In the Book of Galatians, we find the apostle Paul was astonished and unsure of what to do with the Christians who lived in Galatia. At one point, they were overwhelmed with God’s love expressed toward them, but they drifted from grace and were attempting to earn God’s approval by their good works. God’s people were living exhausting and legalistic lives, so the apostle Paul asked them a single poignant question in Galatians 4:15. Here are how different Bible translations record one of the most compelling questions to ask ourselves this Thanksgiving:
Where, then, is your blessing? (CSB)
Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? (NLT)
Where then is that sense of blessing you had? (NASB)
What has happened to the satisfaction you felt at that time? (Message)
The apostle Paul believed that the root problem was a loss in their sense of blessedness. They were exhausted trying to achieve God’s love rather than rejoicing in the reality that they had already receive His love. They were miserable because they lost their awe for Jesus. A loss of awe and appreciation for Jesus will always manifest itself in our lives. Whenever we lose a sense of how much Christ has blessed us, we fight more and enjoy His blessings less. Paul wanted to see the Galatians’ gratitude for Jesus recaptured. Thus, Paul kept reminding them of how the Lord had blessed them. If you belong to the Lord, here are 13 reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving.
1. He rescued you.
He gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age. (Galatians 1:4)
2.He justified you.
And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. (Galatians 2:16)
3. He was crucified for you.
You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? (Galatians 3:1)
4. He has given you His Spirit.
Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:2)
5. He has worked miracles among you.
So then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:5)
6. He was cursed for you.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13)
7. He gave you His righteousness.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. (Galatians 3:27)
8. He redeemed you.
When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. (Galatians 4:4-5)
9. He has adopted you.
… that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:5)
10. He has made you His heir.
So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:7)
11. He has set you free from the burden of earning His love.
For freedom, Christ set us free. (Galatians 5:1)
12. He blesses you with the fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
13. He has made you a new creation.
For both circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation. (Galatians 6:15)
May all that Christ has done for us cause us to once again be filled with a sense of gratitude.
