SpOL063   THANKS FOR THE INDESCRIBABLE GIFT

Matthew Henry, the renowned Christian scholar, gave a personal example of unusual thankfulness. He was once accosted by thieves and robbed. He wrote these words in his diary:

“Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

The American holiday of Thanksgiving is a special time of the year. For Christians, it’s a time when we reflect on God’s grace and love, and consider the ways God has blessed us.

For Christians, of course, giving thanks to God is not confined to a single day. Giving thanks is the keynote of our lives and the center of all our worship.

In the Bible there are more than 550 references to thankfulness.

"Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving," Psalm 95.2 says.

In the New Testament – in Ephesians 5:19-20 – we’re told: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because they were so focused on giving thanks to God for everything, Greek-speaking Christians gave the name eucharist to the Lord’s Supper, a word that means “thanksgiving.”

In describing the gospel, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

And no wonder, because the greatest of all gifts is the gift of God's Son, Jesus Christ. Through him all our sins are washed away, we are given fellowship with God, and we enter into eternal life.  Yes, thank God that he has saved us through Jesus.

I’m Joseph Tkach, speaking of life.