Jul. 05, 2026

Thanksgivers Win

Introduction  - We just passed through the 250th birthday of our nation’s beginning. It was a time of celebration for most people.  Indeed, we are thankful to live in a nation with relative freedom and respect for religious practice.  Our church does not teach the idea of nation-worship or leader-worship.  As Christians we are, in fact, citizens of another kingdom—the Kingdom of God.  Jesus had little to do with the Roman government, teaching only that we should pay taxes (Matthew 17:27) so that we don’t offend the government.  So, like Jesus’ experience with the Roman government, we should be thankful for the freedoms we have to gather, teach and evangelize, realizing that we are in a country governed by man and that it will never be perfect until there is a theocracy at the 2nd coming of Jesus.  

In this weekend there were many chances to give thanks for things which are right.  We  heard often of the blessings of our nation’s place in the world militarily, economically, and politically.  You could choose the report you wanted to listen to: one listing the obvious shortcomings of the country and one listing its benefits.  The reports fell along major party lines.  In our church, we deliberately don’t promote political parties of any stripes because we are a nation of imperfect men and women who fail sometimes and succeed other times.  Promoting one party over another divides us and creates “dissensions and factions” contrary to the advice of Galatians 5.  

For someone who is primarily a member of God’s Kingdom (and as Christians, we should all be this first and foremost) here is some great advice about what we should do after we listen to arguments, both pro and con:

    1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.   NASB

Giving thanks is the key to mental, physical and spiritual well-being in any situation.  If you want a solution to sadness and depression which will have an immediate effect on your feelings, practice thanksgiving all the time.  Many things we learn from the Bible require patient application and waiting for results.  This is not bad, because it is the manner in which God works to change us into mature people.  Thanksgiving does not work like that.  Its results are immediate and lasting.  Thanksgiving is probably part of our spiritual armor, being an integral part of the helmet of salvation:

    Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  NASB

The helmet protects the head, which is where we think and react to worldly stimuli.  The helmet apparently has to do with salvation, so everything which Jesus did to save us is probably what this “head protection” is all about.  That subject involves more than I could write about in thousands of pages, but suffice it to say that Jesus saw my depraved condition the moment I was conceived by my mom and dad.  He chose, long ago, to give up His perfect life as a satisfactory payment to God for my waywardness.  I (like all of you) was born bad from the womb.  I wasn’t born good and then chose to do bad things.  Jesus’ death set in motion a way for me to know God and to learn who he really is.  Without His sacrificial act, I would have been “poor, blind and naked.”  This basic provision is something we should give thanks for every day of our earthly lives!  

I experience the use of this principle frequently.  I learned something about my body: It produces chemicals to  wake me up at about 4:00 am.  If it didn’t do this, I’d keep on sleeping for too long,  These chemicals are alarm chemicals, so I wake up with some normal anxiety.  To combat this, I have to start taking inventory of the things I am thankful for and I start giving thanks. It works every time! I’m not telling you to prove my expertise.  This is a normal way of life in the Lord.  

A recurring question concerning the giving of thanks is “should I be thankful FOR bad things which happen to me?  The book of James has an answer:

    James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  NASB

“Various trials” sounds like an ominous, open-ended thing, doesn’t it?  God never intends to subject us to endless rigors.  He carefully calculates what we need to mature and carefully guides us into those situations in our workplace, our home, or our church where we encounter both blessings and sometimes problems which we must solve. 

    1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. NASB

The word for temptation in this verse has the broad meaning of “testing.”  The background of this passage is a story about the Israelites who were the fathers of the early Christians to whom Paul is writing.  The Israelites experienced many testings in the Sinai wilderness in their journey, wandering from Egypt to the Promised Land.  These were not the typical “temptations” to do drugs or engage in prostitution, but to have basic substances for survival, like food and water.  We have the same temptations today, just in different forms.  Anything which we want which takes the place of God is an idol.  The Israelites in this story were warned not to worship idols, a term which is foreign to us. They were dreaming of getting food from anywhere, including popular sources of meat, like a market where food offered to idols was sold. Paul warned the present day Christians not to covet anything which would be considered an idol.  Instead, God demonstrated that he could provide manna and quails to them in the wilderness and brought water from a solid rock for them to drink.  They longed for the security they had in Egypt and the regular supply of food, even though they were slaves to the Egyptians.  Those Israelites provided an important lesson for us about things which tempt us. This story was about “things,” not so much “acts,” which we usually connect to the word “temptation.”  We, today, are similarly tempted by things which bring us security:  a job, land, equity, position, power over others, etc. 

When these things are missing from our security, we endure rigor.  We can’t get the food we want, don’t have the shelter we want, don’t have the transportation we want, can’t pay the bills we need to pay, can’t get approved for a loan, etc.  As we are being taught today, these things are always temporary for the Christian.  Because God is alive and well, you will always have a way to get what you need.  For the Christian, the best answers usually come through His church, not the government, which is only a 2nd best option.    

Conclusion - This provision for your well-being is eternal! It is not dependent on how good or bad you are.  It IS dependent on your being a part of His church.  As a member, He provides you a helmet for protection of your mind and teaches you how to live in constant thanksgiving.  He is serious about you learning to live in this way and has an eternal promise for you:

    Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever. BSB

Thanksgivers win!