Thanksgiving Starts with Reflection

Psalm 144:3-4: " O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow."

As the Thanksgiving holiday is fast upon us, we would do well to reflect upon what a spirit of thanksgiving looks like. What is it that makes a follower of Jesus Christ thankful? Why do they live their lives in a perpetual attitude of gratefulness, no matter the circumstances that they face in life?

A key indicator for us is found in the above cited verse. As King David petitioned the LORD for deliverance from his enemies, he paused midstream and contemplated the amazing blessing of God's involvement in our lives. Certainly God is not in need of communion with us. He could have created us and left us to the consequence of our rebellion against Him as LORD . . . which is physical and spiritual death. He did not need to involve Himself in our lives at all, seeing our physical lives as short and utterly meaningless (read Ecclesiastes for the "vanity" of this life). He could have concluded that we were not worth His time, as again He is not in need of fellowship with us. In actuality, God did not even need to create us in the first place; God does not need us and our association to have a sense of completion. He is perfect and glorious within Himself. One cannot help but be amazed that God, knowing before creation that we would commit cosmic treason against His Lordship and that any hope of reconciliation would cost Him His very life, would choose to create us anyway. It seems that the more rational conclusion would have been for God not to have created us.

That the Sovereign Creator of the universe would condescend to us and love us by fostering an intimate fellowship with us by sacrificing Himself truly is amazing! This is why grace is amazing! This is why God is amazing!

Again, we are so unworthy of an intimate relationship with God. The Scriptures tell us that because of our sinful rebellion against the Lord, we were God's enemies; however when we were powerless to do anything about our sin, Christ died for us, reconciling us to Him and granting us life (Romans 5:6-10). Our response to this offering should be repentance and surrender to Him as LORD. Oh the foolishness of those who would not receive such an offering of grace due to their stubbornness to surrender to the King of Kings. This is the greatest absurdity ever!

As we enter this holiday season, let us stop as David did and reflect upon what our Lord has offered to us. Let us remember that it is virtually inconceivable to think that God would choose to interact with us. In comparison to God, we are absolutely nothing and so undeserving of His love and fellowship (both now and in eternity). Let us savor the blessedness of redemption that has been offered through Christ Jesus' brutal sacrifice on the cross. Let us celebrate God's power over sin and death through the resurrection, giving us the hope of our resurrection (Romans 8:11). Let us kneel in awe that God even would choose to adopt us as His sons and daughters for all eternity (Ephesians 1:5). What a privilege!

And as we find ourselves truly overwhelmed by such benefits, let us open the portals of thanksgiving to our God, who is our Sovereign King, our Loving Lord, and our Glorious Savior!