A Day of Thanksgiving
Dearly beloved of God, as the song goes, “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray…” The fall has been glorious, and Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away.
Who knows, the Lord could come and gather us up to meet him in the air before then. Oh what a Thanksgiving that would be!
We have so much for which to be thankful. My list of thanksgivings has changed quite a bit over the years. It has changed from a list of physical, earthly blessings to those of my sonship as a child of God, and the inheritance that is laid up for us in the heavenly realm.
Just think, for starters, we will inherit glorious new bodies like Christ’s glorious body that dies no more. If death overcomes us before the Lord Jesus Christ returns, in the twinkling of an eye he will raise our corruptible bodies to be incorruptible.
If we are living at the time of his return, he will transform us from mortal to be immortal, and we will have a glorious bodies like his.
Our new bodies will be sustained with everlasting life! Oh, and this is only the opening event of the ages to come.
Psalm 16 informs us of the coming Christ.
Psalm 16:8-11 New International Version
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful[a] one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
God showed His Son Jesus Christ the path of life; He resurrected him from the dead! He did not abandon him in the grave. He showed him the path of life, everlasting life.
He fills him with joy in His presence, and with eternal pleasures at His right hand, and….we are heirs together with him!
Glorious bodies like Christ’s, everlasting life, fullness of joy, and eternal pleasures at His right hand! Oh my! We truly have good hope in the grace of God, and the gathering together is only the opening event!
Ephesians 2:7
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Since the Word of God reveals the Father’s perspective, and He says what He means and means what He says, this verse is quite revealing. He does not use words haphazardly.
How long does this speak of? The coming ages.
What has He reserved for us? The exceeding riches of His grace.
What will be our Father’s attitude toward us when He displays the exceeding riches of His grace in the coming ages? KINDNESS
toward us through Christ Jesus.
WOW, WOW, and more WOW!
When God says, “the exceeding riches of His grace” and that His attitude will be “kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,” we know that it is going to be fabulous.
The Father will show us His loving kindness and tender mercies forever and ever, which includes the path of everlasting life, and fullness of joy and the exceeding riches of His grace, and pleasures forevermore at His right hand.
Every time I read this I am dumbfounded and amazed. It just blows my mind that God my Father could love me like this, but He does.
God is no different towards His children today that He will be then. He delights in our prayers, and He has given us sonship rights and privileges and He filled us with His spirit and He instructs us to walk with Him, and live with fullness of joy.
Our Father is with us and He is for us in all we do. He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses. There is nothing good that He will withhold from those who love Him.
We are His dearly beloved children and we are highly favored in His sight every day. Today is a day of thanksgiving, is it not?