
— Our God is a completely purposeful God. He does nothing by happenstance.
— God sent you to this planet when He did, and where He did, because of WHY He did!
— You have a tailor-made assignment. You are valuable. God placed purpose in you before He released you into this world.
2. God gave you the grace you need to accomplish your divine purpose.
(2 Timothy 1:9)
God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
— God did not call you based on your performance. Praise Him for that. Because many of us have not measured up to our purpose.
— God called us according to HIS own purpose, and then He gave us the GRACE to accomplish His purpose.
— All of this happened before the world began.
— This is a reason to praise Him!
3. God loves you with unconditional love.
(Romans 8:38,39 KJV)
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— You did nothing to cause God to START loving you, and nothing you do will ever cause Him to STOP!
— God’s love is one-sided. It is not based on your performance. He loves you whether you perform or not.
— This is a reason to be thankful!
4. God helps you to develop the patience required to become a mature believer.
(James 1:2-4 TPT)
2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, it stirs up power within you to endure all things.
4 And then, as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.
— While patience is not freely given away by God (it something that must be processed/developed), God does tirelessly work with us to develop patience. Because He wants us to get to the point where we are mature in Him… lacking nothing.
— We have learned about faith and patience all year. The importance of adding patience to your faith should be clear by now. And the fact that God is committed to us, to ensure we develop patience, so we can be mature believers and not baby Christians, is a reason to be thankful!
— As God’s children, He wants to see us grow up into mature, functioning, and productive citizens in His Kingdom.
5. God showers you with grace and mercy.
— Grace is what happens when God gives you the GOOD you do not deserve.
— Mercy is what happens when God holds back the BAD you clearly deserve.
— We serve a God who gives us grace and mercy daily.
— He blesses us richly, far beyond what we have earned. And He often withholds the punishment we should receive from the bad seeds we have sown.
— Our God is a good God. This is a reason to be thankful and to bless His name!
6. God is faithful to you even when you are not faithful to Him.
(2 Tim 2:13 NIV)
If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
— Once you are Born-Again when God looks at you, He sees Himself.
— When satan looks at you, He sees sin. When God looks at you, He sees His Son!
— God sees that you are covered by the Blood of Jesus, you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and you are called according to His purpose. So for Him to deny you, He would have to deny Himself! And God refuses to do it!
— When when you fail God, He refuses to fail you! This is a reason to be thankful!
7. YOU ARE STILL HERE!
— As crazy as 2020 has been, YOU ARE STILL HERE!
— COVID has not stopped you.
— The enemy has not derailed you from your destiny.
— God still has a plan for your life!
— God’s promises are still valid.
— The Holy Spirit is still working in you.
— God is not through with you yet. This is a MAJOR reason to be thankful!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank for planning for me before I was born. For saving me from hell. For washing me in the Blood of Your Son, Jesus. For filling me with Your Spirit. For calling me according to Your purpose. For loving me even when I ignored You. For never turning Your back on me. For looking past my faults, flaws, and failures. For deciding to use me by Your unearned grace. You are ON me, IN me, WITH me and FOR me. You are more dedicated to me than I am to myself. For that Father, I am thankful. I enter every day with a spring in my step, a song in my spirit, and a smile on my face, because I am thankful! Every day is a day of Thanksgiving for me, for I know… GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
