Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite days of the year! We celebrate it with lots of food, family and football. But woven throughout all that we do is an attitude of abundant gratitude for the blessings God has given us. After our family gathers for a meal, we go around the table and give each family member an opportunity to thank God for at least one blessing received since the last Thanksgiving.

What are some of the blessings that are on your list to thank God for this year? Your physical health … or His faithfulness to see you through sickness? Your financial health … or His wisdom to help you navigate financial disaster? Your family and friends who have stayed with you through good times and bad … or His comfort to ease the pain of those who have abandoned you? 

As I think through the things for which I am truly thankful, I sometimes wonder if my list of thanks is superseded by my list of wants. Just walking through the mall can deceive me into thinking that I don’t have enough. In the world of consumerism in which we live, I need to guard against becoming discontented with what I have. I don’t want to become someone who is hard to satisfy … who thinks that I never have enough.

As a child of God, I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. My cancer has underscored the fact I have been fully blessed with the things that truly matter from Heaven’s perspective. Jesus is all I need. Jesus is enough.

Read Genesis 1 and Colossians 1:15-23

I. ENOUGH IN HIS DEITY 

Colossians 1:15

• Who is God, according to: Genesis 1:1, 27? Isaiah 40:28; 44:24? John 4:24? 1 Timothy 4:10?
• Give characteristics that reveal He is a living person, from Genesis 2:7, 16, 21-22; 3:8; 4:16; 6:6; 11:5 (example: He breathes, Genesis 2:7).
• How many gods are there in the universe? See 1 Corinthians 8:6.
• According to 1 John 4:12, has anyone ever seen God?
• Through Whom has He revealed Himself? See Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:18; 14:8-9; Colossians 1:15.
• Comparing 1 John 4:12, John 1:18 and Colossians 2:9, when Bible characters claimed to have “seen” God, Whom were they actually seeing?
• Can a person worship God without honoring Jesus Christ as His unique Son? Give key phrases from John 5:19-23.
• If Jesus is God—and He is—what problem are you facing that you think is greater than He can solve? 

II. ENOUGH IN HIS AUTHORITY 

Colossians 1:16

• Who is the Creator, and name one thing He did not create. Read Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 3:9 and Revelation 4:11.
• What two “agents” of power does God use in Creation that He still uses today? Compare Genesis 1:2 with Acts 1:8; Genesis 1:3 with Hebrews 4:12 and Revelation 1:16.
• How many times does the phrase and God said, or the equivalent, occur in Genesis 1? List the verses.
• Was and God said more than just a phrase of language? What explanation does John 1:1-3, 14 give?
• What preparation has to take place before the power of God’s Word can bring about change? See Genesis 1:2; Acts 1:8 and John 3:5-8.
• Is there anyone in the universe with greater authority? Give phrases from Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:22-23 and John 17:2.
• If Jesus is the Creator of all things—and He is—what person, culture or force do you think is beyond His reach or outside of His jurisdiction?

III. ENOUGH IN HIS SUPREMACY 

Colossians 1:17-19

• Who is the most important person in the universe? Give phrases from Colossians 1:17-18.
• What is His position according to Ephesians 1:20? Revelation 5:6, 13? Isaiah 6:1 with John 12:41?
• How is His position recognized even by His enemies? See Luke 4:31-37 and Revelation 19:11-20.
• If Jesus holds the highest position in the universe—and He does—who or what do you think can defy Him and get by with it?

IV. ENOUGH IN HIS ACTIVITY 

Colossians 1:20-23

• What is God’s purpose for you? See Colossians 1:20-23; Ephesians 1:4-8 and Romans 8:29. Compare Genesis 1:28 with Ephesians 1:3.
• How is His purpose accomplished in your life? Give the steps:

1: Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:9

2: Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38; 3:19

3: John 3:16, 22; Romans 10:9-10 

4: John 1:12; Revelation 3:20 

5: Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 6:11

6: Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:1-3

7: Philippians 1:6

• How is it possible to know God personally? Compare John 3:16 with John 10:10, 27-30 and John 17:3. 
• Do you know God personally? If you do, what do you need to do to grow in that relationship? If you don’t, what will you do now in order to establish a personal relationship with God? 

If Jesus is God in human flesh, revealing to us exactly what God is like …

If Jesus holds the highest position in the universe, and everything and everyone is subjected to His authority …

If Jesus has a purpose that He is actively completing in the universe as well as in your own life …

It stands to reason that He is enough for anyone, for everyone, at any time, all the time, in any situation, for every situation!

This Thanksgiving, would you thank God for Jesus by choosing to make the time to get to know Him for who He is in His deity, authority, supremacy and activity? Read your Bible every day, listening for Him to speak to you through it. Talk to Him in prayer. Discover for yourself that Jesus is enough! ©2018 Anne Graham Lotz

 

Adapted from an article originally published in November 2011.

Anne Graham Lotz has proclaimed God’s Word worldwide for more than 40 years. Her latest book, The Daniel Key, is available from major booksellers.