Faith Focus: Feeling thankful for both spiritual, practical things

We are entering what is, to me, one of the most wonderful times of the year. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and Christmas follows. And while the birth of Christ certainly and rightly receives the greater share of attention, Thanksgiving should certainly be no slouch in our attention.

George Washington declared: "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor ... Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 ... that we may all unite to render unto him our sincere and humble thanks for his kind care and protection."

Abraham Lincoln followed in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November, declaring: "We are prone to forget the source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come ... No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God ... I do, therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States ... to observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

Truly, giving thanks to our God has been a wonderful part of the American DNA from our earliest days, and has been acknowledged all the way from the White House right on down to your house and my house. And that certainly fits with Scripture such as 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

May I then, please, give you a partial list of things for which I am thankful, some deeply spiritual, some downright practical?

I am thankful for the family unit: Husband/father to lead and provide, wife/mother as heaven-sent helpmeet and to be the heartbeat of the family, children to follow and to grow in the way they are led. This arrangement is as orderly and beautiful as the solar system.

I am thankful for salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, secured by the blood he shed on Calvary.

I am thankful for the Bible, the perfect word of God from cover to cover.

I am thankful for the church, the very thing that Jesus himself said that he would build. Count me among those who love going to the house of God.

I am thankful for laughter and humor. In Psalm 126:2 God filled the mouth of his people with laughter, and most days he does the same for me.

I am thankful for the internal combustion engine, and the bigger the better.

I am thankful for weight lifting, scuba diving and football playing.

The list is not even close to being done, I may just finish it up in next week's column. In the meantime, what are you thankful for?

Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, N.C., and the author of several books which are available at wordofhismouth.com. Contact him at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.

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