Counting My Blessings

The way to be thankful is to be “thinkful.” Dr. Curtis Hutson said, “The more you think, the more thankful you will be. So, the folks who are not thankful don’t think much.” I have been thinking, and it has prompted me to give thanks. Allow me to briefly give a few things in life for which I sincerely thank God.

1. First and foremost, I am thankful for the salvation of my soul. Along with this, let me say that I am thankful that, when I was lost, I learned the truth regarding salvation. You can ask the next ten people how to be saved and go to heaven, and you will get fifteen different answers. Some say that observing sacraments is the way to be saved (and even then, you do not know for sure whether or not salvation has been attained). Others say that salvation is a process of saying a prayer, being baptized, and joining a certain church. Others say that one must repent of one’s sins, be baptized, and speak in tongues in order to be saved. Some cling to law-keeping, commandment-keeping, and a system of good works for salvation. There are many churches, but very few know soup beans from apple butter about the Biblical manner of salvation. I am thankful that, as a boy, I attended a church that preached the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ. That pastor preached that all that was needed to secure my salvation was provided by Jesus Christ. He preached that I could perform no single work of my own to receive salvation; I must fully trust Christ’s finished work to be saved. I placed all my faith in Jesus Christ, and because of His shed blood, my sins are paid in full. The moment I placed my faith in Christ, I “believed on Jesus Christ” and was saved in a moment’s time! My salvation is solely in Jesus Christ! Christ is my Saviour! In the word of God, Jesus said, “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). John the Baptist said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36). John the apostle said, “But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Peter said, “Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). The only way I could die today and not be saved is if the word of God is false or if the blood of Jesus Christ turns out to be insufficient. That’s why I won’t lose any sleep tonight worrying about my salvation! I thank God for His unspeakable gift!
2. I am thankful for the assurance of salvation. I won’t spend a lot of time here, but I must speak of it. I am thankful that, not only am I saved, but I know it! When God blessed me with salvation, He also blessed me with a good dose of assurance! Suppose an angel was to come to me tonight and say, “Bob, I just came from heaven. I just looked into the Lamb’s book of life, and your name is not found there.” I have all the right in the world to look that angel in the eye and tell him that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about! God’s word says I’m saved! If an angel from heaven tells me otherwise, I am instructed by scripture to let that angel be accursed (Galatians 1:8)! I’m not only saved by the grace of God, but I know it, and there’s not an angel from heaven or a devil from hell that can convince me otherwise.
3. I am thankful that God has met every material need in my life. I have a comfortable place to live. Every time I am hungry, I always have plenty to eat. I do not know what it is to have to go to bed hungry. When I wake up in the mornings, I have plenty of clean clothes from which to choose to wear. On Sunday mornings, it is not an issue of whether or not I have a suit to wear, but which suit I wear becomes the question. I must decide if I will wear a brown pair of dress shoes or a black pair. When it is time to go somewhere, I have a vehicle to drive (that is paid for). When bills are due, I have always been able to sit down and write a (good) check to pay for them!
4. I am thankful for friends and family. Having attended many funerals and conducted many of them, I know how fragile life can be. I know firsthand that just because someone in my family is here this year is no indication that they will be here next year. It may be dismal, but it makes me thankful for the friends and family in my life.
5. I am thankful that both my parents are yet living. I know of some who have buried a parent who was younger than my parents are. I hate that anyone has ever had to bury their parents, but I am thankful that my parents are alive and well.
6. I am thankful for my health. I do not have congestive heart failure; I do not have diabetes; I do not have high cholesterol; I do not have a terminal illness. I have a strong heart and strong lungs. Again, I know that I am better than no one who may not be as blessed in the area of health. But I am compelled to stop and give thanks to the One who sustains me.
7. I am thankful for my physical senses. I am glad that when I open my eyes, I can see. I am thankful that I am able to walk and talk. Though it is impaired, I thank God for my hearing. As I type this, I am enjoying instrumental music. Not everyone is able to enjoy the gift of sound. I would be sinning to enjoy the use of my ears without thanking God.
8. I am thankful for my congregation. Serving as pastor has its challenges, but it sure makes it easier when you have good people to pastor.
9. I am thankful for my library. I own a good collection of books. I do not know how many I have because I am always buying them. I have a good collection of books on my shelves, books on my laptop, and books on my Kindle Fire. Among the genres of books I have are commentary, reference, history, biography, sermon books, and a small handful of fiction. If all I had was a Bible, there’s no doubt I would enjoy good fellowship with God. But how my life has been enriched because of good reading material!
10. I am thankful for Facebook. It has been a source of blessing in my life. Because of Facebook, I have been able to connect with people from the past; many of which I would have most likely never seen or heard from again. It has been a blessing to connect with former classmates, former teachers, and people whom I have met in my travels. It has been a blessing to keep up with the lives of many friends through the means of Facebook.

There are many other blessings for which I could give thanks. But for the sake of time, I will conclude. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Psalm 100:4 – “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

O Give Thanks unto the Lord!

Psalm 107:1 – “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Only an arrogant individual will purposely neglect to give the Lord thanks.  Every breath you breathe comes from God Almighty.  Yet there are those who will use the Lord’s air that fills their lungs to curse His holy name.  How low!  How proud!  How coldhearted!  How arrogant!  How disgusting!  I do not know of a sin more gross than neglecting to give the Lord thanks for His many blessings.  Every person reading this has something to thank God for; and most of us have very much to thank Him for.

In Romans 1, Paul speaks of the heathen who commit sins that even beasts of the field know better than to commit.  When reading this chapter, one may wonder, “How does anyone sink so low?”  Paul tells us clearly how a civilized people sink lower than the beasts of the field:

Romans 1:21 – “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, NEITHER WERE THANKFUL; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Paul clearly makes a connection between the grossest sins committable and neglecting to be thankful.  If you are truly thankful toward God, you acknowledge that God Almighty is high above you and your philosophies and ideas.  Being thankful toward God requires submission to the mercies of God.  You realize that God is good in spite of you, not because of you.

I want to use Psalm 107 as my text, and give the reader four things for which I am thankful.

I am Thankful for What God HAS DONE

Psalm 107:2 – “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!”  What a privilege it is to be redeemed from the hand of the enemy!  I am thankful, first, for what God has done.  He redeemed me!  He paid for me with His own blood! 

I have often said that my salvation is as real to me as any possession I have.  I have given my testimony on this blog, so I’ll not expound much here.  But I will mention that nothing is more real to me than my salvation.

At six years of age, I went to a Vacation Bible School at a church located behind my house.  One of the men went from classroom to classroom trying to get children to say the “sinner’s prayer.”  I said that prayer.  However, I did not realize what I was doing.  I was told I was saved, but at that time, I had no genuine salvation experience.  The pastor of that church, who meant well, baptized me a few months later (January 22, 1989).  When a person was baptized in that church, they became a member of the church.  So, at six years of age, I repeated a prayer, got baptized in water, and joined a Baptist church.  But I was lost as I could be!  I was without Christ. 

A few years later, I went to a different Baptist church.  I sat on the front row every service.  I distinctly remember going home after the services, sitting in my room, and something deep inside me telling me I needed to be saved!  That “something” was the Holy Ghost.  The Spirit of God was dealing with me, showing me that I needed to trust Jesus Christ to save me completely.  I would sit in my bedroom, and think about how I needed to be saved.  Then, I would turn it off, saying to myself, “You’ve already said the prayer.  You’re all right.”  Then, I’d forget about it…until the next service.  This went on for a few weeks.  Finally, on March 13, 1994, on a Sunday morning, after the pastor preached a message on the subject of salvation, I went to the front.  I told the pastor I needed to be saved.  We knelt down, and there I placed all my faith in Jesus Christ and was saved by the grace of God!  I am thankful for what God HAS DONE! 

God has done more for me than just bestowing upon me spiritual blessings.  I am thankful for what God has done for me materially.  I am thankful for my health.  I know people younger than I am who have diabetes.  I know people younger than I am who have had heart surgeries.  I am thankful for my health!  I am thankful to God that when I open my eyes, I can see.  Not everyone can say that.  I thank God that I can hear, for that is not the case with everyone!  I thank God every time a bill is due, I have the money to pay it!  Let us not take anything for granted, but “in everything give thanks!” 

I am Thankful for What God Could’ve Done, but DIDN’T DO

Psalm 107:10-13 – “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.”

The psalmist, in the above verses, tell us about a people who sat in darkness, being bound in affliction and iron.  Why are they bound?  BECAUSE THEY REBELLED AGAINST THE WORDS OF GOD!  They were in bondage because of what THEY did!  They “made their bed rough;” now they have to “lie in it,” as the old-timers say.  But notice this – even though they were afflicted because of their own doings, notice what happened.  When they cried unto the Lord, what did the Lord do?  Did He say, “I’m sorry, you’re in bondage because of your own sins”?  No!  When they cried unto the Lord, He saved them out of their distresses!  The Lord could have left these people in their bondage and affliction, and He would have been just in doing so!  But He didn’t!

Likewise, the Lord could have left me in my sins.  BUT HE DIDN’T!  He could have let me go my own way and end up in hell!  Surely, that’s what I deserve!  But He did not do what He rightfully could have done!

I am Thankful for What God CANNOT DO

Psalm 107:20 – “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”

“He sent His word!”  When I read this phrase, I am reminded that there is something that God Almighty cannot do! 

Titus 1:1, 2 – “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that CANNOT LIE, promised before the world began.”

Friend, God CANNOT lie.  And I thank Him for this truth!  I do not have to worry about what God said not coming to pass.  If God said it, it absolutely will happen just like God said it would.  God says that He formed man with His own hands out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7).  The atheistic professor says that humans evolved from some non-existent ape-like “missing link.”  Who is the liar in this case?  The atheistic professor is the liar, for God Almighty CANNOT LIE!  God said that marriage is between a MAN and HIS WIFE (Genesis 2:24).  When a liberal says that marriage can also be between a man and his husband; or between a woman and her wife; tell me who the liar is.  It is not God, for God CANNOT LIE!  God said that He knows the baby in the womb personally (Jeremiah 1:5).  When an abortion doctor says that removing a baby from the womb is no different than removing a gallbladder, who do you suppose the liar is?  It is not God, for He CANNOT LIE! 

I am thankful for what God cannot do!  I am thankful that, in a world of change, there is something that is consistent!  What God says will never change!

I am Thankful for What God WILL DO

Psalm 107:29 – “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”

“He maketh the storm a calm.”  As sure as you are reading this post, you will face storms in this life.  You have already faced storms, and there will be more.  You will have physical ailments.  You will be betrayed by friends.  You will have financial troubles.  Your marriage will be tried and tested.  Relationships with others will be strained.  I’m not trying to be dismal; I’m trying to be honest.  Storms will come.  They always have, and they always will.  Hard times will come your way.  Get ready for it. 

But know this: “He maketh the storm a calm.”  Even though there are storms that have not yet come my way, I know that God will bring me through them, as He always has.  He will calm the storm!  He may let the storm rage for a while before He calms it, but HE WILL calm the storm.  “He maketh the storm a calm.”  I am thankful for what God WILL DO!

Be Thankful

Psalm 100:4 – “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Noah Webster, in his 1828 Dictionary of American English, defines the word, “thanksgiving” this way –

“A public celebration of divine goodness; also, a day set apart for religious services, specially to acknowledge the goodness of God, either in any remarkable deliverance from calamities or danger, or in the ordinary dispensation of his bounties. The practice of appointing an annual thanksgiving originated in New England.”

You may ask, “What does it mean to ‘thank?’” Webster defines “thank” this way –

“To express gratitude for a favor; to make acknowledgments to one for kindness bestowed.”

There are three areas of thanksgiving, and you must have all three in order for this idea of thanksgiving to work. Thanksgiving must first have a subject. By “subject,” I am referring to the one who is expressing thanks. Secondly, thanksgiving must have an object, which is the one receiving thanks. Thirdly, thanksgiving must have a reason, or something for which to be thankful. True thankfulness possesses all three parts. Let us look at these parts.

The Subject of Thanksgiving – The One Expressing Thanks
In writing of this subject of thanksgiving, I must begin with the fact that thankfulness, before anything else, is an attitude. True thanksgiving begins with an attitude of gratitude. If a person neglects to say “thank you,” it could be that the person is thankful, but simply forgot to say it! However, there are others who do not say “thank you” are merely unthankful. Let me go a little further. There are those who say “thank you” who are not genuinely thankful. They prove this by their actions. So, thankfulness is not just saying “thank you;” it is not just writing a “thank you” note; it is not expressed only with the mouth; it begins with an attitude. While it is important to say “thank you,” it is more important to mean it.

How does one show that he is sincere concerning his thankfulness? I think the best way to show that you are thankful is by properly maintaining the things for which you are thankful. If someone gives me money, I show my thankfulness by spending the money wisely. If you give me a considerable sum of cash, and you notice that I neglect the electric bill to pay for a hobby or habit, you would conclude that I was unthankful. You would be correct in your thinking. I may say “thank you,” but I neglect to show it by my behavior. If you gave me a vehicle, and I never maintained it, treating it like a race car, my lack of thankfulness would be obvious.

It is amazing to me how we claim to be thankful to the Lord for His blessings; yet we show it very little. If you are thankful for a good church to which to go, you should show it by being as faithful as possible. If you are thankful for your family, show it by taking time to show them you care. If you are thankful that your bills are paid, show it by putting God first in your finances. If you are thankful that your stomach is full, show it by filling someone else’s. I think the point here is clearly made.

The Object of Thanksgiving – The One Receiving Thanks
While in high school, I was sitting in a classroom on the day prior to the start of Thanksgiving break. The principal was speaking to us through the intercom, explaining to us that we should be thankful. While his point was true, he forgot one major aspect of thanksgiving – he never told us to whom we were to be thankful! I stated earlier that “true thanksgiving begins with an attitude of gratitude.” Notice, I did not say “thanksgiving is an attitude of gratitude.” Thanksgiving includes an acknowledgement of one’s blessings; but to be truly thankful, one must express his thanks to an intelligent being who is responsible for the blessing given, and capable of receiving thanks. Thanksgiving is not just saying, “I’m glad I was healthy all year.” Thanksgiving, however, is expressing this gladness to the ONE who kept you healthy all year. If you are truly thankful, you are just muttering to yourself, “I’m glad I lived another year!” It is rather turning your heart toward the God of the Bible, the only true God, the only Giver of life, and thanking Him that you are yet alive! There are many things for which I am thankful, that only God Almighty could give. Life, health, strength to make money, family and friends, answered prayers, salvation, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and so forth. To pretend to be "thankful" without thanking the individual who is responsible is not thankfulness at all. If you do not thank God for your life, you are unthankful. Thanksgiving must have an object, or it is not thanksgiving at all.

The Reasons for Thanksgiving – The Things for which We Are Thankful
I could write much concerning the things for which I am thankful. I am first and foremost thankful to God the Father for sending Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. I am thankful to Jesus Christ for being willing to forsake the splendor of heaven, and live in this wicked world to save me. I am thankful that He poured out His blood at Calvary on that dreadful day. I am thankful that, contrary to opposing opinion, He rose from the dead on the third day, according to the scriptures. I am thankful for the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of the living God, who showed me how lost I was without Christ and drew me to Jesus Christ. I am thankful for my ministry. I am thankful for those who read my blog. I am thankful for all material blessings I have received. I am thankful that, in all my travels, I have never been injured in an accident. I am thankful for my life, my family, and my friends. I am thankful to God Almighty for all that He does, and I pray that I will never take for granted His blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!