Reasons To Be Thankful

Tecumseh Cove
2 minutes ago
2 min read

December 3, 2025

Leadership Notes

Well, we did it. I don’t know what your feasting situation was or what your position on leftovers is, but as for me and my family, we polished off the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers Monday night. Technically, there’s some pumpkin and sweet potato pie still in the fridge. But everything else is gonzo. We are blessed beyond measure.

In the spirit of post-Thanksgiving deliciousness, I’ve gathered together some leftovers of the written kind. So let’s dish them up…

First, here are five reasons to be thankful every day {from author Dustin Benge}:

1. God’s steadfast love never ends – “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” {Psalm 136:1}

2. Every good gift comes from God – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” {James 1:17}

3. God forgives all our sin – “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” {Psalm 103:2-5}

4. The Lord is near to His people – “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” {Psalm 145:18}

5. Our salvation is secure in Christ – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” {John 10:27-28}

What blessed promises for this Advent season.

Next dish to be served is a reflection on where we’ve been in Luke. We are commanded not to be anxious, but instead to cast all our cares upon God – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” {1 Peter 5:6-7}

Third, here’s an encouraging affirmation from John Newton. Newton was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He composed two beloved hymns, “Amazing Grace” and “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken.” Here’s what he said:

“ALTHOUGH MY MEMORY’S FADING, I REMEMBER TWO THINGS

VERY CLEARLY: I AM A GREAT SINNER AND CHRIST IS A GREAT

SAVIOUR.”

Our final serving is from, once again, Dustin Benge:

Born not to a king, but a carpenter.

Born not in robes, but rags.

Born not into gold, but hay.

Born not in renown, but obscurity.

Born not in splendor, but a trough.

Born not to live, but die and rise!

O, come let us adore Him!

And now, your Moment of Spurgeon: