Thankgiving is all about gratitude for the blessings of the Lord. Let’s look at some scripture about God’s blessings.
- Ephesians 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
- Proverbs 28:20 – A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
- Deuteronomy 28:2 – And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
So, there is a common theme here; blessings come from Lord, and our ability to recognize them is in direct relationship to our obedience and walk with Christ.
It is easy to see some blessings, for example, a fun event; a visit from a friend; a financial gain; or a healing.
Some blessings are harder to see. Sometimes we need to thank God for the things that He protects us from, or doesn’t allow us to be involved with. Some blessings, unfortunately, we never see or notice.
Some blessings come from the call on our lives.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 11:29 – For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance
We all have a call on our lives. That call is from the Lord and is uniquely personal to each of us. If you think that you don’t have a call, you’re wrong. Your call may not be to work in direct ministry as a preacher or pastor, but you still have a call. You may not be called to work with children, or with the elderly, but you still have a call. You may not be called to work with the homeless, or with those that deal with addictions, but you still have a call.
You have a call to give Jesus to the people around you. And the key is that we are called according to God’s purposes, not our purposes. We are called according to God’s desires, and not our desires. We aren’t called to serve the Lord only on Sundays, or Wednesdays. We aren’t called to serve the Lord only when we are rested and healthy. We aren’t called to serve the Lord only when we are happy. We aren’t called to serve the Lord only when it’s convenient.
We are called to serve the Lord when He asks. That may mean that we’re called to do something for the Lord even when our friends have made other plans. We may be called to serve the Lord when we’ve made a date or our made our own plans. We may be called to go somewhere, and our neighbors and friends may tell us that we’re crazy, but it’s doesn’t change the call. Sorry! We are called to serve according to HIS purposes and not the world’s purposes.
I’ve said all that to say this: It is a blessing to serve the Lord. It is a blessing to be inconvenienced for Jesus. It’s a blessing to get exhausted and tired working for the Lord. It’s a blessing to go somewhere scary to do something for Jesus. It’s a blessing to look silly to your neighbors, when you’re doing exactly what the Lord has asked you to do.
Most importantly – It’s a blessing to hear Jesus’ nail-scarred hands applauding for you when you’ve done what He has asked, even when no one else in your world is clapping.
We are called to work according to God’s purposes and not man’s purposes. And if there is ever a blessing for which we need to be thankful, it’s when you know that the Lord has asked you to give Jesus to someone; you do it in obedience; and you know you’ve done the right thing. That, my friends, is a blessing.
Of course, we still need to be thankful for all the little blessings that we have no hand in, but we need to stand and shout when we are blessed because the Lord recognizes our obedience enough to ask us to be His hands and feet to this lost and dying world. The unique call on our lives demonstrates the uniquely personal relationship that we have with Jesus. Be thankful for that call. Listen to God and follow Him in Thanksgiving.