Every Day is Thanksgiving

By Mark McCrary

Gratitude often seems in short supply in a culture saturated with discontent. Our lives are filled with distractions, from consumerism to the 24-hour news cycle, all feeding a sense of dissatisfaction. 

Yet, Scripture calls us to rise above this discontent, urging a posture of thanksgiving as a transformative discipline. Philippians 4:6 encourages us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Similarly, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 commands, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Gratitude is not just a suggestion but central to a life lived in trust and relationship with God.

Imagine living in a world where thankfulness is the norm, not the exception—a world where gratitude transforms every day into Thanksgiving.

 The Thankful Leper

Luke’s account of Jesus and the ten lepers (Lk. 17:11-19) offers profound insight into the nature of gratitude. These ten men, ostracized by society due to their disease, cried out to Jesus for mercy. Their condition was desperate, marked by physical suffering, isolation, and hopelessness. In response, Jesus instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests according to the law (Leviticus 14:2-32).

The lepers obeyed Jesus before experiencing healing. As they went, they were cleansed. Yet only one—a Samaritan, doubly an outcast as a leper and foreigner—returned to thank Jesus. Falling at His feet, he praised God in gratitude. Jesus marveled, noting that only this one— the least expected— had returned to give thanks. 

 Four Truths About Thankfulness

From this story, first notice that thankfulness is an expression of faith—these men turned to Christ for healing. Faith is trust in God. Gratitude reflects a heart that acknowledges and honors God for His goodness (1 Peter 1:7). Recognizing our blessings motivates us to walk faithfully. Conversely, a complaining spirit often reveals a lack of trust in God’s provision.

Thankfulness also reminds us of God’s goodness—the man healed appreciated what was done for him. Gratitude shifts our focus from scarcity to abundance, highlighting God’s provision (James 1:17).  By choosing to reflect on God’s blessings, we cultivate a heart that is attuned to His faithfulness.

Importantly, thankfulness provides perspective in trials. When healed, the leper clearly saw the difference in his life. Life’s challenges often tempt us to despair, but thankfulness offers a different lens. Even when life is hard, all people can hold to the fact God loves them (John 3:16), and his children can have joy in the fact that Jesus is with them in all struggles, working what is ultimately good for them (Romans 8:28-39).

Finally, thankfulness brings peace. Anxiety often stems from focusing on what we cannot control. Philippians 4:6-7 offers the antidote: be thankful. As we present our concerns to God with thanksgiving, His peace guards our hearts and minds, grounding us in His provision.

All these being true, how can we start living as if every day were Thanksgiving?

 Four Ways to Cultivate Thankfulness

Let’s start with this: take time to embrace your blessings. Many of us grew up with the song, “Count Your Blessings.” What a message for us all! Thankfulness requires intentional reflection on the good God has done, does and will do in our lives (James 1:17). How often do we overlook these gifts? Slow down and consider God’s kindness, as encouraged in passages like Psalm 103:2, which urges us to “forget not all His benefits.”

Then, let’s embrace joy. A thankful heart is a joyful heart, anchored not in outward circumstances but in eternal truths. Paul’s words in Philippians 4:8 call us to focus on whatever is true, honorable, and praiseworthy. Similarly, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 reminds us to fix our eyes on what is unseen, finding hope even in affliction. Yes, there are hardships, Paul reminds us, but something better is waiting for us! Hold on to that every day!

This brings us to a needed practice— embrace humility. One of the number one phrases I hear (and have muttered myself…) when trials hit is, “Why me?” Do we think so highly of ourselves that we think we are immune to problems? That all must be well in our lives? The greats in scripture always dealt with struggles, yet so often expressed thanks! So must we! Pride and self-centeredness are enemies of gratitude. Philippians 2:5-8 reminds us, we are called to emulate Christ’s humility, focusing on serving others rather than ourselves.

Let’s wrap this up with one more: Embrace service. Gratitude is magnified when we turn outward, serving others in love. Galatians 6:10 exhorts us to “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” When we meet the needs of others, we are reminded of God’s generosity toward us, shifting our focus from our problems to His purposes.

 Conclusion

The story of the ten lepers challenges us to consider whether we, like the Samaritan, will return to thank Jesus for His blessings. Let’s move thankfulness from momentary expression to daily practice.  As we do so, we will find peace, joy, and a deeper awareness of God’s blessings in every circumstance.

Men vs. Women

By Larry Coffey

Last week’s News & Notes mentioned there were about 70 ladies at the Ladies’ Bible Study Day on November 9.  That caused me to think about the Men’s Bible Study Day on November 2 for which I haven’t seen a count, but having been at that study would estimate there were about half that number present.  Why the large difference?

Then I thought about how the DH ladies have a weekly Bible class in the spring and the fall, but the men don’t have such classes. Do you think the women need more Bible study because they have a harder time learning than men do?  I doubt anyone would make that claim, especially the married men.

I recall when I first became a Christian at age 20, I was asked to go to a small church at the edge of Marion County, KY and preach one Sunday a month. Some of the Sundays I would be there when only women would be present.  Not only did I preach, if you could call it that, I taught the class, said all the prayers, led the singing and conducted the Lord’s Supper since the women couldn’t lead the public worship. (That is the only time I have ever led singing.  Can you imagine what those sisters thought about that?)

It reminds me of a story told by Robert Turner, one of the most effective gospel preachers of the 20th century, about a small church out west.  He said one of the sisters in that church had told him they only had women members, and they conducted the services.  However, occasionally an old mountain man would come to the services, but he would not take the lead.  So, being concerned for the proper Biblical order (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34-35), what should they do?  Robert told them to continue their services as they had been doing and ignore the old man.

I believe it is noteworthy that I have never heard of a church with only men.

As we teach about the need for Bible authority for what we practice, it is often mentioned there are many churches who ignore the pattern of men being the only ones to lead the public worship and have women preachers.  While they have no authority for so doing, it may be men are just not stepping forward to fulfil their responsibilities.  Some among our more liberal churches of Christ are now putting women in public leadership roles.  Even several of our more conservative churches who follow the scriptural pattern do not have men who will step up and serve as elders of the churches (1 Tim. 3:1).

In thinking about all of this, I wonder if there was a contest which could measure our “service to our Lord”, who would win, men or women?  To be fair, our paid preachers could not be considered, nor could public worship leaders because women are not permitted to participate in those services.  I don’t know who would win, but the evidence seems to be pointing toward the women.  Of course, there is no such contest.

What is certain is that men and women must serve our Lord faithfully.

Self-Willed or God’s Will - Part 2

By Tom Rose

In Part 1 we learned that God has always demanded strict adherence to His word, but mankind has, from the beginning, rebelled against God’s word, placing self above God.  The first woman, Eve, threw out honor and obedience as though she owed nothing to the One who had created and lovingly placed her in this beautiful garden.  She trampled loyalty and love and trust in her selfish stampede toward what today we would call self-realization or self-actualization.  Motivated by self-interest and self-satisfaction, she succumbed to another tactic of Satan: persuade men to disobey God on the promise that they shall obtain good by it.

When Eve (and Adam) sinned, God was not pleased.  By expelling the guilty pair from the Garden, God was acting both justly and in love.  He kept man from the tree of life because it would not have been an act of love but a capitulation to man’s self-indulgence to perpetuate him in his fallen condition.  Sin put the flaming sword of God’s Judgment between man and the tree of life (Gen 3:24).  Further, God was not vindictive in barring man’s access to eternal life, because the entire story of the Bible shows how one Man, Christ, took the judgment we deserved, redeemed us from our sins, and offered us a way back to everlasting life.  The lesson for Adam and Eve, for you and me, and for all mankind simply points to one indisputable fact: if we want a relationship with God, it will be on His terms, abiding by His Word.

As we close, let us distinguish between a humanistic self-denial and a Biblical denial of self.  The first is self still on the throne, denying itself certain pleasures; the second is the death of self through our identification with Christ in His death for our sins (Gal. 2:20).  What the Bible seems to mean by self is man cut off from God, acting and processing independently.  That is why Christ made the denial of self a condition to becoming His disciple (Mt. 16:24), and why there is a fatal flaw in the theology of self-esteem.

When we read and believe God’s Word, we see God for who He really is, bow to His majesty, surrender to His purpose, and turn our life into an instrument of His holy will.  One writer has attempted to describe the self that now lives exclusively for Christ as follows: If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that counts.  It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us.  Spiritually, we cannot measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us, and we cannot measure that at all.

Therefore, if we choose to become God’s useful servants, we must turn away from the popular messages of our day and be more convinced than ever that life’s major purpose is not pleasing self. . .but pleasing God.

Self-Willed or God’s Will - Part 1

By Tom Rose

The prohibition against taking from or adding to God’s Word is consistently implied throughout scripture, and at times it is stated explicitly.  Solomon admonished, “Every word of God is pure. . .Do not add to His Words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Pr. 30:5-6).  Also, the statement in Rev. 22:18-19 is a compelling and sober warning not to tamper with or alter “the things which are written in this book.”

Unfortunately, the tendency to disregard God’s clearly stated commands lurks in every heart and lies at the root of most human problems.  It began in the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve were the first to take liberties with God’s Word.  They had no written scriptures, but God had spoken to them personally and apparently audibly: “They heard the voice of the Lord God. . .I heard Your voice in the Garden” (Gen. 3:8, 10).  We know nothing of the marvelous insights which God must have shared with this pair, but we do know that He commanded them not to eat of one particular tree in the Garden.  God considered this of such great importance that the penalty for disobedience was death. (See Gen. 2:16-17)

“That serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9), was immediately at work in the Garden of Eden. With his cunning skill, he provided a most effective rationale for legitimizing disobedience: the reinterpretation of what God has said to bring it into line with human desire.  "And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.''  Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like  God, knowing good and evil.'" (Gen. 3:2-5)

Questioning God’s command, Satan perverted its meaning, turned the death penalty into a promise of godhood, and persuaded Eve to accept his innovative and appealing interpretation.  Eve had found a “prophet” whose twisted but appealing perversion of Truth was irresistible.  "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." (Gen. 3:6)

Satan’s seduction of Eve was the original appeal to ''self"– her “self.”  “You can be like God,” was the tantalizing promise.  Something inside Eve responded to that.  It was then that self had its awful birth and established its throne in her life.  Sadly, her submission to her new master of self soon affected her husband, and her example even appeals to us today.  Totally absorbed in what she would get out of eating this wonderful fruit, Eve stifled any concern for what she ought to do.  Indeed, there was no ought at all; no regard for duty, moral commitment, or restraint upon her desires – no real concern for anyone but herself.

(Part 2 next week)

Lovers of Light and Lovers of Darkness

By Paul Earnhart

If you go into an old barn on a dark night and turn on a bright light, you will see two different reactions.  The rats will run, but the candle flies will soon be swarming around your light.

Jesus came into the world as the light of the world.  And there were two different reactions.  Some hated Him and began almost immediately to plot His extermination.  Others, however, were drawn to Him and became completely loyal to Him.

In John 3:19-21, He explains these two reactions.  “And this is the judgment that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest their deeds should be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

The true character and teaching of Jesus serve as a judgment on the deeds of evil people.  Once they truly understand Him, they react against Him; and, in so doing, they actually pass judgment on themselves.

In our generation, however, Satan has confused the issue.  He has made Jesus out to be a very broad-minded and tolerant individual who will accept most any kind of conduct.  Satan has also led many to think that believing in Jesus is simply accepting the fact that He lived and died for mankind; and if one believes that, one can live any way they want to live.  Those who are deceived by Satan in this manner do not truly know Jesus.

Jesus condemned sin in all forms, and He demands that we live as pure a life as we can live.  Nothing in the life or teaching of Jesus encourages sin.  And just as belief in a doctor means following the doctor’s instructions, so belief in the great physician means living as He directs.  He asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?” (Lk 6:46)