Full of Thanks: Everyday Thanksgiving

In November, every year, we focus on the things in our lives we are thankful for. Some of us take to social media using hashtags #thankful, #thanksgiving, #turkey, #getinmybelly (Sorry, I may have my grandmother's thanksgiving meal on my mind), #thankfulfor, and the list goes on and on. Some will participate in a 30 day Thanksgiving challenge on Instagram where you post a different picture each day of things you are thankful for using the #30daysofthanksgiving. As a family, you may sit around the table each evening and talk about one thing you are thankful for in your life or during that particular day. We all have different ways to convey who and what we want to give thanks with it culminating on a day of giving thanks where we meet with family and friends to share a meal together. I love thanksgiving because it combines my two love interests: food and family! There are also no strings attached through the giving a gifts, it's just a genuine thanksgiving feast full of love.

As I sat during worship yesterday, a comment was made during our announcement time, "Everyday is a day of Thanksgiving when you're a Christian." This small, simple statement had a lot of power behind it. I sat there and thought to myself about the things in which I can be thankful on a daily basis thanks to my God and Savior. So, I would like to share with you the things I am thankful for on a daily basis because of God and the Christian life. 

I'm Thankful For...

Love: Without love, where would we stand today in our walk with God? Love is above all the most important reason to be thankful. Love for God, love for family, love for our country, love for others, etc. However, it is God's love that we should be most thankful for. Paul knew that God's love would be difficult to understand which is why Paul prayed the people would "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge" (Eph. 3:18-19). His love surpasses all knowledge, but we can understand just how deep God's love must have been for us when He allowed Christ to be crucified (Rom. 5:8; John 3:16). 

Sacrifice: We have the privilege of living in a country where we experience immense freedom due to the sacrifice of men and women who fought, bled, and died for our sake. We take our freedoms for granted and even abuse it at times, but there's no doubt we have this life because of sacrifice. As a Christian, a sacrifice had to be made in order to have the life that we do. Through Christ's sacrifice we have been set free from the bondage of sin (Gal. 5:1). The sacrifice made by Jesus Christ was a one time deal. He did not die multiple times for my sins or your sin, but He sacrificed himself once for the sins of the world (Heb. 9:24-28). We have freedom from sins thanks to the crucifixion (Rom. 6:6-7) Because of Christ's sacrifice I gain salvation and citizenship.

Citizenship/Salvation: Those who fought for our country, fought for a country where they were citizens, a place they called home. The USA is a wonderful (temporary) place to live, but it pales in comparison to the citizenship that I have in Heaven (Phil. 3:20). Each time I watch someone put on Christ in baptism for the remission of their sins, I am reminded of the great sacrifice of Christ so we can have a relationship with God. I am reminded of the death Christ went through, the burial, and how He overcame death in resurrection. Each time I am reminded of my salvation through Christ's death. I am reminded that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23) and that we did nothing to earn God's grace but it was a gift freely given to us (Eph. 2:8). Thanks to Christ we have salvation through baptism and receive a new life (Rom. 6:4), eternal life and our citizenship has been transferred to Heaven. 

I could go on and on about the many things each day that we can be thankful for, as Christians. However, these are the highlights of my everyday thanksgiving! What can you be thankful for everyday? I challenge you to give thanks back to God, each day, to remember His love for us which led to sacrifice that, in return, allowed us an opportunity of salvation and a citizenship in Heaven. 

"I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me..." 

Psalm 86:12-13a

Bragging Rights

Generally when I write I try to write something that is encouraging to you, the reader. Something that will make you ponder or make spiritual applications to things going on around me in my life. However, today I want to go in a different direction. This is a direction that, as humans, we don't go in enough. A direction of bragging on people for the accomplishments and good works that they have accomplished.

In today's society we are often times filled with negativity on the news and in our newspaper, but how often do we read of the good that is being done in and around our community. How often do we read of how others are blessing people around the world. When it comes to our youth, the bad tends to be magnified more than the good. So, I intend to take a moment to brag on our youth at Rose Hill Church of Christ.

We have a great group of kids who love to give of themselves whether it is time or money. Over the last year the youth group was challenged to help out the M.O.M. project (Making Orphan Meals) which is a mission of Partners 4 Africa. Each week P4A feeds 700 orphans in Zimbabwe, Africa. Their meal costs $0.50 per plate. Yes, you read that right FIFTY cents it what it takes to feed orphans in Africa. In America we tend to toss our $0.50 to the side or in a change jar to then collect dust at the end of the day. It's not a big deal to have a collection of change laying around our homes.

So, we challenged each student to bring $0.50 every Sunday to help pay for one meal in Africa. Despite not knowing these kids nor getting to ever meet them, our students opened up their hearts and pockets each week. Most of the time our students brought more than the asking donation. The goal was 700 meals by the end of the year. However, our students met and exceeded the goal on Wednesday, October 29th. At that time, they had purchased 736 meals! We are still 2 months away from the goal deadline and our students met that goal! It was great to announce this past Sunday (Nov. 2) that they had met the goal because our missionary, Dorian Flynn, was in town to give us a report on the work being done with Partners 4 Africa!

If that did you heart good, what until you read this next part!

Last night, I met with the student leaders in our youth group to talk about future plans for our ministry. We began discussing how we could continue to help Partners 4 Africa. Our students decided to challenge the youth group with sponsoring a child in Africa this year to help them to be able to attend school and have the supplies they need. The goal is $300 by the end of June, 2015. I have a feeling we will exceed that goal and be able to supply everything necessary for the child to attend school. Joy and I will have an opportunity to meet this child that we are sponsoring when we travel to Africa with our mission team on July 4, 2015.

Our students have agreed to keep a change jar in the Teen Room to continue collecting loose change for the M.O.M. project that helps to feed Orphans each week.

Some of our students plan to talk to their teachers about sponsoring a shoe drive for Africa as their Christmas service project. The goal is to collect 10,000 dress shoes or tennis shoes of any size to send to Africa.

What is so wonderful about these kids? They are becoming disciples of Christ right in front of our eyes and serving the needs of people around the world. Many of them they will never meet but these students are fulfilling their mission of being Christ-like here on Earth by being a blessing to others. Sometimes we could learn a lesson from our kids. Not only do they want to help the people in Africa, they came up with great ideas to be a blessing to our community, as well.


‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’— Matthew 25:35-36