“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
(1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV)
I woke up to sunshine streaming through the curtains. It’s a new month and we’ve fallen back an hour. It feels so good to open my eyes to daylight again. My heart fills up as I realize it’s November – an entire four weeks dedicated to being thankful. I finished Mark yesterday and sat this morning with an open Bible, wondering just where to go next. An idea slipped across my mind like the sunlight tracking across the carpet: could I spend an entire month on thankful scriptures? What better way to turn the tide of 2020’s turmoil then by stirring up real, honest-to-goodness gratitude? Yes, it’s been a hard year, but we still have so much to be thankful for.
I start with God; because He’s is good and His love endures forever. His goodness eclipses our depravity. His love never blinks or stutters or fades or takes the day off. He is absolutely good and unfailing in His affection for us. If everything else was a total loss, this would still be enough cause to be thankful forever. The God of the universe is good and He loves us. My heart quakes with gratitude because He certainly doesn’t need us and we certainly don’t deserver Him But because of His goodness and because of His love, we have a place in eternity beside Him forever.
“How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus christ, and take us to the high places of blessings Him. Long before He laid down the earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago, He decided to adopt us int o His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son.”
(Ephesians 1:3-6 MSG)
Lord, today we are grateful for Your goodness and love. We realize we are wholly undeserving, yet You have settled on us as the focus of Your love. How overwhelming and marvelous at the same time! In utter gratitude, we say ‘I love you’ in return. You are worthy of all we can ever give or do or be. Thank You. Amen.