Why Is Being Thankful So Hard? Life is hard. It may be that way because of unemployment, serious illness, or the death of a loved one. For many of us it’s the sting of financial loss. Maybe you’re distraught over a relative serving in a war zone. And even if you’re not affected by anything like that today, hardship comes to everyone sooner or later. No wonder thankfulness doesn’t come naturally! Yet thankfulness is an important part of life. In fact, it’s so important that those who refuse to honor God with gratitude destroy their own hearts. Concerning them, the Bible says, “they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). We routinely take significant things for granted such as the air we breathe and the ability to breathe it. The Bible says, “The God who made the world and everything in it . . . gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24–25). How long has it been since you thanked God for the ingenious life-support system you live by? And that points back to a bigger problem. The very first generation of humankind rebelled against God and passed on that rebellion to every following generation: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin taints everything we do and condemns us to eternity apart from God. God never desired for humankind to be crushed under the weight of sin. Yet for God’s justice to be met, the penalty of our sins had to be fully paid. Our situation would be hopeless if Jesus Christ hadn’t stepped in to pay the penalty for us. God’s perfect Son became a human to do just that: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God accepted Christ’s death in payment for our sin debt. And because of Christ’s resurrection three days later, those who believe in him can be assured of life with God in heaven after death. Jesus promised them, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). The way to God is clear. Jesus said, “I am the way. . . . No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). The offer of forgiveness is an absolutely free gift: “It is the gift of God, not a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). It’s made possible by believing that Christ died in our place. Now That’s Something to Be Thankful For! Imagine being ungrateful for such an amazing gift and rejecting it! If you don’t accept God’s offer, if you don’t appreciate his love, then what will you say to him on judgment day? “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). How do you expect God to respond to you if you never accepted his amazing offer of salvation, made possible by the greatest sacrifice ever? This Thanksgiving season is a perfect time to accept what God has done to secure your forgiveness and eternal future. If that’s your heart’s desire, you can tell him by praying words like these: Dear God, I’m sorry for living my own way and ignoring your gracious offer of forgiveness. I now believe that Jesus died to pay the debt of my sins. I don’t deserve it, but thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life. Thank you for making it possible for me to start a relationship with you that will last forever. And thank you for your love for me. Amen. The God “who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32) wants to help you face all your difficulties—beginning the moment you place your trust in him for salvation. In a world with so much hardship and pain, that’s definitely something to be thankful for!

The “Lord’s Prayer” is how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. And by his example, he showed them the need for time alone with the Father in prayer. We too must set aside time to talk with God and read his Word. The following are suggestions for your time with God: 1. NECESSITY OF PRAYER. Jesus taught that prayer is not an option—something to do when we “feel like it”—it is a God-given responsibility. Few of us “find time” to pray, but we must make the time (Ephesians 5:16). 2. THE BIBLE. The Bible and prayer go hand in hand. Pray as you read, and meditate on God’s Word as you pray. As you read the Bible, praise God for what he reveals of himself and pray for strength and wisdom to obey his commands. Try using the prayers of the Bible as patterns: Matthew 6:9–13; Ephesians 1:15–23; Ephesians 3:14–21; and the Psalms are excellent inspirations. 3. PRAYER LIST. A list of prayer requests reminds you of specific needs and will keep your mind from wandering. By recording how God has answered a request, you will be encouraged to keep praying. But don’t let this steal your spontaneity. You are praying to a Person, not compiling a list! 4. PRAYER PARTNER. To help you pray consistently, ask God for a friend with whom you can share and pray. Meeting regularly provides mutual encouragement. 5. DISTRACTIONS. Because prayer is spiritual warfare, Satan will try to distract you. Ask God to help you pray regularly and he will direct you. If you have trouble with wandering thoughts, try changing positions, praying aloud, consulting a prayer list and your Bible, singing a hymn, or whatever you find most effective. But whatever you do, pray! Lord, teach us to pray, Jesus’s disciples asked. This simple prayer, which Jesus taught his disciples, can also show us how to talk with God in prayer. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. MATTHEW 6:9–13 “OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN” Jesus taught his disciples to call God “our Father.” It is this intimate father/child RELATIONSHIP that makes prayer possible. As children of God, we come to his throne expectant and unafraid because we are accepted in his beloved Son (Hebrews 4:15–16). Because we are his children, we can speak with our heavenly Father often—he loves to hear our prayers! “HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME” Worship—to honor and adore God—is the highest privilege of the Christian. We who have experienced the miracle of his saving grace can PRAISE HIM for his greatness and love. Throughout the day, we can offer praise and thanksgiving as he showers us with his blessings. “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29). “YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN” As God’s children, we long for his righteous reign throughout the earth. But HIS REIGN must first begin in our own lives. We are made sensitive to his will for us as we prayerfully read and meditate on the Word of God. Even as we pray, God exposes our spiritual condition and brings our desires into conformity with his will (Romans 12:2). “GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD” We are DEPENDENT upon God for all of our needs— spiritual and material. And, like any loving Father, he desires to richly bless us. Nothing is too great for his power; nothing is too small for his love. He invites us to shar

Can I Be Forgiven? In an out-of-the-way cemetery an unmarked tombstone bears the single word, Forgiven. A person can’t help wondering, who was forgiven and by whom? What happened that caused someone to leave that message forever engraved upon his tombstone? The secret of that tombstone has long been buried. But one thing is certain, the need for forgiveness will always exist, since we all fail to live up to our word and others’ expectations of us at one time or another. What is more serious is that we have failed to live up to what God expects of us! No one is able to perfectly keep God’s commandments. The Bible states it simply, “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “Your iniquities [sins] have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2). Our disobedience separates us from our Creator. We need his forgiveness. But how can we know that God will forgive us? How could a perfectly just and righteous God overlook our sin? Our situation would be impossible if God had not settled the issue himself. He sent his Son—Jesus Christ—to earth to become a man, live a perfectly sinless life, and ultimately give his life for you and me. On the cross where Jesus died, he took the punishment for sin that we deserved. The Bible says God made Jesus to be sin for us, the One “who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Then Jesus rose from the tomb and came back to life three days later and was seen by hundreds of people (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). Can I Be Sure? Because of what Jesus has accomplished, it is possible to know that God will forgive you and one day receive you into heaven (John 14:1-3). You can have the assurance of God’s forgiveness by making the following choices: Recognize that your sins have separated you from God. In honest repentance agree with God about your sinfulness and admit your need for forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Realize that God loves you, and believe that the sinless Jesus Christ died for your sins—taking the punishment you deserve: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In response to your trust, God promises you eternity with him! Receive Jesus Christ into your life by faith as your Savior from sin’s consequences. When you respond to God’s offer of forgiveness in faith, you can know that he has forgiven you. God’s Book, the Bible, promises that “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). If that is your heart’s desire, right where you are you can pray something like this: Dear God, I know that I have sinned against many people and against you. I need your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me and arose from the dead. I invite him into my life to be my Savior. Thank you for your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Are you forgiven?