This week is Thanksgiving week. Here is a devotion that makes Thanksgiving a way of life, not merely a holiday:

IN WORD The revelation of the new creation of grace, replete with the promise of a resurrection, prompted a huge question among early Christians: what is left to do? Perhaps there were several answers to that question, but there was one overriding response: be thankful. That should be easy enough, but we amazingly miss both the pleasure and the purpose of gratitude. We get hung up on the details of life, on the worries and fears that plague us, and on the complications of relationships. We forget the main thing—in Jesus,
God has saved us ultimately from everything, and it’s all received by grace through faith. There’s nothing we can do to earn it, no obligation to fulfill. It’s a gift, and it’s comprehensive. Thankfulness ought to be easy. There’s only one way to maintain a grateful heart, and that’s to meditate on all the reasons we should be grateful. When we remind ourselves of the abundance of riches God has lavished on us, the incomprehensible measure of grace that covered all our sin, the excruciating price He paid to redeem us, and the extravagant promises of future glory, gratitude is a natural response from our hearts.
The new covenant is radical in its mercies, mind-boggling in its wisdom, and overwhelming in its power. Thankfulness flows from awareness of such things.
IN DEED Measure the level of gratitude in your heart. It’s easy to see; if bitterness and complaining are commonplace within you, gratitude isn’t. It’s time to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness. If you need to cultivate an appreciation for what God has done—an appreciation that extends beyond the borders of your circumstances, no matter how difficult they are at the moment—spend some time contemplating your former lost condition. Then spend some time contemplating God’s efforts to redeem you. Spend enough time trying to understand those two extremes, and you’ll soon find yourself as grateful as someone who was just saved from certain death. All other concerns will pale in comparison. Gratitude will flow from your heart. “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” —Ambrose (in “God With Us” by Chris Tiegreen)

Paul’s letter to the Philippians describes a life that is filled with thanksgiving. It reveals that the result of such a life is joy. If you are struggling with both gratitude and joy, learn from Paul and read his letter this week to transform your life to one that rises above life’s circumstances. Happy Thanksgiving! Have a blessed week! - from Singapore, Pastor Sam