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By Dean Kelly

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).

Jesus at one point entered into a village and there were ten lepers who stood afar off, and loudly called, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Jesus told them to go to the priest, and as they went their leprosy was cured. Only one, a Samaritan, came back to give him thanks. Jesus asked him, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except the foreigner?” Jesus was unhappy that the nine did not show any gratitude for the healing that He had done by the power of God. Thankfulness is significant in our relationship to God.

One missionary trip to India  caused me to be away from home on Thanksgiving. As I talked about it with my friend and translator he commented, “It is wonderful that a country has a day set aside to recognize God’s blessings and to express gratitude.” He was delighted by the idea. How sad it is that there are some who are working fulltime to remove God from our public arena, and to destroy anything that even remotely has reference to the God of creation.

Obviously, we need to be thankful every day. Paul said it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that we be thankful. James said that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).  Every blessing in our lives, every good thing that we have or receive is from God, and we should be thankful.

Above all, we should be thankful for what God has done in sending His Son to die on Calvary’s cross. We should bow at the foot of the cross in gratitude and thanksgiving.

May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of food, fun, but most of all with true thankfulness!

Dean Kelly is minister at Highland Home Church of Christ.