Thanksgiving is straight ahead. It is time to prepare our hearts, our heads and our homes for another special day of giving of thanks to our heavenly Father for His abundant goodness to us now and always. Do you have a list of praises assembled? One need not labor long in writing down an itemized inventory of blessings! His goodness to us in every way cannot be fully counted, much less comprehended. May I share with you a few of the things that lie foremost on my heart as we approach another day of thanks giving:
So great salvation! To this unworthy sinner, a most worthy Savior has been gracious beyond words. Eternity will be occupied by that great heavenly choir of the redeemed who have received such grace, singing the song of Moses and other anthems of praise for His unspeakable gift, the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
A perfect helpmeet, Ellen. She is God’s special gift to me, crafted by divine grace to meet every need that I could have as her husband (60 years now). I never would have picked such a beautiful, lovely life’s mate, but God did the picking for me and brought her to me, with her heart programmed so that at just the right time she would say, “Yes.” All of grace, goodness and mercy to be sure!
Children. Three, each of whom uniquely fill places in our hearts and home that satisfy a parent’s dream and desire for offspring into which we could pour our unconditional love, with fervent prayers that these loans from God will be returned to Him with interest, and that they will serve profitably in His kingdom both here and hereafter.
Parents. All four special in their own particular way, each having shaped our lives into what we have become. Moms and Dads, (each now in Heaven and part of that “great cloud of witnesses”) all flawed by the fall, but all faithful to their Father, and generous in love, virtue and in spirituality. Parents for which we could never adequately thank our God!
Teachers. Parents, pastors, friends, mentors, in school and in the school of life, who taught truth and modeled it in their walk and by their talk; teachers in grade school, middle school and high school, and beyond school, who impacted and imprinted our lives with theirs, whose mark upon our soul is indestructible and indelible.
Churches. Our church and like churches that were incubators of life and love and labor in our days of youth and in our days of adulthood; churches where a love of Christ-honoring music was encouraged and cultivated; churches where Bible-preaching was the norm; churches pastored by men of God who were men of the Word; churches where sweet fellowship sustained us—like honey and manna kept God’s people alive in the wilderness.
America. Still the land of the free, the home of the brave where—in the middle of the 7th inning of baseball’s World Series—everyone in the stadium stands while a soldier sings, “God Bless America”. Only in a nation founded by pilgrims whose faith and future was anchored in the hope of heaven would this public honoring of God occur.
Friends. Lifelong friends of sixty years and more; friends in the ministry of the gospel; friends on the mission fields afar; friends who call and care, counsel and console. Friends who live the life of Christ by the Spirit, and encourage by their presence, a constant and consistent walk with God.
Grandchildren. And they could not be listed in any particular order of importance, for they are high on our list—and always on the top of my heart. They brighten every day. Their youthful voices, dreams, delights, distractions, keep the hoary head of an aging grandparent alive, and as alert as one can be with every passing year, hoping to see this next generation coming to the realization of some of their cherished ambitions.
Life. With all of its heartaches and heartbreaks, with all of my foibles, faults, failings and fears, it’s been a great trip! I could not have charted out a better course, a more fulfilling journey. If this were my last Thanksgiving, I could leave this world with nothing but a deep devotion, delight, and declaration of God’s loving kindness to me in this life. To God be all praise and glory. Happy Thanksgiving to you each and all!
(Note: Thanksgiving Day this year (Nov. 27, 2025) will be the 13th Thanksgiving Day since I first wrote the above. I thought carefully as I was retyping every word, knowing that a lot of circumstances have changed with the passing of more than a dozen years. Though I was ready and willing to modify any statement or sentence, I found it unnecessary—even undesirable—to make any changes. I am still grateful to God for ALL of the above, and still have the same joy, hope, peace and faith that I had in 2014—just quite a bit closer to “home” than then, and even for that, I am grateful.)
“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” (Psalm 73:24)
YOU and GOD 