The Good Of The Father (The Thankful Heart) # 2041

 I am thanking my God always concerning you over the grace of God which is being given you in Christ Jesus 

Paul to the Corinthians (1) 1: 4, Concordant New Testament 

What are you thankful for?  That is the question which will be asked many times over on this Thanksgiving day.  Over dinner and in conversations with friends, we will ask what we're most thankful for.  Many times, we will answer that we're thankful for the material possessions or good circumstances in our lives.  It might just be me talking, but I don't consider this to be a thankful heart.  What I consider to be a thankful heart is what the apostle Paul demonstrated in his words spoken in his letter to the Corinthians.  That he was thankful for the grace of God which was given unto them through Christ Jesus {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 1:4].  Paul may not have had too many earthly possessions, but if he did, he didn't consider them to be worthy of being that thankful.  What his heart was thankful for was the grace given to us through Christ Jesus.  For Paul had experienced the love and the grace of the Father first hand in his own life.  Paul had every reason to have a thankful heart.  On this day, I think back to the history of that fist harvest of Thanksgiving, where the fist settlers came together among the inhabitants of this land in thankfulness for what the Lord had given unto them.  Indeed, I'm sure their own hearts were thankful for what the Lord had delivered them from on their journey.  It is for this very reason which they celebrated with the first feast of Thanksgiving.  These days, it is common practice to gather around the traditional Thanksgiving turkey meal to connect with friends and family.  But are we truly thankful?  If we are, what is it that we're thankful for?  I don't think many would dispute that Jesus demonstrated a thankful heart to those among Him.  When He fed the crowds with loaves and fish, He gave thanks to the Father for His provision.  Throughout His ministry, Jesus refused to accept the glory which many would have, but instead gave thanks to the Father.  In this He demonstrated His thankful heart for all to see.  

Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ

Paul to the Ephesians 5:20, Concordant New Testament 

If there is one change which i have noticed as a result of my new found knowledge of the truth I have in my life in Christ is that there is absolutely nothing in my life which God has not been a part of.  Jesus speaks to our union life in the book of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  Indeed, what is it that I will ever acquire that God has not been an intimate part of?  What circumstance will I ever encounter that I have not walked through in His presence?  This is my life in the Father.  If I am thankful for something I have, it is through the Lord that it was given to me.  Likewise, if there is a difficult situation I am facing, I can be assured that I endure it through Him.  So, in this conversation of the thankful heart, I contend that we should always be thankful to the Lord for our life in Him.  This is the truth of our own identity.  Not as individuals apart from God, but as His loved children living through Him.  This is the truth of who we are.  He has created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Despite our shortcomings, He has dispatched His innocent Son in our place on the cross for our forgiveness {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  We can be assured that everything which the Father will ever do is done with His thoughts of His beloved children in mind.  If Jesus has demonstrated His own thankful heart, we can be assured that He first came to know it in the Father. 

~Scott~