Going through Ephesians 1 last night at FLAP we counted almost 50 blessings we have from God in Christ!  What a wonderful life it is, having Believers beside us to help carry us on.  Thank you!

The following is a well written Thanksgiving Devotional I’m sharing because I am to rushed to write one myself.  But you get the point!

I thank God for Thanksgiving. Particularly this year, as a father of four, I feel a fresh sense of awe, and gratitude, that my generally unbelieving nation pauses for a weekday each November formally dedicated to giving thanks.

It may seem like a trifle to most people. But for those with eyes to see, this is a dazzling ray of God’s common kindness in our day, however much we grieve the public commendations of sin and unbelief that surround us in other ways. Our heavenly Father “is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35). “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). To his common kindnesses of beautiful days, human minds and bodies and words, friends and family, food and shelter — the everyday divine kindnesses we take for granted until they’re threatened or gone — add this annual mercy: Thanksgiving Day.

Whatever conversations it might prompt with neighbors and coworkers, the Thanksgiving holiday is also an especially rich opportunity for moms and dads. To be sure, if practicing thanksgiving happens only once a year in our homes, then our children will not be much better for it. But if this one day is a marker, a springboard, an annual emphasis and re-kindler that feeds a regular theme and habit in our families, then we have an occasion, in this one day, to highlight one of the most important realities God calls us to teach our sons and daughters.

Thanksgiving Honors God

When we ourselves give thanks to God, out loud for our children to hear, we model for them something very basic and profound about being human: we are created by God, for God.

God made us in his image (Genesis 1:27), and what do images do? They image. They reflect, display, make visible. They ensure the one being imaged is remembered and honored. God made us to reflect him and display him in the world around us. We image him through our visible actions and our audible (or written) words that give meaning to our actions. This fundamental purpose and calling makes thanksgiving essential to life.

Sin, however, mars our imaging. In Romans 1:21, the apostle Paul gives us a revealing glimpse into what has gone wrong in the human race: “although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.”

We Did Not Give Thanks

At one level, our plight in this world is remarkably simple: God made us, and surrounded us with a world teeming with good, and we failed to thank him as we ought.

God showered us with warm sunny days, beautiful blue skies and green grass, stunning cloud formations to dazzle the eye and provide shade, trees bearing mouthwatering fruit, and the greatest wonder of all in the created world: each other and the marvels that are human bodies and brains. Our world, even now under the sway of sin, still abounds with God’s goodness and kindness. And we ourselves have been given life and countless blessings, even in our most trying of times and disabilities.

Our first response to God’s lavish provision, very simply, should have been to give him thanks. To do so honors the one who made us and provides for us. But we did not give thanks — whether from indifference or contempt — and so we dishonored him. We rebelled against one of the most basic purposes for our existence. To give God thanks honors him, and to honor him — our very design and calling as humans — includes giving him thanks.

Ingratitude, then, is no minor vice. And thanksgiving is no insignificant act for a creature designed to image God.

Feel God’s Pleasure

We were made to give God thanks. And when we do — and model it for our children, teaching them to do the same — we taste one of the great pleasures God made us to enjoy. As Olympian Eric Liddell (1902–1945) memorably said that God made him to run, and he felt God’s pleasure when he ran, so we all were made to give God thanks, and feel God’s pleasure when we do.

“Will our children grow up in homes that thank God daily, regularly, spontaneously, gladly?”

Yet we find ourselves, as fathers and mothers, with a call to raise the next generation, while living in times that celebrate pride, rather than humility. Our generation’s sense of entitlement is off the charts, and rising. Will Thanksgiving be a trifle for our children? Will they assume grace, assume God’s provision, assume blessing, assume resources, assume ability, assume community? Or will they presume little, and learn to thank much and express it?

Will our children grow up in homes that thank God daily, regularly, spontaneously, gladly — even as Thanksgiving Day adds its annual exclamation point?

Jesus Gave Thanks

In the end, despite our many failures, we want to model for our children what it would be like for God himself to live as human. And when he did come as a man, he gave thanks. Even as God himself, Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus embraced the fullness of the humanity he took at that first Christmas, all the way down to the basics of our flesh and blood — including thanksgiving.

He thanked his Father in prayer (Matthew 11:25–26; Luke 10:21), not just privately but out loud for his disciples to hear. When he fed the four thousand, “he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds” (Matthew 15:36; Mark 8:6). And when he fed five thousand, he began the same way (John 6:11). So memorable, in fact, was his giving thanks that later John refers to the location where the miracle occurred as “the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks” (John 6:23).

“Jesus was the supreme human, and the supreme giver of thanks.”

Then, on the night before he died, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples (Luke 22:17; 1 Corinthians 11:24). So too, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and they all drank to the spectacularly gracious new covenant in his blood (Matthew 26:27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:19). So pronounced was Jesus’s thanksgiving during that Last Supper that some traditions call the rite of remembrance “the Eucharist,” from the Greek for thanksgiving.

For Jesus, the God-man, giving thanks to his Father was no trifle. Jesus was the supreme human, and the supreme giver of thanks. Nor should thanksgiving be small for us, or for our children. What an honor, and pleasure, to not only taste for ourselves the joy of giving God thanks, but also share this joy with our children. Thank you, God, for Thanksgiving.

David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor for desiringGod.org and pastor at Cities Church. He is a husband, father of four, and author of Humbled: Welcoming the Uncomfortable Work of God (2021).

“You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.” Psalm 23:2-3 (The Message)

There was no other way to say it. Katie and I NEEDED a break… TOGETHER! A friend had given her some magazines to look through and IMMEDIATELY, when she found the advertisement, she opened to that page and let it rest RIGHT THERE on the counter. It became a daily reminder that… “we HAVE to GO THERE!” Then this week… we did!

Were it not for my bride, I’d be nothing more than a heavenly bound heathen. Katie is the one who brought me… no DRAGGED me… into the world of art and culture. After some VERY soul refreshing experiences, I didn’t need to be dragged any further. When she suggested the Stetson Mansion, I was all in!

Together, we made reservations, then picked an old quaint hotel to match the venue. Excited, we threw everything we thought we’d need, and MORE, into a very large suitcase, then hit the road. The large house in the middle of nowhere was so far out of place, even some folks IN TOWN, hadn’t heard of it! When we walked in the door, we were transported into a world of celebration!

There is too much to say and not enough room to say it. But this is not about the Stetson Mansion. It is about TAKING IN what someone else had gratefully GIVEN. It’s about receiving the gift of Thanksgiving, offered on the altar of time and sacrifice. It’s about learning and expanding my own ability and desire to ‘gift’ something back to The Greatest Giver ever! God Himself!

We spent time listening, with open mouths, about the history, hows and whys of what was done. And to OUR good fortune, from the very man who alone, designed and decorated it ALL! His enthusiasm was contagious and over the top! We left with a sense of joyful gratitude, revived in spirit, along with ideas on how WE might display OUR giving even better. In essence, we took HIS giving for our own benefit. Which he didn’t mind one bit!

Jesus Christ is the ultimate image of God – the Giver. If I want to enjoy and display life in its fullest, all I need to do is imitate ‘The Master’ Himself! Copying His mannerisms, joy, love and sacrifice can almost be compared to stealing! Taking from Him produces an outflow of Thanksgiving that I could NEVER imagine or create myself! And the festive, fun part about it is, He doesn’t mind one bit! In fact, Jesus actually ENCOURAGES me to copy Him.

So how are YOU Celebrating the Savior this Thanksgiving?

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

It’s called Information Technology! I.T. for short! At the McCay house, we are WOEFULLY lacking in that department. Katie and I BOTH have computers and BOTH of them are on the fritz. After inputting LOADS of information INTO them, getting it back OUT has become more of an ‘IF’ then a ‘when!’ And it’s starting to get downright annoying!

Last night Katie needed access to her government records for Social Security (ANOTHER couple of words patterned after I.T., where the words seem more oxymoronic (opposite) than compatible). Anyway… the computer didn’t want to cooperate, and it seemed to take forever to do what it was told! Now that it’s Friday and we’re at the dawn of Thanksgiving, I realize that God often has the exact same problem… with ME!

I am a sinner. A sinner is one who sins. BUT… I have been forgiven by Jesus Christ (past, present and future). This causes a conundrum because, the CONTAINER, or flesh, that caused me to be LABELED a sinner, still hangs out in the hard drive of my mind. This makes me susceptible to negative information that can actually cause my life to act like my computer and crash!

This was the subject of FLAP on Wednesday. Jason talked about it and we all seemed to nod our heads in agreement, realizing that ACTING like the Saints we ARE can be difficult. One of the ways that I have found to help me in my sainthood, can ALSO be called I.T.! And it is the theme of this upcoming Holy-Day.

Thanksgiving has to start somewhere. And I find that I don’t have to really look hard for a place to start. Like a satisfying meal starts with hunger… Thanksgiving can easily start with my self-evident status of being ‘dirt-bag!’ Since my flesh is always right there fighting for top spot, it can easily be used as the tool to help me realize what Jesus SAVED me from! Which then leads me to I.T.!

Intentional Thanksgiving (I.T.) is what God wants and loves from me. And why not? He and His Son suffered TREMENDOUSLY because of my sin. Appreciation is to be EXPECTED. When I find the war in my life beginning to stir, I.T. reminds me to look to God, and at the blessings He has provided. Actions then, can much more easily follow.       Intentional Thanksgiving… I.T. sounds like a good idea!

How is YOUR I.T. department?

“…see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” 2 Corinthians 8:7

If Katie and I were presented a $500,000 check with our names on it… how much $ would we have? Without really knowing it, I had actually been contemplating that very question in the back of my mind. Because we were very close to that theoretical question becoming a reality. Thankfully, my answer matched EXACTLY with what we got! Which was ‘Nothin’!

We all seem to think of bad things happening as some kind of test. I have found that difficult tests can just as easily come in the form of extravagant blessing! We have been blessed with the hard work that comes with owning another house. After 13 years, it was paid off. As of yesterday, there was a contract pending for its sale for almost half a million dollars. As of last night… it’s worth nada!!!!

It’s OK to ask the question… “How did we sleep after a disappointment like that?” “Great!” was the answer Katie gave me. And I concurred. We can say that because long ago, from many tests and trials, we learned that we don’t really OWN ANYTHING! Because we GAVE our lives to Jesus, everything in our name belongs to HIM! And He still has the house!

I read something this morning that I shared with several individuals. It was a quote from Saint Irenaeus that stated, “the glory of God is man fully alive.” John 10:10 was quoted, “I have come that you might have life, and have it to the full.” An explicit statement of Jesus Christ to His followers. In other words, Jesus came to GIVE what HE owned… to ME… and you!

It was then that questions began to rise in my mind, evidence that the Holy Spirit was right there with me. If Jesus came to GIVE ME abundant life… then just what am ‘I’ supposed to do with it? Not surprisingly, further study landed me on the verse for today… and HIS answer, “give it away, silly!” His answer, naturally, produced even MORE questions… which is what God questions are SUPPOSED to do!

“What’s mine?” is a question that easily separates the sheep from the goats. A sheep is a person who gave their lives to Jesus Christ… in exchange for HIS life in THEM! Which… if you really know Him… has HIM coming out on the losing end of the deal. An interesting thought, unless I further consider the principle that I’M supposed to give it away as well!!

Jesus owns me… which means that Jesus owns my wallet! Which makes the answer to the ‘Capital One question,’ “What’s in your wallet?” not so much a question as a statement. Our answer is….. “JESUS!”

What’s in YOURS?

“God’s eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, was that through faith in Him (Jesus) we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:10-11

To say it was an extravaganza would be a HUGE understatement. But there I was, standing in the checkpoint line in downtown Tampa to get into an ‘all you can eat’ seafood festival thrown by, and for, big propellers in the maritime industry. At first I was a little nervous because I’m not even IN that industry. Heck… I didn’t even have a TICKET! But then… I saw HIM!

He was working check-in and I hadn’t seen him at first. But my nervousness vanished when I saw him at the checkpoint. Moving in closer, I grabbed ‘the guy’ and gave him a BIG hug. As I did, he smiled and said…”Hi Dad!” Then he handed me “The Ticket.” “What am I supposed to do with this?” I asked. “Give it back to me and go on in!” It was just that simple!

There are no words to explain it. Both of my sons were there, along with well over 1000 other people. It was the relationship with my sons that made me feel welcome and proud. When I met someone and they asked who I was, my answer was “I’m Colt’s, (or Clint’s) dad! They ALWAYS smiled at hearing those words! It was one of the best times I have ever had.

Because life is life, and we’re all busy living it, it takes conscious effort to focus, think on, and enjoy the thoughts of entry. Because we are ALL ‘in line,’ moving toward the check-in point for the greatest event in the history of the universe! A global gathering of people invested in the business and service of the King. But to get in… one HAS to have a ticket!

‘I’ didn’t have to do anything to get my welcome ticket, except show up and trust my son. Heaven will be the exact same scenario. Entry into the party isn’t just encouraged, it is the WHOLE POINT of ALL life. God the Father has a purpose, and His entry requirements are unchangeable. I can’t just KNOW ABOUT Jesus, His Son, I must have a RELATIONSHIP with Him to be welcomed in!

Are YOU going to the party? Do YOU have a relationship with The Son? Will YOU be welcome with honor and joy? All God wants to know is, do YOU have “The Ticket!” 

“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” Ephesians 2:3

An idea was recently presented to the church to plant a garden on the property. Someone said, “we could use that old shed in the back to store gardening tools.” I snickered at that statement because… I’m the only one who knows what’s really in there! Now that the garden is planted, I felt a serious call to remedy the shed’s condition. Yesterday was cleanup time!

The first thing I needed to do was grab a wheelbarrow full of tools and pull it out. It was strangely uncooperative! When I got it out and tried to push it, it wanted to go anywhere but straight. The tire had deflated, making where I wanted it to go quite a challenge. After forcing the deflated wheelbarrow out of the way, I surveyed the mess!

That shed hasn’t been used for some time. Having placed a bag of charcoal and some attic insulation in there for storage last year, rats had gotten in and combined the 2 to make several nests. For the life of me I cannot figure how those 2 things even go together! But having read that rabbits love licorice, nothing surprises me! I placed the whole mess in the trash and forced the deflated wheelbarrow back inside.

It’s a FACT… tires need air to roll! Rolling is why they were designed. It’s common sense that deflated tires DON’T roll, which makes the saying, ‘where the rubber meets the road,’ the whole point of my thoughts this morning. Because lately, I haven’t been rolling as well as I was originally designed!

Having been Jesus’ guy for a long time, I KNOW what it is like to be led by God’s eye so that when He looks, I notice and go. I ALSO know the sense when I have to be dragged or forced to figure out what the destination is supposed to be! As a child in the faith, I used to freak out and panic during times of testing, trial or confusion. Now, at least, I can see it for what it is.

Fleshly cravings and desires ALWAYS deflate me. And they don’t have to be BIG air leaks to take me off course. Being under a time constraint to get a bunch of things done has impacted me as much as an evil sin might. I’ve been tired and weary lately. Too many tasks, and not enough time to do them, have forced me off the ‘Joyful Jesus Road.’ And it’s my own doing.

I want rest, easy and non-complicated. And while those benefits are promised to us by taking on Christ’s Yoke, they can easily be disguised as sinful cravings when I am not careful. It takes a deliberate decision to STOP trying to make my own life comfortable with ‘rat-like’ ridiculous thinking and be inflated by the Holy Spirit. Only THEN will I get back on track. It’s cleanup time!

How are YOU rollin’?

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” Revelation 3:15

As daylight slipped into dusk, the temperature seemed to follow. Almost without a point of notice, the air had turned chilly, making a change of clothes necessary for comfort. By the time it was time for bed, the outside temperature was in the low 50’s! We were sitting warmly inside the house, when a dilemma crept into my brain.

The dilemma was neither dramatic nor life shattering. But it took more than a couple seconds to sort through to a decision, which qualified the thought as a dilemma. We like to sleep in a cool room, so I set the thermometer at night to 72 degrees. The thermostat registered 75. Asking Katie if she preferred I turn the air conditioner down or to open the windows, she had no preference! So I opened the windows. All was well… until about 1:30am.

When I woke up I was uncomfortably chilly, so I threw on a light blanket lying beside the bed. At 5am I was shivering again, so I closed the windows and opted for a heavier blanket from the couch. When the alarm went off, the first thing I did was turn on the heat so Katie would be comfortable!

It dawned on me, as I made my way to the coffee maker for the automatically brewed coffee, that we humans ALL live life with a Goldilocks syndrome. We want our beds, not too hard or too soft, but just right. Porridge, if we like it at all, must not be too hot or cold… but just right. In fact, nearly EVERYTHING we need or desire must fit into a slim margin of error if it is to satisfy us at all. Enter Jesus!

The Bible is God’s Word and comes complete with instructions for His will, along with examples galore of people who have both followed Him… or not! Years ago, moving into the discipline of reading it daily was a work in itself. Being honest, there are times that I am DEEPLY moved, and other times when I get absolutely nothin’! Which is kinda cool!

When I started the Christian Faith I was a pre-teenager. I felt like Jesus didn’t like me if I didn’t FEEL His presence. It took a long time to learn that feeling is NOT necessary for faith to live well. It may be the way I ‘like it’ but it is not any kind of proof. In fact, feeling is not even necessary for Faith to do it’s work! Truly walking with Jesus Christ is an exercise that can be hot, cold or neither! The question is… am I WALKING?

This morning I passed Katie in the hall and felt no giant urge to embrace or shun her. She must have felt the same way, because as we passed, and at exactly the same time, we bumped into one another… intentionally! Then laughed in the acknowledgment. The point? Living life continually loving, learning, serving and acknowledging Jesus is a continual comfort. I don’t need to add anything else to make me FEEL otherwise.

How is YOUR relationship with Jesus? 

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14

This picture of Mel Gibson and Jesus is a favorite of mine. I’ve seen it many times with words overlaid, the best being, “me trying to tell Jesus about my troubles.” Though the picture itself wasn’t on my mind, it exactly portrays my day yesterday… as one thing after another pushed me to places and attitudes where I didn’t really want to be. Then… the day ended!

As I lay in bed thinking about the events and how it all went, I wasn’t angry. Surprisingly I was exhausted PAST the point of frustration. I was joyful just to have made it through without a major calamity. I picked up a book from my nightstand and read a story of how much Jesus wants to spend time WITH me. Before I knew it, I was listening to HIM.

Me ‘n Jesus are ALWAYS in conversation. The Bible says to “pray without ceasing,” and I have that one down! But now I find myself under conviction, needing to perfect that policy. What I USUALLY do is whine, moan, crank, cuss and complain to Jesus. What HE usually does… is listen. Sadly enough, I don’t usually feel bad about those ‘terms of relationship.’

As I lay there reading, I was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit as He delivered Jesus’ personal message to me. To try to explain in words what was conveyed would take too long. But if you love Jesus, you already understand. His presence, as He overflowed His Spirit into mine, was more than I needed to KNOW that He was telling me how much He loves me… and MISSES me.

Oh how foolish felt! For a while, and almost out of a sense of survival mode, I have been concentrating on ME and NOT on HIM! But Jesus is a gentleman who never forces His way into the conversation. Neither does He walk away. He stays! And when the incessant whining of my grumbling ceased and silence filled the vacancy, His presence just suddenly became known! Everything else… vanished!

Being a Jesus Guy is a humbling kind of thing. When I realize how much HE gives and how much I take… and how He never complains about it, my joy rises. It is then that I can drop all the junk I’ve been holding on to! It is THEN… that I SEE what I REALLY need to do… is to switch roles. Silly man… It ISN’T me ‘n Jesus… it’s Jesus in me!

I think I’ll start off the weekend with that thought. Where is Jesus in YOUR daily life?

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11

I was undergoing testing and trial the other day. It seems that God is trying to teach me a lesson in an area I have refused to show up for in the past. Not wanting any part of this subject, it suddenly dawned on me that my class on ‘Patience’ was already in it’s 2^nd semester, and I was miserable!! Then my phone rang!

My 2 sons are in the shipping business. The oldest is a Tampa Bay Harbor Pilot….’in training.’ My phone rang because he was calling to talk. I always love to hear about his adventures, and secretly live vicariously through his stories. When I got the call I was unsuccessfully fighting low-class demons while organizing the garage. I was shocked to discover HE was having the EXACT same kind of day as I! ‘Cept HE was chasing ships!

As I was cleaning up the garage, a rope, then an extension cord, got tangled around some of the craziest things! Then I dropped an entire can of tacks all over the floor, while losing track of almost everything I laid down! He told me that, needing 2 ships to complete his training for the week, he had hit pay-dirt with a fast outbound, meeting a slow inbound, returning to the same port where he had parked his car. It turned out to be the complete opposite!

When the boys were little, my goal was not to play, have fun and spoil them until they grew up and moved away. From toddler, my goal was to turn them into MEN. Men who could handle the difficulties of life, while relying on God in the process. That meant there were lots of hard lessons and discipline along ‘Grow-Up Rd.’ It is interesting to note that, even at my age, God STILL has me in His boot camp on the same road.

It is not possible for me to fit all my junk into a garage without sorting, organizing and planning. It is not possible for my son to pilot 1000 foot ships until he has first learned to drive 600 foot ships on his own. An old Italian man once told me, “every job has it’s bones to chew.” We learn to become what God expects us to become, through the discipline of chewing bones!

At the end of the day, we both got what we were looking for. He got his ships out and in, I was able to get Katie’s car in the garage! Neither were possible by simply wishing and hoping. The jobs, done well through sweating the details, produced a peace that neither of us would have been able to enjoy had we walked off the job and said ‘no way!’

God is in the business of conforming all of His children into the Image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Knowing how great His son is, and how far away ‘I’ am from looking like Him, I don’t envy God’s job! He’s got it tougher than you and me put together. But He’s at work EVERY DAY!

What is God trying to do with YOU?