Who is God to you?  To King David He was a personal God, one who saved, loved, protected, helped, restored,cared for and directed him throughout his life.  In Psalm 118:28-29 David desires to give thanks to his God.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;  you are my God; I will extol you.     Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;  for his steadfast love endures forever!

David had a personal relationship with God and knew who He was and how he could depend upon Him.  I too have a relationship with God that was made available to me through Jesus.  Knowing Jesus as my savior opened the door to having God’s indwelling Spirit within me.  Jesus put it this way in John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”  Jesus told Martha in John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”  I don’t have ‘religion’;  I have a relationship with God.  I am His daughter.   Paul described our new relationship with God in Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”    Is God your Father?  Do you claim your status as an adopted son or daughter of God through Jesus?

Make God personal today and move into a relationship with Him.   1 John 1:9 tells us how to know Jesus-  ^“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”   Make this your first Thanksgiving with Him- ask for His forgiveness for the sins you’ve committed.  You know the words you’ve used to hurt others, your selfishness, your unkind actions… the list for all of us goes on and on as this is the sin nature we were born with.  Put a stop to this circle of sinning and invite Jesus into your life.  Like David, you will have a personal relationship with God.  That relationship is worthy of all our thanks and praise to Jesus who made it possible.  Knowing Jesus will change your life!  Praise and thank Him this Thanksgiving for this new life.  If you know Jesus, thank Him today for His marvelous grace and forgiveness.

Share your thanks with someone else this year.  1 Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready to share our hope in Jesus with gentleness and kindness, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”  Jesus is the good news of life to a dying world.  Be bold and share Him with others.  You will be blessed.

Linda