Thanksgiving, Gratefulness Adam Markley Thanksgiving, Gratefulness Adam Markley

3 Things Every Christian Should be Thankful for this Thanksgiving

“We live and breathe because we were given life from a creator. The breathtaking view of snow-capped mountains and endless rolling hills are part of the enjoyment of God’s creation. Our heart-stopping emotions in the presence of a newborn baby is evidence of God’s majesty at work in the creation of human life.”

As followers of Christ, it is so important to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. We must be a people that are thankful and show appreciation. Christianity is ultimately about giving God praise for what He has done for us. We praise God because He is mighty and glorious. We thank God because of His saving work of redemption through Jesus Christ.

If you have placed your trust in Christ, you have been forgiven for all of your sin. Believers are forever in debt to God for His grace and mercy and ought to live with grateful hearts. We can never be reminded too often of God’s incredible work of salvation in our lives!

As we celebrate this Thanksgiving, it is only appropriate that we pause and reflect on the many things that we are thankful for. Certainly, we have more to be thankful for than we even realize. There are many things in this world that we take for granted. However, for the sake of simplicity, here are 3 things that I believe every Christian should be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

  1. Every Christian Should be Thankful that God is Majestic

Psalm 8 is a beautiful Psalm of praise. God is praised for being majestic. The Psalmist begins and ends this praise of thanksgiving with:

“O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

(Psalm 8:1, 9)

Every Christian should give thanks to God for his majesty! We can be thankful that God is majestic.

The Hebrew word used in this Psalm can be translated as: mighty, large, majestic or beautiful. This means that the name of God is “awesome.” The majestic description of the name of Almighty God pertains to His state of grandeur and high status.[1]

God is mighty. He is majestic. He is an all-powerful Sovereign. The earth did not just come into being. Humans did not just form from random mutations. We live and breathe because we were given life from a creator. The breathtaking view of snow-capped mountains and endless rolling hills are part of the enjoyment of God’s creation. Our heart-stopping emotions in the presence of a newborn baby is evidence of God’s majesty at work in the creation of human life. God has created this earth and all of its inhabitants.

We should be thankful because God is majestic.

2. Every Christian Should be Thankful that God is Always on His Throne

God is Sovereign. He is always in control and He is always on His throne. Whatever might be happening in your family life… God is in control. Whatever is happening in this country… God is on His throne. When discouragement hits and you can only look at the future through muddy glasses, rest assured that God is in control. He has not left His throne.

When we know that God is truly Sovereign and believe it with all of our heart, it will allow us to have a proper perspective during the trials of life. Knowing that God never loses control can help us deal with the uncertainty of our employment. It can help us manage the challenges in our family life. Knowing that God is still on the throne can keep us from putting our hope in political saviors because we know that the kingdom of Christ is not of this world.

As the Psalmist declares to God:

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.”

(Psalm 145:13)

God’s kingdom endures forever and we must put our trust in Him!

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”

(Psalm 20:7)

When we remember that God Almighty has never left His throne and that Christ reigns eternally as king, we will take the pressure off ourselves to fix all of life’s problems. When we remember and truly believe that God’s Sovereign plan is best, we will stop looking to ourselves as the savior in our life, and will instead look to the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ.

We should all be thankful today that God is always on His throne.

3. Every Christian Should be Thankful for God’s Offer of Salvation

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

(Ephesians 2:8-9)

Today and every day all believers of Jesus Christ should be grateful for God’s work of salvation in their lives. All who have put their trust in Christ understand that they have sinned greatly against God and are guilty of His just wrath. We know, after all, that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23).

But, thank God that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, in great love on our behalf so that we don’t have to receive what we deserved. The judgment of all who reject God is eternal torment in Hell. But, God, out of His great love for all mankind sent His one and only Son to die in the place of all who believe.

Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life and fulfilled the righteous requirements for entrance into heaven. He was crucified by his own people on that cross at Calvary and suffered a horrific death. Jesus was an atoning sacrifice for our sins on that cross. He took the penalty that you deserved. He died the death that you deserved.

The prophet Isaiah described it like this:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”

(Isaiah 53:5-6)

Jesus Christ took the penalty that each of us deserved. God tells us, through His Word, that if you repent of your old way of living and put your trust in Christ than you will be born again. When you understand and accept that you have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) and that your only lasting hope is in Jesus Christ, you can humbly cry out to God for salvation.

God answers those who call upon His name in humble desperation. Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved. (Rom 10:13)

If you know the Lord, you desire to do His will. You desire to please God. You know that you are not a better person than anyone else in this world, but are simply saved by the grace of God.

We can all be thankful for God’s abundant grace and immeasurable mercy. Every Christian should be thankful for God’s grace and mercy.

How Should We Respond

When we reflect upon all that we have to be thankful for, we should respond in heartfelt praise.

  • Sing praises to God today.

  • Share some Scripture about God’s amazing grace with others.

  • Tell a friend or family member how thankful you are for them.

  • Spend time praying prayers of thanksgiving to God

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

(1 Thess 5:16-18)

“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”

(Psalm 150)


All Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible translation unless otherwise noted.

Photo courtesy of Preaching for God’s Glory.

[1]James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament)(Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

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