There are many things to be thankful for from family and friends to football. But, the one thing I am thankful for the most is Jesus. Without Jesus there would be no joy in life. Without Jesus there would be nothing else to be thankful for. He makes thanksgiving possible. I’d like to share with you three reasons as to why I am thankful for Jesus.

                He made me. Jesus is the giver of all life. Without Him I would not be here today. He is the creator. Jesus is life. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” John 1:3-4 says, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.” Whether you believe on Jesus or not, you cannot live were it not for Jesus. He is the one that gave you life. Not only has He given you life, but He has also offered to you eternal life in heaven if you believe and trust in Him. Life is a wonderful precious thing. I am so thankful that Jesus made me.

He saved me. Romans 3:23 tells us that, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Every human being is a sinner. We are sinners by birth. We are not sinners because we have sinned, we sin because we are sinners. We were born in sin, we have a sin nature. Think about it. Do you have to teach children how to do bad things? Of course not! We spend much of our lives trying to teach children how to do good. Why is that? Because they are born sinners. So, what exactly is sin? Sin is more than just doing bad things. Sin is ‘missing the mark.’ Imagine you are playing darts and your mark is the bull’s eye. Every time you miss that target, you have missed the mark. In life, the mark is God’s Word. God’s Word is the standard by which all right and wrong is judged. When we miss the mark of God’s Word we have sinned. In other words, when we do things that the Bible teaches us not to do, we have sinned. When we don’t do the things that the Bible has instructed us to do, we have also sinned. Now, have you been obedient to every principle found in God’s Word? No, of course you have not. No matter how good of a person you may be, you are still a sinner.

Being a sinner creates a very serious problem for us all. Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death.” The result of sin is both physical death and spiritual death. This world is cursed because of sin. The reason there is sickness, and suffering, and death, is because we live in a world that has been cursed by sin. Therefore, the price of sin is death. The term ‘death’ does not mean the end. Death is eternal. As sinners, when we die we will experience an eternal death in a place called hell. We will feel the full effects of sin forever. We will suffer throughout all eternity because we are sinners. Unless, someone pays the price of sin for us.

The good news is that someone has paid the price of sin for us and His name is Jesus! Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price of sin for us. He paid that eternal debt. Think about it. Because of Jesus, your payment for sin is paid for. He has already done it. It’s a done deal. The price has been paid. You do not have to suffer forever in hell. You can have an eternal home in heaven. Why? Because of Jesus. He has done all that needs to be done in order that your payment for sin is satisfied.

The question to consider is simply, how can what Jesus did for me be mine? Jesus has offered to you a precious gift. It is the gift of salvation. That gift has already been paid for. He is giving it to you. However, you must receive it. You must reach out and accept that wonderful gift. You may ask, how do I do that? In order to receive that precious gift of salvation you must respond to Jesus in three basic ways: (1) Believe. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved.” To believe on the Lord Jesus is to believe all there is to believe concerning Jesus. Do you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh? Do you believe that Jesus is the Savior? Do you believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you? Do you believe that Jesus rose again from the grave? Do you believe that Jesus is coming again? Do you believe on the Lord Jesus? (2) Repent. Luke 13:3 says, “Except you repent, you will perish.” Repentance does not mean that you have to be perfect. To repent is to change direction. It is a change of mind. In order to have the gift of salvation, you must make a conscience decision to turn away from following your own ways and turn to Jesus, trusting in Him completely. Has there been a time in your life when you made the decision to follow Jesus? Have you turned away from yourself and sin and have you turned to Jesus? Have you repented? (3) Confess. Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” To confess is to surrender. It is to say, “God, I am guilty. I am a sinner. I confess. I give up.” Have you surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus? Have you confessed?

The Bible is very clear that whoever desires to be saved from the penalty of sin, can. It is God’s desire that you believe, repent, and confess. He wants you to be a part of His family. What are you waiting for? Why would you not accept this free gift of salvation that Jesus is offering to you?

He sustains me. A final reason as to why I am thankful for Jesus is that He sustains me. He keeps me. No matter how many times I mess up, I still belong to Him. Once you have accepted that wonderful gift of salvation, no one can take it away from you. He keeps me safe in the palm of His hand. I do not have to worry about my future, because Jesus sustains me. When life is hard and things are difficult, Jesus will never leave me. Though family and friends abandon me, Jesus is still there. Knowing Jesus, gives you the best of both this life and the life to come. With Jesus there is joy, hope, peace, purpose, and life. He is everything to me. This is why I am thankful for Jesus!