Thankful

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is a time to be together with family and friend without the overwhelming hustle and bustle of Christmas. I also love that, perhaps even more so than Christmas, it is a time of reflecting on the goodness and provision of God. Each year, I like to sort of pick out one thing that I am especially thankful for, beyond the standard family, friends, provisions, etc.

This has been a challenging year for me and my family. God certainly seems to be sending us through a spiritual refining. If there is one word that could sum up what God has been teaching us this year, it would be "obedience". From the seemingly mundane to the really important decisions, God has been showing us how important it is that we follow the commandments found in His word. It has certainly been a step by step process, one that has had many unforeseen implications. One of my biggest concerns was how some had tossed the word "Pharisee" around regarding some of our convictions. The last thing I wanted was to be Pharisaical in my walk with God, yet I knew that obedience to the commandments of the Bible was important. Then God began showing me the importance of another word: "grace".

Too often, people seem to treat God's grace as a "get out of jail free" card. And then there are those who ignore it all together and feel that we can earn our way to heaven. Both views are wrong, of course, but how can grace and obedience effectively co-exist? As I thought about this, I was reminded of a Caedmon's Call song called Thankful. The chorus is just one simple line: "So I am thankful that I'm incapable of doing any good on my own."

I am incapable of obeying God's commands on my own. This does not change the fact that God has called me to walk in obedience to His word (1 Peter 1:13-16), but it does mean that I must rely, not on my own strength, but on His grace to accomplish the plans He has for my life. So, this Thanksgiving, I truly am thankful "...that I'm incapable of doing any good on my own.", and for the grace of God that allows me to walk the path that He has set before me.

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10