HOPE in the Freeze: Thanksgiving
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Matthew 4:5–7 NLT
The temptations presented by the devil in Luke 4 and Matthew 4 are representative of what we are tempted by. In this case, we see that the devil loves it when we “test the Lord your God” by needing God to be impressive in our eyes.
While Jesus performs impressive miracles, it is not surprising that the devil would want to twist the power of God into an idol that distracts us from the goodness that is less impressive.
So, this week, during the week of Thanksgiving, we are not just looking for big things to be thankful for, but we are seeking to thwart the temptation of the devil with big thanks for small things.
Look immediately around you. What is the smallest thing near you that you can be thankful for?
Find the nearest window. What outside can you express thankfulness for?
Where will you go next today? Who there can you be thankful for?
Will you go to work this week? Will you receive income from someone else?
Are you able to open your bible if you so desired?
Take a deep breath in—does breath fill your lungs?
Obviously there is so much good all around us that we can be thankful for. And, when we notice the small things, we are refuting the temptation to overlook God unless he impresses us.
Utilizing your fresh discoveries of God’s goodness, say a prayer of thanksgiving.
