In Matthew Chapter 11 we have one of Jesus’ most impactful messages on gratefulness and thanksgiving. Here He teaches us about the power of John the Baptist’s message and how the privileged leaders of the time were ungrateful and unwilling to change.
In Matthew 11:25, Jesus prays this prayer of Thanksgiving. He says, “I thank You Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” The things He speaks of were the things of the salvation we all need.
The elite people of the time did not appreciate the truth and significance of John’s message. The status and provisions they had kept them from seeing what they needed most. But the people who had little were thankful for how much John’s message meant for them.
So, here we are today, Thanksgiving 2023. Will we find in ourselves the heart of gratefulness and thankfulness Jesus had for Who God is and for what He means to us? Jesus is the Son of God, yet He had the sense to recognize the need for the work of God in a world where man wants his own work to be dominate.
So, as you get your Thanksgiving Day started for 2023, do so by first thanking the Lord for thanking God for being our God. Yes, I said thank the Lord for thanking God.
Be thankful today because Jesus was grateful that our God lives to serve all our needs. He was grateful on our behalf.
Acknowledge someone today who is like a John the Baptist of our time. Just as Jesus took the time to acknowledge the importance of John and the impact his work had on the people of the times, let’s be thankful for the people who still go forth proclaiming the salvation of the Lord. We need that!
Jesus enjoys the close relationship He has with each of us, and He loves spending time with us. So, you ought to enjoy the day and the food and the fellowship you will have with Him and with those close to you.
And keep the day in perspective. More than being thankful for what we have, be thankful that God has chosen to make us a part of His plans.
Start the Day with prayer like Jesus:
I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You are:
The God of all people – and God of our life.
That You live for us so that we may live in You.
That You are all our provision so that we need not to worry about what we may lack.
That You love loving each of us and in doing so we will learn to love You and to love others.
That You speak to us like the babes of Your heart, so that we can learn to come to You and learn to live by what You will reveal to us.
Thanksgiving 2023 is indeed a day for us to learn to live humbly before God and others, but to live richly in the provisions of His blessings and in His mercies and in His Love.
As much as we are thankful for the food and the day away from work we have today, let’s be thankful that God is our God.
We cannot count all our blessings, but we can count on being blessed all the time because He is our Father. Let’s give Him all our Thanksgiving for that.
Live a Delivered Life. Love you.
Live Delivered 