The Psalmist said, “I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with

thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30). Magnifying God with thanksgiving will be done when one realizes

that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). We often sing,

“Count your blessings, name them one by one.” Have you done that lately? Each one might have

a special and different list, but below are a few blessings which I would like to bring to our minds.

Material Blessings:

Most of us have been blessed materially above all peoples of the world. Conveniences are at our fingertips. What we consider necessities, most of the world considers as luxuries. What do we do with them? Do we realize that they come from God and do we express appreciation to Him for them? Are we using them for the benefit of others?

The Holy Spirit instructed, “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need” (Ephesians 4:28). Who can we help? Are we returning a liberal portion to God in order that His kingdom might expand? Speaking of one’s gift of wealth, the Holy Spirit said our giving ought to be with liberality (Romans 12:8).

Spiritual Blessings:

More important than the material blessings are the spiritual blessings. Salvation, prayer, forgiveness, the right to become a new person, and to have fellowship with God. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

God made it possible for us to enter Christ through our faith and not the works we accomplish. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We accept His grace when our faith leads us to be immersed in water for the forgiveness of our sins (Romans 6:3-4; Acts 2:38).

Physical Family:

Sometimes we forget what a blessing our physical family is. Sometimes husbands and wives do not appreciate the blessing of having a good, godly mate who loves them. Divorce is so common that it seems couples quit trying to work out their problems. Yet, when couples do work through problems, they will be closer than ever before.

Selfish parents abort babies by the millions. Others are so self-entered after they have children, that they mistreat and abuse them. These horrible events make our world more and more like the Gentile world upon which God’s wrath came. God said that generation was “without natural affection” (Romans 1:31). That Greek word conveys the idea of family members who have no love for one another.

One’s physical family should be the most precious relationship one has, other than his or her spiritual family. Let’s not throw away this great blessing. Let’s not get so busy that we don’t enjoy the blessing of family. Let’s work to enhance the blessing of family.

Spiritual Family:

Peter commanded, “Love the brotherhood” (I Peter 2:17). We are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). There should be a special bond between brethren in Christ, even more special

than the physical bond of family who are not part of God’s family. Each one in Christ has his or her faults and weaknesses, but still, Christians are the best people on earth. We ought to magnify God with thanksgiving for our spiritual family.

The Local Congregation:

Your local congregation is probably a wonderful congregation of loving brethren who love God, each other, and humanity. Weezie and I love our local congregation. We trust that you feel the same way about your congregation. Let’s thank God for the body of Christ to which we belong. Let those who are not members of the church know how wonderful our spiritual family is!

Let me close as I began, the Psalmist said, “I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30).