By: Pastor Rick Smith

During this time of the Thanksgiving holiday our minds and hearts are focused more on those things for which we should be thankful. We should live our lives in constant thanksgiving. Yet it is good that our forefathers saw the need for a focused call annually to a time as a nation to give thanks. And we, as Americans, have much for which we need to be thankful. No other nation has been blessed materially as we have. Although we have never been perfect, no other country has enjoyed a more universal freedom than ours. I can’t but feel that our general well being us a result of those early pilgrims that set the pattern of civil justice that has long been followed in the generations since. As Christians we must set the standard for others to emulate. Even we fail to give thanks for those people that have blessed our lives. The apostle Paul on more than one occasion gave thanks for people that had touched his life. For instance, Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 1:2, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” Let this verse be a pattern of our thankfulness for the people in our lives.

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” We thank God. Although we should always thank those that have blessed us, we know that all good things come from God (James 1:17) and He should be thanked for those He sends into our lives. You will notice that Paul says, “We give thanks to God.” He could have been referring to himself as an individual or he and his team. In either case we are instructed by Jesus to pray “our Father”. We are to thank God in reference to and in unity with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. It doesn’t mean that I never can pray or give thanks as an individual, but it does mean that I am aware and inclusive of the family of God. We have the wonderful privilege of thanking our Father for the blessing of others in our lives.

Notice again what this verse tells us. “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” Developing a thankfulness for people in our lives is something we all should do. How often we neglect to tell others what a blessing they have been in our lives. How more often do we fail to thank God for including them in our lives. We are ungrateful to both God and to those who have blessed us. How often do we gripe and complain about minor faults in people that have generally been a blessing to us. We should give unceasing thanks to God for all things and in every situation and for the people He places in our life’s path. That would include the bad and exasperating people that come into our lives. God has Allan that we cannot fully appreciate, but we can trust Him that they are in our lives for His glory and their and our ultimate good.

It is important that we see the means of our thanksgiving to God. “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. When I was younger, my prayers were filled with my own needs and interests. As I have grown my prayers are filled more with people instead. Prayer should include thanksgiving to the Father for people whom He has blessed us with as well as our personal requests, intercessions, and praise to God. Mentioning people to God in prayer, seeking their well being and growth will help them, mature us, and glorify God. Selfish self-centered prayer benefits nobody, not even ourselves. That kind of prayer is not prayer at all, but a Pharisaic ritual. Thank God in prayer for those people that have blessed you.

Take time, not just during the Thanksgiving holiday season, to thank God for the people He’s blessed you with. And, if you have the occasion, thank those people that have been a blessing in your life.

If you have any questions, we invite you to visit with us this Sunday. Worship at 10:50 A.M. We are located at 711 West Washington Ave.

Rick Smith is the Pastor at Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Artesia.