Scripture: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.– Colossians 2:6-7
Insight: Thankfulness is a natural expression of being touched by God’s grace. So, we must constantly ask what are we truly thankful for? I would answer that question so differently now as a Christian than I would have before I knew Christ. Before, I would have equated thankfulness to my view of my current situation. It would have been an emotionally based answer dependent on my circumstances. It most likely would have reflected to one degree or another a materialistic bent. In other words, if I had accumulated enough “stuff” I wanted, or been happy with my relationships or job or whatever else, then I could muster the enthusiasm to be “thankful” although it was a superficial thankfulness at best. But now as a Christian, as a follower of Christ, the answer I give has much more validity and depth to it. I can truly say I am thankful for I know that God truly loves me, and His love is not circumstantial! It is all encompassing. It is real and it is full of the grace needed to activate my gratitude for all He has done for me. When you realize that you were a dead man walking, and then given a “pardon,” like a spared Turkey on Thanksgiving eve, for what your sinful nature deserved, through the sacrificial death of Christ on the Cross, how can you not respond in any other way than uncontainable gratitude and thankfulness. It must flow out through you because it cannot be contained within. Like a wineskin will burst if it is filled with too much new wine, so we can’t contain all the joy within us when we are truly thankful for all that God has done for us. It must be passed on to others through generosity and kindness as a result of our genuine and deep rooted gratitude. So this Thanksgiving Day, don’t contain your joy about what God’s grace has done for you, but give it away to others as a blessing worthy of a feast! His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven!
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