IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life here?
The implications for my own life is to reflect on everything the Lord Jesus has done in my life and pour out my thanksgiving and praise to the Lord for all He has done remembering He has done all this because of His loving-kindness which continues forever. Thank you so much Jesus.

So, I decided to reflect upon what happened this past year to give my thanksgiving and praise to the Lord using the alphabet as a tool! My precious wife Chandraleela decided to do the same after I shared my 26 reasons for thanksgiving. I hope you decide to do the same thing remembering the real meaning behind Thanksgiving.

Ch  November 2013:

1.       Awesome friends and wonderful Pastor Hugo you have given us Lord Jesus.

December 2013:

2.       Blessed Christmas with family get together with my husband, daughter, mother-in-law, and brother-in-laws Oh Lord.

January 2014:

3.       Christ giving us another wonderful year again.

4.      
Day of Lord’s Day thankful for Oakland International Fellowship church we can go every Sunday and worship you Jesus.

February 2014:

5.      Each year of my life getting me through and giving me another birthday, protecting, guiding, and guarding me Lord Jesus.

6.       For every day that I can take a breath which is a gift from you Lord.

March 2014:

7.       God you provided family provision for us.

April 2014:

8.      How thankful I am for Lord’s kindness, love, and mercy though we don’t deserve anything.

9.       I am thankful for the small things in life too and not just for the big things you give Lord Jesus.

May 2014:

10.   Jesus, you gave us opportunity to go to India!

11.   Keeping us planning, getting everything ready to go to India you helped us Lord.

June 2014:

12. Lord, for the India trip to see my wonderful family that I missed for 2 ½ years because of my conditional residency restrictions you took care of.

13.   My sister’s birthday I was able to attend which was a precious time Lord Jesus.

14. 
 No matter how situations were for us, you were there Lord.

July 2014:

15. Outside or inside spending time with family each and everyday with mom, sisters, brother, nieces, laughing, eating, watching, going outside with brother, going shopping, you helped.

16.  Provided way to go to my dad’s gravesite with my husband, daughter, and family praying there together before having to come back to U.S in August 2014 Oh Lord.

17.  
Quiet a memorable time celebrating our marriage anniversary with my family Lord Jesus.

August 2014:

18.  Really painful to come back to the U.S but Lord you gave safe journey back especially regarding Esther’s health and safety.

19.   Savior you intervened and healed Esther while she was restless with severe case of diarrhea instead of it going for weeks.

September 2014:

20.  Totally blessed month because of our daughter Esther’s birthday when she turned two years as you Oh Lord have given her good health, growth, development, talking, and intelligence.

October 2014:

21. Understandably Lord you gave my husband another year of birthday with good health no matter how much he suffered giving him strength.

22.
  Victoriously, by your grace and mercy you Oh Lord answered a cry of mine for many months regarding our hopes, desires, and dreams.

November 2014:

23.   Wonderful opportunity you have given us to reach out to Indian students with game night and dinner because you give us strength and ability Lord Jesus.

24.   Xcited to know, no matter how we were, you Lord Jesus were leading us spiritually, physically, emotionally, relationally, and mentally even when thing did not go well for us this month.

25.   You Oh Lord have been protecting us, providing for our needs even when we don’t always have our wants for my husband, daughter, and family.

26. 
 Zeal for your work motivates us Lord Jesus.

These are only 26 of multiple areas of my life that I am thankful and praise the Lord Jesus for. I am glad to have reflected on what the Lord Jesus has done in my life saving a foreigner like me and that His healing and blessings are not limited to a particular race or ethnicity but Jesus offers Himself to the world to all who would receive Him and come to Him. For He promises, "To all who received Him, He gave them right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent but from the will of God" (John 1:12)

It is in thanksgiving that we recognize that we are nothing on our own and all the things we are blessed with come from Jesus Christ, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

When I give thanks, I am recognizing the One who gave Himself for me with His sacrificial death on the cross coming back to life on the third day to save. When I give thanks, I am figuratively throwing myself at the feet of Jesus to show that I am nothing without Him. He alone is the One who has cleansed me of all my sin and daily transforms my life by His grace. It is His blessings that reveal His unconditional grace. Having an attitude of thanksgiving takes the focus off me and puts the focus on the One who came to change my life around.

I ask you now dear friend, what are A - Z things that you have witnessed that you can give T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G to the Lord for?
Dear friend, the place you give thanksgiving in your life will determine if it is a one day in November thing filled with feasts of food with family and friends or will it be a daily 365 day event filled with the Creator's presence in your life and all the blessings He has showered upon your life. Friend, there is excitement to celebrate thanksgiving with family and friends eating a feast but when we focus on the gift alone instead of the giver then we have missed the true meaning of thanksgiving.
So when we celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast let us be thankful for all that the Lord Jesus has done in our lives. I know it should not just be confined to the last Thursday of November but daily.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess 5:16-17, NIV)

Jesus wants us to always be thankful and that is His will. Yet, so many times we forget to give thanks and that makes Jesus sad. I don't want to make Jesus sad but remember all that Jesus does for me each day.

What has been awesome for me to do in the past was write down 5 things that I have been thankful for each day not duplicating any response during the week, otherwise it just becomes a routine and I would write the same things each day.

Before the Thanksgiving meal, take time to write 26 things you are thankful to the Lord for this past year using the alphabet A-Z as a guide. Your focus should be on the Lord Jesus for these 26 things. 

The place we give thanksgiving when that place involves the Lord Jesus Christ will make us well spiritually too as Jesus promised the Samaritan: Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

When we are thankful and grateful remembering what the Lord has done for us, it is also a reflection of our faith. There is a positive correlation between being thankful and our faith.  How appropriate is this passage on this day of Thanksgiving 2013 so we do not forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

Thank you Jesus for all you have done in my life. I love you Lord Jesus.

Let us remember what the Pilgrims did when they came on the Mayflower as their hearts were filled with gratitude and thanks for how the Almighty Savior rescued them and brought them through the harsh times in a new land. Thank you Jesus. This is supposedly the origins of Thanksgiving.

I also believe our health and joyfulness in life is tied to thanksgiving! No wonder Jesus says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess 5:16-17, NIV)

What is giving of thanksgiving anyway than praying continually to the One who is the Giver of all things daily in our lives. Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus.

May you remember this day that Thanksgiving is more than just turkey, stuffing, parades, and football but the essence of Thanksgiving is JESUS CHRIST. Amen!

The purpose of today's devotional is to understand the importance of being thankful for the things the Lord Jesus has done in our lives instead of taking things for granted knowing there is a positive correlation between being thankful and our faith.

"Thankful Heart Always Nurtures Kindly Souls, Giving Immanuel's Victorious Inspiration Now Graciously!" (T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G)/"What are A-Z things you have witnessed that you can give T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G to the Lord  for?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for everything that you have blessed our life with. Help me to be specific each day Oh Lord to thank you and count my blessings in this life you have given me. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you for all that you have done for our families. I love you Lord and need you. Thanks Lord as we celebrate Thanksgiving, it does not have to be a one day event but a daily event for you are the Giver of all Gifts and the Source of life for us. Thank you so much Jesus for this time and being our Lord and Savior to all who turn their lives to thee because you have given an invitation at the cross of Calvary. Thank you for that invitation which is a free gift of your grace. Thank you that you want us to be thankful in all circumstances so please help us Lord. I love you Jesus and need you. Take me as I am and use me for your honor and glory. Help me live for you Jesus. Thanks so much Jesus for dying for my sin to cover me in your precious blood and coming back to life to save me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus!