“I Thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.”  I Corinthians 1:4-5

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I have a few thoughts I would like to share with you.  The first is to thank God for the grace He has personally given us.  When you look over your life, you can see time after time God extending His grace to us.  For all of us the greatest instance was at salvation, and from that point God’s grace continues to abound.   Everyday we get to experience that grace.  Remember His mercies are renewed everyday – great is His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).  Stand in awe of God’s grace in your life,  take time out of your day to genuinely show thanks to God!

Secondly, we see in this passage we are to thank God for His grace in others’ lives.  Here Paul is thanking God on behalf of others because of the grace that was given to them.  As Christians, we know life is not about us.  God first – others second!  When God extends His amazing grace in one form or another to those around us, it ought to result in us thanking God as well.  Are you thankful for the blessings of God in others’ lives?  That is the true test of contentment.  Thank God on behalf of someone else today.  Thank God He works in others’ lives, and He showers down blessings upon them.

Lastly, I would like to point out that in ALL THINGS you have been made rich!  You are a child of the King, and you have a heavenly inheritance waiting for you!  II Corinthians  8:9 does a good job of summing up this thought for us,  “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”  Think of the acronym “G.R.A.C.E.” God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  We have been made rich.  Obviously we have so many material things we can thank God for – but His riches are so much more than that!  We have a heavenly inheritance – one day we will reign with Christ – one day we will even judge angels…but not yet.  So until then, we set our affection on things above and we continually thank God for the grace He bestows on our lives and on those around us!

Thankful for the grace of God,
Seth Mulford, Youth Pastor