It’s not a new idea. In fact, our heavenly Father has always encouraged his people to “pay it forward.” We don’t pay him back—we never could begin to do that! Instead, we give others what we have received from our Savior, trusting his generous heart will keep the blessings flowing into our lives. 

I thought about all this as I heard two CTA Customer Service Representatives tell the story of a CTA customer who has purchased, not one Bouquet of Blessings devotion book, but more than 100! This customer didn’t intend to give them to a large group—or even to several small ones. Instead, she touched one heart at a time, sending copies to others she wanted to bless.

Isn’t that what our Lord asks of us? Forgiven and accepted in Jesus, we nod in glad agreement when the psalmist says:  “Forget not all his benefits!”

 Our wonderful CTA customer gladly received God’s blessings and then became a blessing herself in the lives of those God brought across her path.

 Pay it forward today! And then look forward in great anticipation to the expressions of love that will continue on into eternally.

The year was 1620, the ship was the Mayflower, and the people were called Pilgrims. Their faithful God sustained them as they prayed and sang praises, despite their dire circumstances. 

They reached the New World three months later, but their challenges continued. It was November and winter was quickly approaching. They needed to build homes and clear land so they could plant crops the next spring. 

God did meet their needs. By the next fall the cribs the pilgrims had built held more than enough corn to see them through the second winter. Filled with gratitude, the Pilgrims wanted to honor God for his goodness. 

Governor Bradford declared a public day of Thanksgiving. Ninety Native Americans joined in the festivities, bringing dressed deer and wild turkeys. Together, the group celebrated with joy!

 Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the Pilgrims and that first Thanksgiving Day since childhood. Though fully historical, the events can seem like a “once-upon-a-time” fairy tale. So as you observe Thanksgiving Day this year, take a little time to think back on your own life. Consider the promise made by our Lord: 

God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 

When have you see this promise come true for you? 

• As you sat at the bedside of a sick child or dying parent?
• As you safely navigated the deadly blizzard or hurricane?
• As you heard the doctor’s welcome words, “The surgery was successful.”
• As your loved one said, “I forgive you,” and in those words heard your Savior’s pardon, too?

Having surveyed the past and seen God’s fingerprints on a life of blessing, we can then look forward to the future with hope. Perhaps you know these words of encouragement:

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. 

We know our Lord’s limitless love for us because we have seen his only Son hang, bleed, and die on Calvary’s cross for us. Blessed by him, we can in turn bless others, without reservation, knowing that in Christ Jesus, God will supply all our needs.

May you have a blessed and holy Thanksgiving celebration! And may Jesus continue to work in you joyful, thankful, generous hearts!

This devotion is adapted from one of the free resources CTA offers to encourage churches and support church staffs in their ministries. You’re welcom to browse for more resources on our website.

It’s so easy to look around at other people and envy the things that they have: I hear about a friend going on vacation. I talk to another friend about her family’s new vehicle. I see that a co-worker has just purchased a new state-of- the-art cell phone.

 It is not easy to separate oneself from the desire for material possessions, especially in our culture. It’s not easy, but it’s important. It helps me when I remember God’s promise to provide what I need. It helps when I remember that those around me with the new cars and cell phones may be dealing with hardships I know nothing about. It helps when I focus on the blessings God has given me—especially his blessings of peace, hope, and forgiveness in Jesus.

 This Thanksgiving, focus on the blessings God has given you!  If you think about it, they are many, and they are probably all you really need.

2010 Thanks be to God Pocket Calendar

But wait! What about the month? What about a Happy Thanksgiving month?! 

I’ve always enjoyed sharing Thanksgiving Day at church and with my family. But this year, I’ve decided to observe a personal thanksgiving month. I want to take some time and effort to say thanks to people who have been a such blessing to me—and to my family, and in my ministry.

Personal notes of thanks have all but been replaced by quick e-mails or even text messages. But these don’t always say thanks in a personal enough way.

CTA has some great items that will help me let people know how thankful I am for their service, their heart for my ministry, and their friendship. Maybe you’ll find them helpful, too:

• I can use the Thank You for Serving with a Heart Like Jesus note card set to write and send personal notes to six people—and for only 99 cents while the cards are on sale!
• The Thanks Be to God Pocket Calendar can be a year-long thank-you to those who bless me in special ways.
• So can the Thanks Be to God Magnet .

This year, put the thanks in giving by giving and sending thanks!

“I thank Thee that I have never been robbed before. I thank Thee that even though they took my purse, they did not take my life. I thank Thee that though they took my all, it was not much. I thank Thee that it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.”

 This almost unbelievable prayer reminds us that we always have something for which to thank our Lord. . . .

Read the rest of this devotion from CTA’s collection of free downloadable Ministry Messages. Pastors, are you looking for a jumpstart for your Thanksgiving Day sermon? You may find some ideas here! (Scroll down to find the Thanksgiving collection.)

• The happy lick of a puppy’s tongue.
• That week we spent in bed with chicken pox at age seven.
• The tottering gait of our child’s first step.
• The splendor of a path cut through a yellow, orange, green, brown forest.
• The agony of sacrifice that backlights, as it were, our nation’s flag whenever we sing the national anthem.

 As we pause in November to give thanks for the hundred thousand blessings our Lord so freely pours into our lives, we can thank him also for the gift of memory, the ability to recall individual instances of his goodness. Listen to these familiar words in which the psalmist David recounts God’s blessings, remembering specific gifts from God’s hand:

Praise the LORD , O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:2-5 NIV)

 Wonderful as it is to remember, how terrible life would be without the ability to forget! Part of the appeal of “the good old days” comes from the fact that our minds tend to remember the good times and forget the bad ones! We remember the ice cream and the cartoon marathons from our chicken pox days, but forget the itchiness, the fever, and the arithmetic make-up work.

 Much more seriously, those who survive the trauma of war or abuse yearn to wipe the  dark memories from their consciousness. With Job, they ache to “forget [their] trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by” (Job 11:16 NIV). 

As God’s people, we celebrate our Lord’s willingness to remember—to remember his covenant love toward us in Christ Jesus from now into eternity:

He remembers his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations. (1 Chronicles 16:15 NIV)

 As God’s people, we also celebrate his promise to forget—for Jesus’ sake! Twice the writer to the Hebrews repeats these sweet words:

[T]heir sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.  (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17 KJV)

In light of what we remember and what we have forgotten, in light of what our Savior remembers and what he promises to forget, we have much for which to give thanks—this Thanksgiving month and every day!

Looking for Christ-centered inserts to add to the Thanksgiving baskets your church will distribute this month? Check out the value-priced items CTA offers!