Thankful for...John 15

Since today is Thanksgiving, I am going to delay the final three questions that the discerning Christian needs to ask in evaluating the false and true teachers until tomorrow. Instead I am going to look at a couple of things that we can be thankful for as Christians from Scripture. This certainly is not an exhaustive list of all of the things in Scripture for which we can be thankful, and it is certainly not all of the things for which I am thankful. I am thankful for many things that are not found anywhere in Scripture--Stove Top stuffing and mashed potatoes and football and good running shoes and Cinnamon Dulce Lattés from Starbucks and such. And this is not to say that it is more spiritual to be thankful for Scriptural things and less spiritual to be thankful for every day things like money and food and multi-function pens. But I know that I often forget to be thankful for the Scriptural things, and when I am reminded of them, it only adds depth to the gratitude that I have for other things.

So this morning I did the simplest of all Bible-reading exercises. I sat down with my Bible and my journal and read with one question in mind: what can I be thankful for in this passage? The portion that I read was John 15-21, but I'll focus on John 15, in no particular order of importance. Here we go.

1. The privilege of fruitful prayer - 15:7-8, "7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."
   
2. Christ's all-consuming love - 15:9, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love."
   
3. The joy that comes only from God - 15:11, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
   
4. The true fellowship that comes from the love of Christ in our hearts - 15:12, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
   
5. Intimate fellowship with Christ - we are his friends - 15:14-15, "You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."
   
6. God's gracious choice of me - 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."
   
7. The power of the name of Jesus Christ--power to draw some and repel others; power to help us persevere; power to proclaim the word - 15:21
   
8. The helping power of the Holy Spirit - 15:26-27
   
9. Finally, and most importantly, I'm thankful for the death and resurrection of the savior. He stood in my place and received the punishment that was meant for me. And he rose again that I might have eternal life. I know that this is not from chapter 15, but I'll borrow from chapters 19-20 for this. Thank God that we have a faithful Savior!
   

Happy Thanksgiving! Soli Deo Gloria!