Thankfulness

One of the first acts of politeness we teach our children is to say please and thank you.  I can’t imagine how many times I had to say to our children when someone gave them something or did something for them “What do you say?”

At times it seems as though it is more important to us than it is to the person who was kind to our child and for sure more than it is for our child.  But over time they finally get it and it becomes a natural part of their actions.

As Thanksgiving Day approaches a legitimate question for us to ask is, “How well do we remember what our parents taught us about saying please and thank you?”

Sometimes it is easy for us to think that we are capable and have earned all the things we have on our own.  When we arrive at that conclusion, then a ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem to be required.

But we know that just as God provided for the children of Israel in the Old Testament (Ps. 68:10 – O God, you provided for the poor.), he also provides for us. In the Lord’s prayer we pray “Give us this day our daily bread” and He has provided for all our physical needs and for that we should thank Him daily.

But God has given us more than all that we need for our body and life. Thankfulness can be easy when we see the physical results of God supplying all that we need in this life. But He has provided for us, by His grace, what we need for our life hereafter for all eternity as well.

Let’s not let our thanksgiving be limited to one day of the year, but make us thankful each day of our life for the blessing He has given us through the perfect life and innocent death of our Savior, declaring us righteous in His eyes.

Let this be our prayer:

Dear Savior, thank you for your suffering and dying for us on Calvary’s cross. We thank you for taking the guilt, the curse, and the punishment for our sins. We thank you for your victory over the grave and all it brings to us. We thank you, Lord, for your perfect substitution. Now help us appreciate the blessings we have because of your death and resurrection. Help us demonstrate our thankfulness by our actions and service—not just our words. Help our actions direct others to you, their Savior. Amen.

Yes, thank you is still polite, but for God, it is the right thing to do.