By David L. Chancey
davidchancey.com
A cartoon showed a turkey and a fortune teller hovering over the crystal ball. The fortune teller said, “I see you surrounded by family … well, not your family!”
I feel for the turkeys this time of year, don’t you? Thanksgiving Day is fast approaching. Giving thanks is more than displaying good manners. Giving thanks enhances our spiritual and physical health.
Here are six facts about giving thanks:
First, numerous Bible verses command us to give thanks. For example, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good” (1 Chron. 16:34) and “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Ps. 106:1).
God’s wonderful works
Psalm 107:1 repeats, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” and then underscores the importance of thanksgiving four times by repeating “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (8, 15, 21, 31).
Obeying these commands to be thankful helps us recognize who God is and see God’s wonderful works in our behalf.
Second, giving thanks is a choice. Luke 17 records Jesus’ encounter with the lepers. One day, Jesus passed 10 lepers who recognized Him and cried out to Him. He commanded them to go to the priest, and as they went, they were healed. When one realized his healing, he returned to Jesus to give thanks. Jesus asked, “Where are the nine?”
Certainly, the other nine were thankful for healing, but only one chose to glorify God and express gratitude (Luke 17:15, 16).
Third, giving thanks points to our Source of blessings. The one leper fell down at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Nine of these men were thrilled to receive God’s blessing, but only one gave credit to the Source of his blessing.
Someone said, “When eating fruit, remember who planted the tree!”
Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us “you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth … .”
Fourth, giving thanks is a spiritual discipline. Giving thanks is just as important to our spiritual lives as prayer, Bible study, Scripture memorization, worship, serving, giving and witnessing. Giving thanks helps us remember life is all about Him and not about us. Deliberately practicing gratitude awakens our sense of dependence on God instead of upon ourselves.
Fifth, giving thanks diminishes our tendency to grumble. Gratitude and grumbling cannot co-exist. Have you ever noticed how, for some people, the cup is half empty and for others it is half full?
A pastor told about walking down a busy city street one morning and hearing someone singing. The cheerful voice could be heard above the sounds of rushing traffic, blaring horns and other city noises. The pastor looked until he found the source, a man with no legs wheeling himself along in a wheelchair, singing about the beautiful morning.
He approached and said, “Sir, your singing is giving everyone such a lift. Coming from someone in your situation, it is such an encouragement.”
The man responded, “When I stopped looking at what I lost and began concentrating on everything I had left, I found much for which I could rejoice.”
We can either give thanks for what we have or grumble about what we don’t have. Let’s give thanks for what we have.
Sixth, giving thanks may impact our mental health. Ashley Smith, a licensed psychologist and author of “The Way I See It: A Psychologist’s Guide to a Happier Life,” writes in a blog post at adaa.org, “Gratitude can be a game changer. Gratitude can increase your happiness and well-being, life satisfaction, even overall health while decreasing the stuff we all want less of, like anxiety, depression and anger. It can be a powerful practice.”
‘The peace of God’
According to UCLA Health, taking time to be thankful may reduce depression, lessen anxiety, support heart health, relieve stress and improve sleep.
Paul was on to something when he wrote, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts … and be thankful” (Col. 3:15).
The late Billy Graham said, “A spirit of thanksgiving is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord.” Is our heart attuned to the Lord this Thanksgiving?
EDITOR’S NOTE — David L. Chancey lives in Fayetteville, Georgia, and serves as transitional pastor of Eagles Landing at Griffin, Griffin, Georgia. See his other writings at davidchancey.com.
Where is your church leadership development process?
By George Yates
Organizational health strategist, SonC.A.R.E. Ministries
Every leader should be mentoring another leader. If you are a teacher, you should have at least one apprentice teacher who shares in the teaching responsibilities. If you are a class secretary, you should be training someone in those duties.
It matters not how big or small your task, you should be equipping another person.
While mentoring is a great component of leadership development, it is not a complete process. The way we recruit leaders in most churches is unhealthy — we recruit to fill an empty slot. The first person we can find to say yes is our answer.
At one church I served, the nominating committee went to Gail several years in a row asking her to teach in our children’s ministry. Each year she declined. Gail was a second-grade teacher in a local school.
Different plans
Gail was desiring relationships with a different age group on Sunday. She was with 7-year-olds all week and longed for adult interaction for Bible study. In time, Gail and two other women came to me desiring to start a Bible study for women.
They already had the commitment for a teacher, Gail. They had the ministry plans laid out beautifully and the women’s Bible study became a fruitful ministry to the women of that church.
A church’s leadership process begins even before the recruiting process. It begins with prayer.
What can you do this week to prayerfully enhance and enrich the leadership recruitment and development processes of your church?
God intentionally gave us rest.
After creating the world, He rested on the seventh day.
Our bodies and spirits need that same renewal.
When you pause, pray and let your mind settle in God’s peace, your body shifts into repair mode: cortisol drops, digestion improves and inflammation eases.
Make rest non-negotiable this weekend and honor the gift God has given.
Dr. Josh Axe
@drjoshaxe via X
How large should a church be? Big enough to reflect Christ!
Morris Murray Jr.
Jasper, Alabama
It is significant that if you look at the songs of Mary and Zechariah in Luke 1, you can actually cut them out all together and not lose the narrative. So why does Luke include these songs? I think he is showing us how we should respond to the good news: in singing of our love for and adoration of God.
Mary’s worship is instructive for us today in at least four ways.
First, her worship is wholehearted and joy-filled — “my spirit,” she says, “rejoices in God my Savior” (v. 46). She worships with all that she is. And she shows us the secret to joy: magnify God.
Second, her worship is personal. She speaks of my Savior. The message of the gospel is historical and theological, but it is also intensely personal.
Third, her worship is God-
centered (“magnifies the Lord” and “God my Savior”). She goes on in the song to praise God for his attributes and His actions: for who He is and what He has done and all that He will do … .
Fourth, her worship is Bible-saturated. Many people don’t think Mary could have written this because she was so young, and it is so majestic and so theological. So where did she get all this depth? Simple: Mary knew her Bible!
We know the same God as Mary and trust the same gospel as she did. We will surely, therefore, sing as she did.
So, next time you are in the gathering, sing. Sing with your heart, not just your lips. Think about the gospel truths in the lyrics, and let those flood and thrill your heart.
Tony Merida
“Gather: Loving your Church as you Celebrate Together”
You have an eternally heavenly Father who loves you unconditionally and will always be there for you, no matter what life throws your way.
Rick Lance, executive director
Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions
When Jesus saved you, He already saw all of your sin, your weakness and your insecurities — and still chose to love and save you.
True, amazing Grace.
Daniel Ritchie
@DanielRitchie via X
“Sweet like sugar cane on a summer day … He comforts in the sorrow, He’s giving in the loss/He stole the shame I carried and wore it on the cross … Life tried to give me lemons but my Jesus makin’ lemonade.”
Forrest Frank and The Figs
Excerpt from Lemonade Lyrics
Whatever this costs you, Jesus is worth it all.
Annie F. Downs via Instagram
