Thanksgiving!

Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

I read the above verse this morning, and thought about the significance of it in relation to Thanksgiving. I am truly disheartened at the no care attitude our country takes toward such an awesome holiday; however, I’ll save that for a later post.

Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, declared this to be an annual holiday, and so we have done that. But in thinking about what all Americans have to be thankful for, I must think about our heritage. We have the greatest history of any nation in the world, save God’s chosen people, Israel.

But for this post, I want to commemorate just a few things that I came across today that I was thankful for.

1. Fellowship with God
The scripture is the most important thing you could ever read, and just this morning God spoke to me through my bible. What an amazing thing, that God would speak to us the way he does! Then the privilege of prayer, probably the greatest weakness of the church today, that allows you and me to come boldly unto the throne of grace! I love the privilege of talking to my Lord just whenever I want to.

2. Family
I have the greatest family in the world. We’re all so busy, that sometimes we don’t even thank God enough for each other. God has blessed our home with his presence, something that others can even feel, and they talk about when they leave our house. Our home is a haven of rest! I know that one day I will have a family of my own, and I just pray that my home will have that same touch of God on it that ours has now. I’m thankful that all of my family desires God’s will, and we are dedicated to the call that he has placed on each of our lives. My Dad and Mom are the absolute best parents in the world! God has blessed me beyond measure.

3. Friends
I have been blessed with some great friends. I’m thankful for the men in my life who have stayed faithful to the Lord, who have shown me how to be what they are, MEN!
Besides my own father, there are men such as my Grandfather, who could be listed in the family category as well, Frank Givens. There’s not a more generous man. Then there are Bro. Rob Unger, Bro. Nick Blackburn, Bro. Jim Lyman, Bro. Jimmy Noles, Bro. Bob May, and their families. I also thank God for Pastor Mike Keenan, who has showed an interest in me, and has invested in my life, helping cultivate a love for God and a desire to live right. I could never deserve such friends as I have! As recent as this year, God has seen fit to bless me by giving me friends across the world!! With our recent trip to Holland, I was blessed to become acquainted with Missionary Jake Huussen and his family. I could not describe the encouragement they have been to me, and my family as well! Then there is my Saviour, Jesus Christ, who, when I was unlovable and lost, became my friend, and gave himself for me. What Love!!!
This is not, by a seas width, an exhaustive list. This is simply three things that I noticed today that I am truly thankful for. With these three, what more in the world do I need, really?

But…here’s one to top it off:

4. Future
I have an unknown, but with God, a no-doubt fantastic future!!! I can only imagine what may be ahead as the Lord tarries! What a scary, yet exciting thought! I just turned 18 today, on Thanksgiving! As this chapter of my life closes, there’s a lot to be done.

Be thankful! You really have no reason not to be. If you have one reason not to be thankful that cannot be offset by at least three reasons to be thankful, leave a comment and tell me about it. I’ll give you a hint: you can’t!!! And really, what you perceive as reasons to be unthankful is just your misunderstanding of God’s will for your life.

Skim over this post and you decide if God, as the verse says, “daily loadeth me with benefits.” It’s true for me, as it was for David. And hey, it’s true for you too!