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We can be grateful for many things, and we should be. We can be grateful to many people, and we should be. We can be grateful on many occasions, and we should be. But there is One who makes every good thing, every good person and every good occasion in our lives possible by His amazing grace. God sent Jesus to be perfect for us because we aren’t, absorb wrath for sin so we don’t, and secure the blessings for us that we can’t. Jesus paid our sin penalty and paid for our special privileges so that we might be forgiven, freed and favored. Today and every day, let us offer thanks for His giving.

The sweetest of all thankfulness isn’t superficial; it goes deep. It goes past feeling happy that certain things are in our lives. It goes past naming those things so it is known that we appreciate them. It goes past even tracing their origin back to God and thanking the Giver for all of our blessings. There is a delightful, wonderful, beautiful experience when our gratitude is not merely directed toward God for His gifts, but toward God for Himself. We give thanks that among many things, He is a holy, loving, kind and gracious Father. The way to be best thankful for all that God has given us is to be most thankful for Him.

For all who trust in Jesus, there is a glorious eternity ahead in which bad things will be eliminated, good things will be perfected, and the best things will be unveiled. We have an eternity with Him that… Never gets stale. Never gets boring. Never gets routine. Never gets unappealing. Never gets finished. There will always be more to discover and enjoy from the immeasurable riches of God’s grace towards us in Christ Jesus. Don’t live for this day; live for that day. Don’t be discouraged by this day; be encouraged by that day. Take hope in this every day: For those who are trusting in Jesus, the best is always yet to come.

God is always near to His people in every situation and season. In good and bad times. In easy and hard times. In happy and sad times. He is not distant or absent, but rather present and constant. As the Father, He was near as He dwelt in the cloud, fire and tabernacle. As the Son, He drew near in His incarnation, dwelling in flesh to save us. As the Spirit, He is permanently, personally near, indwelling those who trust in Him. His nearness means we can experience the strength, hope, joy, peace, rest, security, guidance and delight of being in His presence. Sing praises to our God! He is always near.

We are prone to want things and want things now. But we often make a mess of things by acting hastily. To avoid getting nowhere fast, we should prayerfully answer three questions: Does God want me to do this? How does God want me to do this? When does God want me to do this? When we slow down and sincerely seek His will, He gives us the right desire, the right way and the right time to do the things that are right for us. Even more than that, He graciously encourages us and empowers us and equips us for the doing. Praise God! We will never miss the way when we are walking in stride with Jesus.

The world offers many false and cheap substitutes for the true and priceless Savior, and each one demands that we place it at the center of our lives instead of Jesus. Flee anything that robs you of your affection and allegiance for Him. Flee any teaching that denies Who the Bible says He is or what the Bible says He did. Flee any thought that says His grace isn’t enough to save you or that you can live sinfully because you are saved. Grace isn’t opposed to effort; it’s opposed to us trying to earn what we have been freely given. He is our all in all! We are to keep ourselves from idols because idols keep us from Jesus.

Biblical encouragement never affirms sin. In other words, we don’t encourage one another to say, do, think, feel or desire things that God has forbidden. While we may mean to make others feel good about themselves or their lives, cheering them on as they turn from Jesus to follow a path that will inevitably lead to brokenness is harmful, not helpful. That’s what Satan did to Adam and Eve. That’s what Satan has continued to do. That’s what Satan wants us to join him in doing. By grace, let us resist His invitation to pass on his “you do you” message and replace it with the vastly superior good news of joy found in Jesus.

Our Good Shepherd comes prepared as He leads us to the places we are to go on our journey home to heaven. He has a rod to fight off wild animals when they come too close. He has a staff to draw us back when we stray too far. What that means is we are guaranteed to get there. The more we trust Him with this, the less we will fear the threats we face along the way. Jesus has defeated the greatest enemies of all: sin, Satan and death. They may hinder us, but they can do us no ultimate harm. So, no matter what you face today, take heart! Jesus has a rod and a staff in His hands … and He’s not afraid to use them.

As those who have received the grace of God, we should live in ways that are vastly different than those who are still under the wrath of God. This doesn’t mean that we are moral, and they are not. This means that we have Jesus, and they do not. Unbelievers remain in sin with their minds closed to God’s truth, hearts hardened to God’s love and lives separated from God’s presence. Christians aren’t perfect. But our minds are guided by God’s truth, and our hearts are aglow with God’s love, and our lives are indwelt by God’s presence. We live differently because Jesus increasingly changes us from the inside out.

Loss is a part of life in this broken world, especially for those who follow Jesus. Since the forces of evil oppose Him, they will oppose those who have faith in Him. Sometimes God works through faith to bring back what was lost. Sometimes God works through faith to replace what was lost with something better. Regardless of how He works, we need to remember this world is not our home. We are on the way home, where there is only gain. Reward. Inheritance. Rest. Healing. Reunion. Joy. Glory. Sinlessness. Worship. And, most of all, Jesus. By faith, we too will truly rise again to a better life. And this one will never end.