December Theme Vision Week 2: Giving Thanks Invites Joy And God’s Presence

What if December became the month you stop chasing joy and start receiving it? We lean into a simple but transforming practice: letting thanksgiving lead. Grounded in John 3:16, Psalm 107, and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we explore how gratitude shifts the heart from what is missing to what God keeps giving—his goodness, his presence, and the daily benefits that meet each day’s needs.

We begin with the foundation of salvation, not as a distant doctrine but as the living reason gratitude makes sense. If God has given his Son, then every day arrives already marked by mercy. From there, we turn to the mental loop of unmet expectations and delays. Thanksgiving interrupts that loop. Naming God’s gifts—large and small—reorients attention from anxiety to assurance. We discuss the image of God loading us with benefits day by day and how that reshapes how we carry today without borrowing tomorrow’s worry.

As the conversation unfolds, we draw the straight line between gratitude and joy. Joy is not hype; it is the fruit of God’s presence. Psalm 16 tells us there is fullness of joy with him, and thanksgiving opens that door. We share practical ways to live this rhythm: speaking Scripture aloud, recording three specific thanks each evening, and choosing to thank God before feelings catch up. These habits cultivate resilience, reduce grumbling, and strengthen trust. The result is a calm, steady joy that does not deny pain but refuses to be defined by it.

If you’re ready to trade restlessness for rootedness, press play and walk with us through a month of spirit‑led joy. Subscribe for more reflections, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Chapters

• 0:04 Framing A Month Of Thanksgiving
• 0:15 Salvation As The Root Of Gratitude
• 0:53 God’s Goodness And Daily Benefits
• 1:32 Rejoice Always, Give Thanks
• 2:37 Joy In God’s Presence
• 3:13 Key Takeaways And Blessing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

Hi, Paki family. I thank God for another opportunity to connect with you in this month of uncommon presence, spirit-led joy. When I reflect on this month, I just reflect on the thanksgiving or on thanksgiving because when I think of the words of John 3.16 that says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life. That makes me thinking the whole month of December should be a month of thanksgiving, in that if Jesus did not come, then we would not be having salvation today. And therefore, for me, it talks of, it reminds me of the goodness of the Lord. The month of June of December just reminds me of thanksgiving because of the goodness of the Lord. What hasn't the Lord done for us? Psalm 107 says, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. So because of the goodness of the Lord, it is for me a month to keep giving thanks to God. And when you give thanks, that produces joy in you. It doesn't matter under what circumstance, but that gives you a reason to thank God. And then I also think of the thanksgiving, it shifts our focus from you know the problems or the challenges of life to God's power. You know, sometimes we can really dwell on the things that have not happened or the things I had prepared to happen and they have not happened. And I can kind of begin like you know, uh grumbling and feeling God, it's like you have left me, but God hasn't left us because if we are alive and we know he loads us with the benefits every day, every day. So if we are alive every day and he has loaded us with the benefits of that day, why should we worry? We should be able to give thanks, knowing even tomorrow he will load us with another uh with another benefit. And so that is why the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 5, 16 to 18 says, We rejoice always and we give thanks in all circumstances. And thirdly, while I was thinking about thanksgiving, uh bringing the presence of God, it is also bringing joy. When you know the presence of God is with you, it brings a lot of joy. It does not matter what is happening because Psalm 16, verse 811 says, in your presence there is fullness of joy. So, beloved of the Lord, it is important to know that when there is thanksgiving, we should be able to know that one brings the presence of God. And so, beloved of the Lord, what I can want to remind us or to put it together is once we learn the secret of giving thanks to the Lord, we can know that it produces joy when we have learned to give thanks to the Lord. We know it produces joy, we know thanksgiving also removes our focus from the challenges of life, from the storms of life, even into God's power and disability in our lives. And finally, when we give thanks, then we know we call the presence of God because we know indeed the Lord is with us and that helps us to move. And so, for this, I pray that God helps you to live joyfully the whole of this month, knowing that God is with you and God is in your presence, and God is a reason for your living, and you do not have to have trouble or challenges leading your way. God bless you. Have a wonderful week.