There is only one way to approach Thanksgiving, and that is with a grateful heart.

Fulton Oursler remembered the sweet nursemaid who cared for him as a child. He recalled one day sitting on her lap and asking, “Nanny, why do you thank God for the food? You are going to have your food whether you thank God for it or not.”

She said, “Yes, child, that’s right. I will have my food whether I thank God for it or not, but it just makes everything taste better to be thankful.”

It is also true that all of life tastes better when we are thankful. We have so much for which to be thankful today. Thank God for His Son, Jesus, Who gave His life on the cross so that by believing in Him, you would not have to die. Thank God for the privilege of living in the United States of America. Though we are going through some very tough times now, we still live in the greatest nation on earth.

We are, indeed, a blessed people. There are many wonderful people and nations across the world, but most people I have met in other parts of the world would give anything to be able to live in America. Thank God for the men and women of the armed forces who are putting their lives on the line right now so that we may remain free and safe in the United States.

I thank God today for the Georgia Baptist Convention, a convention of churches that love Jesus and are committed to preaching the Gospel at home and all around the world. As I travel the great State of Georgia and visit with our churches, I find people and pastors who are devoted to God’s Word, to missions, and to evangelism.

For instance, a couple of Sundays ago I was privileged to bring the message for Grove First Baptist Church in Grovetown, Georgia on the occasion of the celebration of their 200th anniversary. Just think of that! For 200 years, this church has been faithfully declaring the Word of Truth and baptizing believers. In fact, at the conclusion of the worship service, the pastor, Frank Thigpen, baptized 14 new believers in Christ.

What a wonderful way to conclude your 200th anniversary service! There are 5 more persons awaiting baptism. I am seeing this kind of spiritual growth all over the state and it thrills me. Keep preaching, keep reaching and keep going, Georgia Baptists, until everyone in our state has been given an opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel of Christ.

I thank God today for the joy of being a Southern Baptist, the largest evangelical body of believers in the United States. How thankful I am for the joy of joining in the support of 10,000 missionary families that every day are winning thousands of people to faith in Christ in 180 countries of the world.

Not only should we be grateful for our missionaries, but we should pray for them every day. Pray for their protection and pray that the Lord will use them in a powerful way to win our world to faith in Christ.

I thank God today for my family. I trust that you feel about your family as I do about mine. I feel like the most blessed man in Georgia today to have grown up in a strong Christian home with a mother and dad who loved Jesus and two sisters who have loved and served the Lord throughout their lives.

How thankful I am for my wonderful Christian wife, three precious Christian daughters and seven grandchildren. My daughters and their families love the Lord and are serving Him in their churches. I pray faithfully for each of my grandchildren and will praise the Lord and rejoice with thanksgiving when each makes a profession of faith in Christ.

As you and your family sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, do so with a grateful heart for the many blessings provided for you by the Lord. It will make everything taste better to be thankful.