Why Am I Thankful?

As I was thinking about this topic, I wondered, “Why?”

What is thankfulness?

The opposite is entitled. But, what am I entitled to. Nothing really.

Choices do have consequences.

We are not necessarily thankful for things we deserve. We are thankful for good things that we do not deserve.

It is an attitude for things we do not deserve. It is a humbleness of, “Why me, Lord”?

My wife doesn’t need to make my breakfast, but she wants to. I don’t have to wash the dishes, but I want to. So, we thank each other.

This could be applied to many, many things.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT - As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation--a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.

I’m certainly not among the first to believe, more likely one of the last.

But for this, I’m very thankful.

I have no physical brothers and sisters, but in Messiah, we are a very big family. We are not together because of a common interest. We are FAMILY having fellowship with God and each other. 1 John 1:3 WEL That which we have seen and heard, we announce to you so that you also may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

I do not deserve God’s love, yet He does love me. Galatians 2:20 WEL "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet, it is not I but Christ living in me, and the life I now am living in the flesh, I live in faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not have anything worthy to know forgiveness of my sins, the times I broke God’s laws. 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT - For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

I do not deserve grace, but I have received grace. Romans 5:21 WEL That just as sin has ruled in death, even so might grace rule through righteousness into eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I am not entitled to anything of these things. I do not deserve them.

So now, I have fellowship with God, wife, children, brothers, sisters, an eternal home after death, many and many blessings more that I do not deserve.

I am humbled.

I am thankful.

Bad things do happen to us. But, as the preacher said, “We do not thank God FOR everything; we are thankful IN everything.”

A friend of ours had her husband brutally murdered. One night she could not sleep. As she lay there awake, she thought of 500 things she was thankful to God for. What about me? Am I thankful? How about you?