As we celebrate Thanksgiving, as we have been reflecting on God’s will, here is a devotion that challenges us to give thanks for everything, not just for what we have been personally given:

IN WORD – Nearly every time the Gospels mention Jesus eating, they mention that He gave thanks. That’s the case when He fed multitudes with only a handful of food to start with, and it’s the case here at His last supper. Knowing He was about to die, He gave thanks for the sustenance of life. Nutrition that would never build muscles or strengthen bones was still worthy of the Savior’s gratitude. Even moments after dismissing His betrayer, He thanked His Provider.
Yes, the giving of thanks was part of the ritual, but Jesus never did rituals without maintaining their integrity in His heart. When God provided the basics of life, He was grateful. It’s a simple act, but it has profound implications. A heart that is truly grateful for the basics of life is a heart at peace with its Creator. Even when chaos and danger swirl around us, as they did that night with Jesus, gratitude is appropriate. Even when we’re about to go into a garden and desperately plead with God to change His plan, as Jesus was about to do, gratitude is appropriate.
Regardless of whatever is going on in our lives at any given moment, this fact is clear: We have been given life by a generous Giver, and His providence surrounds us daily. If we don’t think so, we haven’t opened our eyes.
IN DEED – You will take your next breath only if God provides it. You will eat your next meal only if God gives it. You will see your next sunset, cherish your closest loved one, drink in a beautiful landscape, and feel the coolness of the breeze only if God lets you. While human hearts take His goodness for granted, He remains good. He often lavishes His blessings on those who will never see them, yet He lavishes anyway. That’s the kind of Giver He is. Give thanks today, not just for your bread, but for everything. Look out a window and thank Him for light. Look at yourself and thank Him for life. Most of all, look at Jesus and thank Him for the body and the blood for which He Himself gave thanks. “Gratitude makes even a temporal blessing a taste of heaven.” – William Romaine (in “Worship the King” by Chris Tiegreen)

Use Psalms 113 – 118 this week, a psalm a day, to meditate and to give the Lord thanks and praise for everything He is to us, for all Creation, and for what He is doing in your life. May gratitude fill your heart with joy as you gather together with others. Have a blessed Thanksgiving! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam