Thankfulness

Thankfulness (Written by David Peterson)

Jesus created the universe and was the only begotten Son of God, yet He was also a thankful person. During His earthly ministry, He expressed thanksgiving to His Father on several occasions: when He gave thanks for the food before feeding the 5,000 (Matthew 14:19) and the 4,000 (Matthew 15:36), and at the Last Supper when He thanked God for the bread and the cup—not just once, but twice (Matthew 26:26–27). He also thanked God for hearing His prayers, such as before raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41–42). Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, gave us an example to follow in being thankful for everything we have received.

The late Pastor John MacArthur once said this about thankfulness, gratitude, and blessings:

“Later this week, most of us here in the U.S. will gather with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. While the world’s view of the holiday is bound up in food, football, and Black Friday savings, believers ought to know better. Certainly, we can enjoy those aspects of the day as well, but not at the cost of cultivating a heart of true gratitude for the Lord’s abundant blessings in our lives.”

MacArthur reminds us to follow Jesus’ example and prayerfully consider all we have to be thankful for this year.

“Now Thank We All Our God” is a hymn written by Martin Rinkart in 1636. It beautifully captures the spirit of thankfulness in its opening verse:

Now thank we all our God

with heart and hands and voices,

who wondrous things has done,

in whom his world rejoices;

who from our mothers’ arms

has blessed us on our way

with countless gifts of love,

and still is ours today.

Let us pray:

Loving Jesus, thank You for Your great love, grace, and mercy over our lives. Thank You for the sacrifice You made for us on the cross. Thank You for all the blessings You have bestowed upon us. Amen.