Thanksgiving

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, the Apostle Paul stated,

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

In a psalm of thanksgiving and praise, David uttered,

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5).

Because we are merely human beings and therefore fallible, it is likely that all of us at some point in our lives have forgotten how blessed we really are. Consider the following:

• If you own just one Bible, you are abundantly blessed. One third of the world does not have access to even one.

• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

• If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof on your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

• If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, even in the United States.

• If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

• If you prayed yesterday and today, you are blessed because you believed in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer.

• If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two million people in the world who cannot read anything at all.

I do not know where these "statistics" came from. I found them in a "stash" of old articles I have kept over the years. Nevertheless, I thought some of these were interesting as they really put in perspective how even when we are down, we should remember that it can always be worse. I hope that we will take the time each day to count our blessings. God is good to us in more ways than we can imagine. We are certainly blessed beyond what we could ever deserve (Matthew 5:43-48; John 3:16; Romans 5:8-9).

Have a good day!