Why be thankful?

“Thankfulness” has been taught for many years as a tool to be nicer and feel better. And I can say that when I’m thankful, I do feel better. But I think true thankfulness comes from enjoying my favorite four letter word, “WITH.”

Yes, we rightly make a big deal out of the four letter word, “love.” But love doesn’t happen unless there’s with. The most valuable and influential “with” I know is the with I enjoy with God. From Isaiah to Matthew, God has been telling us about His delight to one day be with us through the birth of Jesus, which means, “Immanuel; God with us” (Matthew 1:23). That was the beginning of what would become God’s favorite, current and ongoing miracle, the birth of Jesus into us—The Ultimate With.

The Ultimate With—Christ in me—has become the miracle influence of every other with I’ve known and will ever know. As soon as God made Immanuel personal with me, my relationship with this world took on His nature. In the early days of with, my relationship with school, alcohol, women, opportunity, friends, enemies, money, judgments, appearances, all changed—sometimes dramatically—because I knew He was with me, influencing me, proving we were compatible and together inside.

I knew love Himself for the first time. And it was all because of with. Am I thankful? Dear God, yes. Every day. All the time.

So as we enter a season of merry-making and feasting, I want to remind you that God isn’t asking you to have an attitude of gratitude, as if that’s most pleasing to Him. He’s proving the grace and power of with, because that’s most pleasing to Him. And He’ll do it as you go amongst family and friends, enemies and supporters, shoppers, drivers, neighbors, servers, politicians and publicans, left and right. That’ll mean “with” all over the place! In case I haven’t made it clear enough, this is Christianity—God with us; The Ultimate With.

See you later.