A young college graduate had just completed his C.P.A. exams and passed with flying colors. He was now a full fledged Certified Public Accountant and very proud of himself and his achievements. His father had been an immigrant to the U.S. and been able to start and then own his own little business. Filled with sense of purpose and importance, the young son reviewed his father’s little business and began to criticize him for his way of keeping books. “Dad, you have no idea how much you’ve made. Over here in this drawer are your accounts receivable; over there in another drawer are your receipts, and you keep all your money in the cash register. You can’t possibly know what your profit margin is or how much profit you’ve made.”
His now old and wise father responded, “Son, when I came to this country the only thing I owned was a pair of pants. Now, your brother is a doctor, your sister is an art teacher, and you are a C.P.A. Your mother and I own our home; we have a car that is paid for, and we own this little business. Now add that up, subtract the pants, and all the rest is profit.”
That old man’s wisdom provides great insight as we enter the Thanksgiving season. When we add up all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us, our profit margin is more than we can comprehend. Even if our only blessing were salvation, we would still be the most blessed people on the face of the earth. Consider for a moment just a few of the blessings a relationship with Jesus Christ provides:
- the promise of his presence
- the power and strength to meet your needs
- the confidence of his word to instruct and the Holy Spirit to guide
- the assurance of eternal life in heaven
No matter how you add it up, Jesus is the greatest reason for thanksgiving. Peter possibly expressed best the reason for such thanksgiving in his letter to the early churches, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Pet.1:3-5).
With a Thankful Heart,
Pastor Bill