A Thanksgiving Day Devotion by Rev. Joseph Holmes HC Ministries International November 27, 2025

Good morning, brothers and sisters in Christ! May you all be blessed on this Thanksgiving Day!

I want to start by asking you a simple question: When was the last time you truly stopped to remember? Not just to think about yesterday or last week, but to really remember—to sit in the wonder of all that God has done for you? To trace His fingerprints across your life and let gratitude overflow from your heart?

This morning, as families gather around tables laden with food, as football games flicker on television screens, as the aroma of turkey and pumpkin pie fills homes across this nation, I want to talk with you about something deeper than a holiday. I want to talk about a way of life. Because Thanksgiving, my friends, isn't just a day circled on the calendar—it's a posture of the heart that changes everything about how we walk with Jesus.

King David understood this better than most. He was a man who experienced incredible highs and devastating lows. He knew what it was like to tend sheep in obscurity and to wear a crown in glory. He understood the thrill of victory and the agony of failure. He tasted God's mercy after his darkest sins and felt God's presence in his deepest valleys. And through it all, David learned something profound: gratitude begins with remembering.

Today, we're going to look at how the ancient words of a shepherd-king can transform our hearts on this Thanksgiving Day and every day that follows. We're going to discover that true thanksgiving is not about going through religious motions or checking off spiritual boxes—it's about cultivating a relationship with a God who loves you beyond measure and has done more for you than you could ever fully comprehend.

Today's Scripture

Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV)

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

The Devotion

The Call to Remember

Look at how David begins Psalm 103: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" Now, that's interesting, isn't it? David isn't talking to God here—he's talking to himself! He's preaching to his own soul, giving himself a command: "Soul, wake up! Everything within me, pay attention! We're going to bless the Lord!"

Why does David have to command himself to be thankful? Because he knows something about human nature that we all experience—we forget. We're forgetful people living in a forgetful culture. We move so fast, consume so much, and get distracted so easily that we can experience a miracle on Monday and completely forget about it by Friday. We can pray desperately for something, receive it from God's hand, and then never think about it again.

David understood this tendency, so he gives himself—and us—a direct command in verse 2: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." Don't forget. Remember. Call to mind. Bring back to the forefront of your consciousness all that God has done.

This is where real thanksgiving begins—not with a feeling that randomly shows up, but with an intentional act of remembering. It's a choice, a discipline, a deliberate turning of your mind toward the goodness of God.

Counting the Benefits

After David commands his soul to remember, he starts listing God's benefits. And notice—these aren't small things. These aren't "thanks for the nice weather" or "thanks for the good parking spot." These are life-altering, soul-saving, eternally significant benefits.

"Who forgives all your iniquities." Every single sin. Not most of them, not just the little ones, not only the ones you confessed properly—ALL of them. Your past, your present, your future. The ones you remember and the ones you've forgotten. The ones that haunt you at night and the ones you don't even recognize as sin. All forgiven. Completely. Eternally. Covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Do you realize what a benefit that is? You were headed for eternal separation from God. You were drowning in guilt and shame. You were bound by sin with no power to break free. And God, in His infinite mercy, sent His only Son to take your place, to bear your punishment, to die your death so that you could be forgiven. That's not just a benefit—that's the foundation of everything!

"Who heals all your diseases." Now, some people get confused here and think this means God promises to heal every physical ailment immediately. But David is using disease as a metaphor for the deeper sickness of sin and its effects. Yes, God can and does heal physical bodies—I've seen it, I believe it, I pray for it. But the ultimate healing He provides is the healing of our souls, the restoration of our relationship with Him, the mending of what sin broke in us.

Every addiction He's delivered you from—that's healing. Every broken relationship He's restored—that's healing. Every anxious thought He's replaced with peace—that's healing. Every time He's lifted you out of depression's dark pit—that's healing. Don't forget these benefits!

"Who redeems your life from destruction." The word "redeem" means to buy back, to pay a price to free someone from bondage. You were headed toward destruction—spiritual death, eternal separation from God, the consequences of your rebellion. But God stepped in and redeemed you. He paid the price. He bought you back with the precious blood of His Son.

Think about where you were headed before Jesus got hold of your life. Think about the trajectory you were on. For some of you, it was literal destruction—addiction, crime, abuse, hopelessness. For others, it was the quiet destruction of a life lived for yourself, empty and meaningless despite all the success and comfort. God reached down and pulled you out. He changed your direction. He gave you purpose and hope and a future. That's redemption!

"Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies." God doesn't just save you and then leave you alone to figure things out. He crowns you—He adorns you, He honors you—with His lovingkindness and tender mercies. Every single day, you're wearing a crown of His compassion. Every moment, you're wrapped in His mercy.

When you wake up breathing—that's mercy. When you have another chance to get it right—that's mercy. When He doesn't give you what you deserve but instead pours out blessing—that's mercy. When He's patient with you in your struggle and gentle with you in your weakness—that's tender mercy.

"Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." God satisfies. He fills. He renews. In a world that constantly leaves us empty, craving more, never satisfied, God actually fills the deepest hungers of the human heart. He gives us good things—not just material blessings, but the soul-satisfying goodness of His presence, His Word, His love, His purpose for our lives.

And He renews us! When we're worn out, He gives us fresh strength. When we're discouraged, He lifts our spirits. When we feel old and tired, He makes us soar like eagles. That's the God we serve!

Thanksgiving: Response and Responsibility

Now, Paul adds another dimension to this in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 when he writes, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Notice two things here that are absolutely crucial.

First, Paul says "in everything" give thanks—not "for everything," but "in everything." There's a big difference. God is not asking you to be thankful FOR cancer or FOR betrayal or FOR loss or FOR pain. That would be twisted and cruel. But He is calling you to give thanks IN the midst of everything—even the hard things, even the painful circumstances, even the seasons of suffering.

Why? Because even in the valley, God is good. Even in the storm, God is present. Even in the fire, God is with you. You can always find something to be thankful for because God Himself is always worthy of thanks, regardless of your circumstances.

Second, Paul makes it clear that thanksgiving is "the will of God" for you. It's not optional. It's not just for people who feel like it or who have naturally cheerful personalities. It's God's will for every believer. Thanksgiving is both our response to God's goodness AND our responsibility as His children.

Here's where we see the stark difference between religion and relationship. Religion says, "Be thankful because you should, because it's the right thing to do, because good Christians are supposed to be grateful." That kind of forced, obligatory gratitude is exhausting and hollow.

But relationship says, "Be thankful because when you truly see what God has done, when you remember His benefits, when you understand His love, gratitude naturally flows from your heart." It's not manufactured—it's organic. It's not duty—it's delight. It's not obligation—it's overflow.

Religion vs. Relationship in Thanksgiving

Let me paint you two pictures so you can see the difference clearly.

The Religious Approach to Thanksgiving: You wake up on Thanksgiving morning and think, "Okay, it's Thanksgiving. I need to be thankful. That's what Christians do." So you go through the motions. You bow your head at the dinner table and recite a prayer you've said a hundred times. You list off some generic things you're grateful for because that's expected. Maybe you even post something spiritual on social media to show everyone how blessed you are. But deep in your heart, you're not feeling it. You're just checking the box. Going through the motions. Playing the part. And when tomorrow comes, you go right back to complaining, worrying, and taking everything for granted.

That's religion. It's external, superficial, temporary, and exhausting. It doesn't change you because it doesn't flow from a genuine encounter with God's goodness.

The Relationship Approach to Thanksgiving: You wake up on Thanksgiving morning, and as your eyes open, before your feet hit the floor, you remember—"I'm alive. God gave me another day. He didn't have to, but He did." So you thank Him. Then you remember how lost you were before Jesus found you, how bound you were before He set you free, how hopeless you were before He gave you purpose. And gratitude starts welling up from deep inside. It's not forced—it's flowing.

You sit down at the table, and you don't recite a memorized prayer. You talk to your Father. You tell Him what's on your heart. You thank Him for specific things—for healing your marriage, for providing that job, for protecting your kids, for walking with you through that dark valley. Your thanksgiving is personal, authentic, and heartfelt because it's rooted in a real relationship with a real God who has done real things in your life.

And here's the beautiful part: that gratitude doesn't end when Thanksgiving dinner is over. It becomes a way of life. A posture of the heart. A lens through which you see everything. The next day, when challenges come, you still find reasons to thank Him. When next week brings disappointments, you still remember His benefits. Because you're not just celebrating a holiday—you're living in relationship with the God who is always good, always faithful, always worthy of praise.

Every Breath Is a Benefit

David says to "forget not ALL His benefits." All of them. Not just the big ones, not just the obvious ones, but all of them. And that includes the ones we take for granted every single day.

Every breath you draw into your lungs is a benefit from the Lord. You don't make your heart beat—He does. You didn't design the intricate system that allows oxygen to travel through your bloodstream—He did. You didn't create the sunrise you saw this morning or the stars you'll see tonight—He did. You didn't orchestrate the circumstances that brought you to this moment, reading these words—He did.

Every answered prayer—even the ones you prayed years ago and forgot about. Every close call you didn't even know was a close call because God protected you. Every provision that arrived just in time. Every person He placed in your life at exactly the right moment. Every Scripture that spoke to your heart. Every worship song that lifted your spirit. Every sermon that challenged you. Every conviction that led you to repentance. Every moment of peace in the chaos. Every glimpse of hope in the darkness.

All benefits. All from Him. All worthy of thanksgiving.

When you start living with this awareness, gratitude transforms from an occasional obligation into a constant overflow. You find yourself thanking God throughout the day—not because you have to, but because you can't help it. Your eyes are open. Your heart is awake. You're paying attention to His goodness, and it's everywhere.

The Power of a Thankful Heart

Here's something powerful I've discovered over my years of ministry: A heart of gratitude changes everything. It changes your perspective, your attitude, your relationships, your prayers, your witness, and even your circumstances—not because God suddenly makes everything easy, but because you're seeing everything through the lens of His goodness.

When you're truly thankful, complaining becomes difficult. When you're remembering God's benefits, anxiety loses its grip. When you're blessing the Lord with all that is within you, bitterness has no place to take root. When you're focused on what God has done, fear about what might happen diminishes.

Gratitude is not just nice—it's powerful. It's not just pleasant—it's transformative. It's not just a feeling—it's a weapon against the darkness that tries to steal your joy, kill your hope, and destroy your faith.

The enemy wants you to forget. He wants you to focus on what you don't have rather than what you do. He wants you to obsess over your problems rather than remember God's provision. He wants you to live in anxiety about tomorrow rather than thanksgiving for today. Because he knows that a truly grateful heart is a heart he cannot control.

But when you remember—when you intentionally, deliberately, consistently call to mind all that God has done—you step into a place of freedom and joy that circumstances cannot touch.

Application: How to Apply This to Your Life

So how do we move from understanding thanksgiving to actually living it? How do we cultivate this posture of the heart that David models and Paul commands? Let me give you some practical steps you can take, starting today.

1. Start a Gratitude List

This is simple but powerful. Get a notebook, open a document on your phone, or grab a piece of paper right now. Start writing down specific things you're grateful for. Not generic things like "I'm thankful for my family," but specific benefits: "I'm grateful that my daughter called me yesterday and we laughed together," or "I'm thankful that God gave me strength to resist that temptation this morning," or "I'm grateful for the hug my spouse gave me when I was feeling down."

Make this a daily practice. Every single day, write down at least three specific things you're thankful for. Some days it will be easy and you'll write ten. Other days it will be hard and you'll have to really search for three. But do it anyway. Over time, you'll train your brain to look for God's goodness throughout your day.

2. Practice Remembering Out Loud

David blessed the Lord out loud. He spoke to his soul. He declared God's benefits. There's power in verbalizing your thanksgiving. When you're feeling discouraged, stop and speak out loud: "Lord, I remember when You..." and finish that sentence with a specific testimony of God's faithfulness in your life.

Tell your family about God's benefits. Share testimonies with your small group. When someone asks how you're doing, instead of just saying "fine," tell them something God has done recently that you're grateful for. Make remembering out loud a regular part of your speech.

3. Turn Complaints into Thanks

This one is challenging but transformative. Every time you catch yourself about to complain, stop and turn it into thanksgiving instead.

About to complain about traffic? Thank God you have a vehicle and a job to drive to. About to complain about your messy house? Thank God you have a house and people to make it messy. About to complain about being tired? Thank God you have responsibilities worth being tired over and a body that's capable of working.

I'm not saying you can't acknowledge hard things or that everything is wonderful. But most of our complaints are really failures to remember God's benefits. And when we turn complaints into thanks, we're training our hearts toward gratitude.

4. Thank God IN Everything, Not Just FOR the Good Things

Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:18—"in everything give thanks." This means that even in the trials, even in the waiting, even in the disappointments, you can find something to thank God for.

Going through a health crisis? Thank God that He's with you in it. Dealing with a difficult relationship? Thank God He's teaching you patience and relying on Him. Facing financial pressure? Thank God for the opportunity to see Him provide.

This doesn't mean you pretend everything is fine when it's not. It means you choose to find God's goodness even in the hard places. Because He's always there. He's always working. He's always worthy of thanks.

5. Make Thanksgiving Part of Your Prayer Life

Too many of our prayers are all asking and no thanking. We come to God with our wish list and our emergency requests, but we forget to thank Him for what He's already done.

Start every prayer time with thanksgiving. Before you ask for anything, spend time remembering and thanking God for His benefits. Thank Him for answered prayers from last week, last month, last year. Thank Him for who He is—His character, His nature, His faithfulness.

This will transform your prayer life. It shifts your focus from your problems to His power. It reminds you that He's already been faithful, so you can trust Him to be faithful again. It keeps your heart soft and receptive rather than demanding and entitled.

6. Create Thanksgiving Triggers Throughout Your Day

Set up reminders that prompt you to give thanks. Maybe every time you drink water, you thank God for the gift of life. Every time you see a clock hit a certain time, you pause and thank God for something. Every time you get in your car, you thank Him for provision. Every time you hug your kids, you thank Him for the blessing of family.

These little triggers throughout your day create a constant awareness of God's goodness and train your heart toward gratitude as a lifestyle, not just a holiday.

7. Share Your Testimony

One of the best ways to remember God's benefits is to share them with others. Your testimony—the story of what God has done in your life—is powerful. When you tell others about God's faithfulness, it strengthens your own faith. When you declare His goodness out loud, it deepens your gratitude.

Don't keep your testimony to yourself. Share it with your family, your friends, your church, even strangers when appropriate. Let your life be a walking testimony to the benefits of the Lord, so that others might see and give thanks to God as well.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, as we gather around tables today, as we enjoy food and fellowship, as we watch football and take naps, let's not miss the deeper reality of what this day is about. Thanksgiving is not just a holiday on the calendar—it's a posture of the heart that should mark our lives every single day.

David reminds us that gratitude begins with remembering. When you forget God's benefits, thankfulness fades and complaining creeps in. But when you intentionally remember—when you call to mind all that He has done, all that He is doing, all that He has promised to do—gratitude overflows naturally, powerfully, transformatively.

You serve a God who has forgiven all your iniquities, healed your diseases, redeemed your life from destruction, crowned you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, and satisfied you with good things. You serve a God who gave His only Son so that you could be reconciled to Him. You serve a God who is with you in every trial, every joy, every moment of every day.

That God is worthy of your thanksgiving—not just today, but every day. Not just when things are going well, but in everything. Not as a religious duty, but as the natural response of a heart that has truly encountered His goodness.

So today, I challenge you: Remember. Bless the Lord, O your soul, and forget not all His benefits. Make thanksgiving your posture, your practice, your way of life. And watch how it transforms not just this one day, but every day that follows.

Don't let this Thanksgiving be just another holiday that comes and goes. Let it be the beginning of a lifestyle of gratitude that marks you as a follower of Jesus—not religious, not going through the motions, but genuinely, deeply, constantly aware of and grateful for the God who has done more for you than you could ever deserve or repay.

Happy Thanksgiving, beloved. May your heart overflow with gratitude today and every day as you walk with the God who is endlessly, eternally good.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, on this Thanksgiving Day, we come before You with hearts that want to overflow with gratitude. Lord, forgive us for the times we've forgotten. Forgive us for taking Your benefits for granted, for complaining when we should be thanking, for focusing on what we don't have rather than celebrating what You've already given.

Thank You, Father, for forgiving all our iniquities. Every sin—past, present, future—covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. We don't deserve it, we can't earn it, but You freely give it. Thank You.

Thank You for healing our diseases—not just our bodies, but our souls. Thank You for redeeming our lives from destruction, for pulling us out of the pit, for changing our trajectory, for giving us hope and purpose and a future.

Thank You for crowning us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Every single day, we wake up wearing a crown of Your compassion. Every moment, we're wrapped in Your grace. Thank You for being patient with us, gentle with us, faithful to us even when we're faithless.

Thank You for satisfying us with good things. In a world that leaves us empty and craving more, You actually fill the deepest hungers of our hearts. You give us Yourself, and that's more than enough.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the greatest benefit of all. Thank You for leaving heaven's glory to be born in a manger, to live a perfect life, to die a criminal's death, to rise victorious over sin and death and hell—all for us. All so we could know the Father, all so we could be forgiven, all so we could have eternal life. There are no words big enough to thank You for that.

Holy Spirit, help us remember. When we start to forget, when we start to take things for granted, when complaining begins to creep in—remind us. Bring to our minds the testimonies of Your faithfulness. Help us see Your goodness in every circumstance. Train our hearts toward gratitude as a way of life.

For every person reading this prayer right now, would You speak specifically to their hearts? Some are struggling today—they're hurting, they're lonely, they're facing trials that make thanksgiving feel impossible. Lord, meet them right where they are. Give them eyes to see Your goodness even in the hard place. Give them strength to thank You in everything, not for everything, but in the midst of everything.

For those who are new to faith, who are just learning what it means to follow You, teach them the difference between religion and relationship. Show them that You don't want their obligatory prayers or their forced gratitude. You want their hearts. You want authentic relationship where thanksgiving flows naturally from encountering Your love.

For those who have walked with You for years, revive the wonder. Don't let us become so familiar with Your benefits that we forget to be amazed by them. Rekindle our first love. Renew our passion. Restore our gratitude.

As we gather around tables today with family and friends, may our thanksgiving be more than words. May it be a genuine overflow of hearts that have truly seen Your goodness and been transformed by Your grace.

Help us to carry this spirit of thanksgiving beyond today. Make it our lifestyle, our posture, our constant response to Your constant faithfulness. Let gratitude mark our lives so distinctly that others see and wonder what makes us different—and may we always point them to You.

We love You, Lord. We thank You. We bless Your holy name. Not because we have to, but because when we truly remember all You've done, we can't help it. You are good. You are faithful. You are worthy of all our praise.

In the precious, powerful, matchless name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray.

Amen, and amen, and amen.

Motivational Quote

"Thanksgiving is not a calendar event—it's a heart condition. It's the difference between religious obligation and relational overflow. When you truly remember God's benefits, gratitude isn't something you force—it's something that flows. Every breath is a benefit. Every sunrise is a gift. Every answered prayer is a testimony. Don't wait for perfect circumstances to give thanks. Choose gratitude in the middle of the mess, praise in the middle of the pressure, and thanksgiving in the middle of the trial. Because the God who brought you this far is the God who will see you through. Remember His benefits, declare His goodness, and watch how a grateful heart transforms not just your Thanksgiving Day, but your entire life. You serve a God who is always good, always faithful, always worthy—and that, my friend, is reason enough to give thanks in everything."

— Rev. Joseph Holmes