It's Thanksgiving 2003.  We've just sung, "Count Your Blessings," an old gospel song.  There's a line in a contemporary song that goes: "Thanks a lot, thanks a lot, thanks for all I've got."  But should we thank God for all we've got?  I'm thankful, but almost embarrassed at all I have.  We have so much more than we need, or can even remember we have.  Consider our garages.  Are we able to get our car into it?  60-70 years ago few houses had garages, so where did we put all our stuff?  In the 1950's houses were built with one garage, and then in the 70's came two garages.  And many of us still couldn't get our cars inside.  In the 90's we began to see three-car garages, and still our cars sit outside.  There's not enough room for "all we've got."  And all the stuff we have is a gift from God who's so generous to us.

          A shopper at the local mall needed a break.  She'd been shopping and couldn't carry all the stuff.  So she bought herself a little bag of cookies and put them in her shopping bag.  Then she got a cup of coffee, found herself a place to sit at one of the crowded tables, and began to sip her coffee and read a magazine.  Across the table from her a man sat reading a newspaper.  After a minute or two she reached out and took a cookie.  As she did, the man seated across the table reached out and took one too.  She was a bit startled, but she did not say anything.  A few moments later she took another cookie.  Once again the man did so too.  Now she was getting a bit upset at him eating her cookies, but still she did not say anything.

          After another sip of coffee she took another cookie, and so did the man.  Now she was getting upset by this - especially since there was only one cookie left.  The man also saw the one cookie that was left, and before she could say anything, he broke it in half, offered half to her, and proceeded to eat the other half himself as he walked away.  Was she steamed!  "What a jerk!" she thought.  "Some men think they're just so smart!"  Her coffee break was ruined and already she was thinking of what she'd tell her husband about this thoughtless cookie thief.  So she folded her magazine to put it in her shopping bag, grabbed her purse and beside it discovered her own unopened bag of cookies.  She'd been eating his cookies the whole time!

          I like that story - it makes me think about how poorly I treat Him even when He provides me with so much.  It also makes me think about how often I act like I own everything that's mine.  It also reminds me of the Old Testament reading: "When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you."

          Deuteronomy chapter eight speaks of what we all believe in our hearts, that all we have comes from our own efforts.  It tells us that all we have is a gift from God, a gift we may work to get with cleverness, but a gift nonetheless.  For every National Day of Thanksgiving is meant to show us it is God who gives what we have.

          Not so long ago famous people all over the world were polled by a magazine which asked them the question - "if you could be granted one wish that will come true right now - what would that be?"  There were some very interesting responses - but one response impressed the magazine's editors so much that they commented on it.  That response was this: "I wish I could have an even greater appreciation for what I already have."

          That's an interesting thing to wish for.  What do you think would happen if each one of us suddenly became more appreciative?  When I was younger my mother would have been pleased if I had been more appreciative to her.  And today I know my wife would be pleased if I expressed my appreciation to her more than I already do.

          Ron came home from work and went to his bedroom.  When he came out, he told his wife, "Thanks, dear.  I see my magic drawers are filled again.  Whenever my socks or shorts get low, like magic my drawer fills up again."  He kissed her and went outside.  "What's he got on his mind?" she thought.  Later he thanked her for the nice meal.  "You always make what I like and I never have to ask for it.  Thank you, dear."  Now his wife was puzzled.  He hadn't complimented her cooking in years.  Later he told his daughter, "You look nice, honey.  I'm proud of you."  She ignored him.  But that wasn't the only day Ron did this.  All that week he told his wife, daughter and son something nice.

          His daughter began to think her Dad was weird.  On Saturday Ron made breakfast and brought some to his wife.  He took his son golfing, something they'd never done before.  "What's going on, Ron?" his wife said that night.  "You hiding something?"  Ron just shrugged his shoulders and gave her a kiss.  He never said why, but he didn't stop complimenting his family either.  And the following week his daughter thanked her Mom for doing her laundry too.  And her son told her how nice she looked.  "What's happened to my family?" she thought.

          Everyone likes to receive a gift and sometimes the best gift is a compliment.  No one likes to be taken for granted.  All of us like to be appreciated, to be thanked, and to see those we love living thankful lives and appreciative lives.  This is especially true of God, the great Giver of all good things.  He is glad when we, His children, live thankful, appreciative lives.  That's what our text tells us to do.  "When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you."

          "Count Your Blessings."  It is a great thing to teach our kids to say please and thank you.  It helps them realize all they have comes from someone else, and not because of their own cleverness.  It's easy in a worship service to count our blessings, to give thanks to God for what we have.  But the greater test comes when we leave this Thanksgiving service.  Will we continue our attitude of gratitude?  How complete is our thankfulness?  How deep does it run in our lives?

          St. Paul, in I Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."  The people of the early church tried to live in constant thanksgiving, and it was an incredible witness to those around them.  Despite great adversity, they lived triumphant lives, and they rejoiced even in persecution.  And because they trusted God so much and even thanked Him for their suffering, their witness changed the lives of others who saw them.  The Bible says their love reached the hearts of thousands, and faith in Jesus all over the earth.

          "Count Your Blessings."  That's a step beyond remembering God and thanking Him for all we have.  It's a step beyond remembering God because He has filled our garages and filled our bellies.  It's even a step beyond thanking God like that one leper in ten who returned to thank Jesus for healing him.  Counting our blessings means living a life of thanks, for we truly do not deserve what we have.

          We are all sinful people, selfish people who deserve only punishment.  But the Good News is that God loves us in spite of what we are.  He sent His Son Jesus to forgive us, in spite of our pride and arrogance.  God loves us no matter what.  So when I am feeling struck down by some problem or angry at the world for all its foolishness, instead of whining, I need to count my blessings.

          Or when I'm upset at the seeming stupidity of people of other nations, instead of griping about what's wrong, I should count my blessings and thank God for what's right.  Or when I'm down on my luck, but I still have my family or my health or my faith, then I need to remember that lady who was eating that stranger's cookies.  They weren't hers, but he shared with her.  All the good things I have in my garage are not from me - they're all from God.

          No matter what I may think, all that I have is not my own.  It's not from my own cleverness, but from the mercies of God.  So instead of feeling sorry for myself for the trouble I am in, or instead of kicking the dog when it's under foot, or cursing the darkness, how about lighting a candle and thanking God for another day of life.

          So count your blessings!  If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of this world.  If you have money in the bank, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.  92% of the world's population has less than you!  If you woke up this morning alive, you are more blessed than the thousands who didn't.  If you have never been in prison or tortured or starved, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.  If you've never experienced the danger and loneliness of combat, you are more blessed than the tens of thousands of our soldiers around the world.  If you came to worship service today without fear of harassment or arrest, you are more blessed than a billion people who cannot do this.  If you or your parents have been married to the same person more than 25 years, you are rare.  If today you find something for which you're truly thankful, and thank God for it, praise God, because most can, but most will not.

          I do not know what you may be grateful for today, but let us all give thanks that God loves us in Jesus Christ.  He loves us no matter what, despite our sins, and He promises us eternal life in His Son.  "O give thanks to the Lord for He is Good; His love endures forever." (Psalm 107:1)   Amen

Copyright © 2003 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.