I have a lot to be thankful for. God has truly blessed me. Again, I can say with my
Dad, “God has smiled on me.” The Lord has shown me great favor and mercy down through
the years, and not only me, but my entire family, and everyone living today. If you
are alive, you have a lot for which to be thankful. I have the blessings of health
and strength. I have the blessing of many beautiful and healthy children. I have the
blessing of a beautiful wife and a son and daughter born on my birthday. I enjoy the
blessings of good food to eat, clothes to wear and a place to stay. Since I first
preached this devotional message, in a small church, in a little city called Apalachicola,
Florida, nearly twenty years ago, I have been serving the Lord full-time, and God
has taken care of me, my wife and our seven children by faith in Him. God has been
good to me and it has been a joy serving Him. However, the person I thank God the
most for is His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Here is why:
First, I thank God for Jesus Christ because He gave His Life that I might have Eternal
Life.
He died so that I could have eternal life. He gave His life so that I could have life
more abundantly. I thank God for the “blood that shall never lose its power.” Notice
what the Bible says:
“Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He
shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: He hath
no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should
desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed
Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem
Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and
with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
—Isaiah 53:1-6
Jesus Christ took my sin and shame upon Himself and allowed Himself to be crucified
so that I could go free. I thank God for Jesus Christ!
Second, I thank God for Jesus Christ because He keeps me by His grace.
Because of the keeping power of Jesus Christ, through His grace, my salvation is secure.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of
My hand. My Father which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to
pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
—John 10:27-30
I thank God for the comforting security that we have in Christ Jesus, our Lord, through
the grace of God. In the words of the preacher of preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
“It is all of grace.”
Third, Jesus Christ also keeps us from falling.
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless
before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
—Jude 24
Praise God, He has the power to keep us from falling. If we fall, it is because we
allow ourselves to. The Lord is able to keep us from falling.
Fourth, I thank God for Jesus Christ because, in His grace, mercy and love, He is
still working on me.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift
of God: Not of works lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them."
—Ephesians 2: 8-10
There was a popular song, years ago, entitled: “Don’t Judge Me Yet, God is Still
Working On Me.” Thank God He is still working on me by the power of His Holy Spirit
and through His Word; and thank God He is still working on you as well.
Fifth, I thank God for Jesus Christ because He is constantly interceding for me.
“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him,
seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
—Hebrews 7:25
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
—I John 2:1
It’s a wonderful feeling to have anyone praying for you, but it’s a special blessing
to know that the Lord Himself is praying for you.
Sixth, I thank God for Jesus Christ because He said He will never leave me nor forsake
me.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as
ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
—Hebrews 13:5
Friends will forsake you, family will forsake you, but, thank God, Jesus Christ will
never leave you nor forsake you.
Finally, I thank God for Jesus Christ because He has promised to come back to get
me and all who believe in Him, and He will gather us unto Himself into glory.
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God believe also in Me. In my Father’s
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive
you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
—John 14:1-3
Are we not living in perilous times? Doesn’t it appear that we are living in the last
days? I don’t know about you, but I am so glad the Lord is coming back soon to get
us out of this mess.
My question to you, dear friend, is, Are you going back with Him? Do you know the
Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Do you thank God for Jesus Christ because He died
on the cross for your sins? Do you believe in Him? Do you trust Him? Do you depend
upon Him to save you from Hell? If not, why not trust Him today?
God’s Word says:
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
—Acts 16:31
Pray and ask Jesus Christ to save you today, and you, too, will thank God for Jesus
Christ.
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
--2 Corinthians 9:15
