So what are you thankful for today?

First, we should be thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and for what He has done for us on the cross and His victory over death that we might have eternal life. If we lived a pauper’s life for the remainder of our lives we would be blessed beyond measure. To think that the God of all creation created the universe for mankind would be more then enough but then to think that He would send his only Son to die that we, sinful, rebellious individuals might be redeemed is more then we could ever deserve. As has been said before if we got what we really deserved, Hell would be our home right now. Praise God for His mercy and grace to us.

Second, I’m thankful for my wife. She truly is a godly woman and my best friend. We have been married for 18 years and each day gets sweeter and I become more thankful for her love, encouragement, faithfulness and yes, even on those occasions I need her subtle corrections. I have seen her down but not out, I have seen her up but not over bearing. She truly is an example for other women. If I had nothing but Jesus and her, my life on earth would be complete.

Third, my children bring such blessing. While far from perfect, they are growing into godly young people with a heart to serve others. I am blessed that their hearts are open to God’s word and are developing their own biblically based convictions and standards for their lives. In a world where families are pulled apart and going every-which-way, we are each other’s best friends.

While there are many other things I am thankful for and we could go on for some time, I will end with this one final thing. I am thankful for a godly heritage. Both my parents and Sherry’s parents are godly examples of faithfulness to the Lord. I have seen each sets of parents go through dark and what seemed like lonely times in their lives and they have been faithful throughout it all. I have seen God’s strength work in and through them. They have been our counselors and friends. I know of many friends that have struggles conflicts with their in-laws but for Sherry and me we are blessed to call our parents our best friends.

Well, I have listed the greatest blessings to me. Now I get to go and enjoy the rest of the day, fellowshipping with my family and best friends and wrap the day up with a family tradition we started about 13 years ago – watching our kids decorating their gingerbread houses.

Enjoy the day and while there are a lot of things to be thankful for, God and family should be at the top of our lists.