I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers; [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].

Ephesians 1:16-23

Most of us have much to be thankful for, not just on a single day but every day of our lives. Many of us can be thankful for food, clothing, and shelter but often take them for granted. We can be thankful for life, health and happiness. Most likely if we begin to list all the blessings of God, we would run out of ink and paper.

Being thankful for material things is great but Paul reminds us that being thankful for family, friends, and our brothers and sisters is better. Someone said that if we have one true friend, we are most blessed. The beauty of being a child of God is that we not only have one true friend-Jesus- but we also have a family. How thankful we are when we know that we do not travel on this journey through life by ourselves. Ecclesiastes tells us that there are benefits when we find a traveling companion:

Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up. Again, if two lie down together, then they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Today in this short devotion, I wish to say to every reader how thankful I am for you and your faithfulness. I feel especially blessed when I think about the many who have shared with me this journey of life. I remember the saints who influenced me, molded my life, and gave godly and timely counsel. Because of them, I am still on the journey of faith that began 48 years ago. I am extremely thankful for Sherry who has walked with me these 43 years as a faithful and encouraging companion. Nothing that I have accomplished could have been done without her help, prayers, and support. I’m thankful for my children who also contributed, often with sacrifice as they gave up a lot of time, volunteered in churches where I served and believed in their dad’s call. I’m thankful for the congregations that have allowed me to serve as their pastor. I’m thankful for their prayers, generosity, love,and trust.

I could keep writing about all those that I’m thankful for and your name would be among that number.

While none of us may be perfect and sometimes we squabble, we are truly blessed to belong to the body of Christ and we are absolutely thankful for each member and all they contribute to the whole.

I invite you today to first of all lift up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for all those in your life. Be thankful that you are not alone. Second, take a moment and make use of every opportunity to tell those around you how thankful for them you are.