"Thanks Be To God! Thanks Be To God! Thanks Be To God For His Indescribable!"

You are not going to want to miss this post! I'm putting a lot of thought and work into this because...hey, it's Thanksgiving! So I guarantee that this post will be all over the place. But especially for Thanksgiving I love to cover all the bases...so I'll have a *short* list of what I'm oh so grateful for, Bible verses, a quote, a song, and notes from our Thanksgiving Eve sermon last night. I'll try to make it short...but, boy, I have really discovered that I LOVE Thanksgiving! It's such a happy holiday. It's such a remarkable day set aside to give THANKS! How often do we mindfully do that? So today's the day! I'm gonna go all out. I really have so much to be thankful for and yet I waste away my year...grumbling and complaining when things don't go right, when I miss my daily coffee or shower, when my breakfast gets burned, when I have an overload of school. So especially in this season I'm going to try and see whatever I grumble about and then see how others don't have it and then give thanks for it. 
This morning I got up...and let's just say there was a large over abundance of dishes. So naturally everyone is mumbling about how many dishes there are and how tiresome it is and how they hate holidays because it means loads of dishes. I remembered a little sign in Rachel's new apartment that she has. It says: I'm grateful for dishes because it means I have food." And it's so true. Hunger is such a serious problem in the world today....and when we grumble because our food is too salty, a little burned, or not exactly perfect to our standards...that is in essence un-thanking God for food and that huge blessing. We tend to overlook those "normal" blessings when to others...it's a rarity. 

• I'm thankful for loneliness because it means I've known love
• I'm thankful for dishes because it means I have food
• I'm thankful for dirty clothes because it means I have clothes
• I'm thankful for an overload of school because it means I have an education
• I'm thankful for too much work because I do have work when others have none
• I'm thankful for sickness because it reminds me of what good health I normally have
• I'm thankful for chores because it makes me responsible and accountable
• I'm thankful for fights because it's a chance to bring people closer afterwards
• I'm thankful for my sin nature because it drives me back to Christ
• I'm thankful for trials and suffering because it reminds me I'm Christ's child.

• I'm thankful for cats
• I'm thankful for kittens
• I'm thankful for felines
• Okay, okay! You get the point.
• I'm thankful for my really warm bed
• I'm thankful for money to spend
• I'm thankful for my new viola
• I'm thankful for internet and my laptop
• I'm thankful for my ever-forgiving parents
• I'm thankful for water
• I'm thankful for education and college
• I'm thankful for work
• I'm thankful for books
• I'm thankful for competitions
• I'm thankful for laughing, laughter, and inside jokes
• I'm thankful for my church, pastor, and covenant community family
• I'm thankful for my Grandma who always supports me
• I'm thankful for my Bible
• I'm thankful for all my faithful friends
• I'm thankful for chocolate, sugar, hot pretzels, and fruit snacks (not combined!)
• I'm thankful for shoes
• I'm thankful for holidays
• I'm thankful for salvation
• I'm thankful for heat
• I'm thankful for summer
• I'm thankful for vehicles that run
• I'm thankful for coffee
• I'm thankful for caffeine 
• I'm thankful for Biggby
• I'm thankful for Starbucks

I'm so incredibly blessed and I forget it so often! So I know I went on and on with that list...but I really could be here all day! Alright...I'll try to stay focused!

‎"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and 

creates a vision for tomorrow."

-- Melody Beattie

Now I'm going to try to merge really quick into a sub-category of Thanksgiving...and that is *giving*. We read this Scripture passage last night as we were having our offering plate passed around and it is just beautiful!

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 6-15

And also this passage!

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I didn't take very many notes during the sermon last night...I was multi-tasking so it was difficult but I took *notes*. I'll try to make them into understandable sentences but I'm sure you'll get the general jist of it. 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving should be the easy rhythm of life to us as Christians.

We do not deserve anything.

Everything in life is a reason to thank God.

We are to especially thank God for the gospel of Christ.

Who would we thank if we didn't have God? Ourselves. How selfish is that?

We should be thankful to have someone to give thanks to.

We are to be praise warriors! (I like that one)

Thankful prayers should be a very daily thing.

God is not just a vending machine in the sky.

Stop asking. Give thanks.

Show forth God to others through thanks and praise.

With gratitude can come evangelism as people look at our gratitude and say, "I want that".

Make His deeds known among the peoples through gratitude.

A good work ethic is natural among those who are grateful for work.

Thanks to God for My Redeemer (Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift! 2 Cor. 9:15)

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,

Thanks for all Thous dost provide!

Thanks for times now but a memory,

Thanks for Jesus by my side!

Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime, 

Thanks for dark and dreary fall!

Thanks for tears by now forgotten,

Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,

Thanks for what Thou dost deny!

Thanks for storms that I have weathered, 

Thanks for all Thou dost supply!

Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure,

Thanks for comfort in despair!

Thanks for grace that none can measure,

Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside, 

Thanks for thorns their stems contain!

Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,

Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!

Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,

Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee!

Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,

Thanks through all eternity! 

Amen

I pray your Thanksgiving is incredibly blessed and you find your heart full and your soul at peace! Give thanks to God for everything for it is from His hand and He causes it all to be for your BEST. <3