Originally a time to celebrate the harvest, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to stop and consider our blessings!
As Christians we should consider the harvest that we’ve been laboring in and see the fruits that the Lord has caused to grow. When considering the fruits of the LORD’s harvest, we should look at some of the blessings in His harvest.
Matthew 5:1-11
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Perhaps it is uncommon to consider some of these things as blessings, but these are blessings in Christ that He said are even worthy of exceeding gladness!
The harvest are those children, our brothers and sisters in Christ, that have the Seed of Christ growing within them and are coming to bear the fruit of Christ as part of the vine. The fruit of the harvest (that is, the fruit of our labors) are those fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
The blessings that we are looking at today are the promises that Christ pours out upon us, from the abundance of His mercy.
The poor in spirit
What is the blessing upon them? Well, according to the Word of God, it is the poor in spirit (humble) that shall become inheritors of the Kingdom of God.
This is too easily passed over- one of the greatest promises that we’ve been given is the promise of an imperishable inheritance in the Kingdom of God. That means that the reward we will receive will never fade away, rot, or be destroyed.
Those who would trade it for anything (however great) on Earth are much like Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup (Genesis 25:29ff).
Those Who Mourn:
The promises of Christ, you may notice, do not come to the “rich” and the “powerful” on this Earth- why? Because He shows grace to the weak and humbles the strong.
Peter makes reference to righteous Lot, whose soul was tormented by the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. Still more, there are those who suffer and endure hardship for the sake of Christ- who are unjustly trampled under foot by the wicked of this world. These children will be comforted by the comforter.
2nd CORINTHIANS 4:7-12
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you.
So life works in us through the Spirit who is faithful to raise up those who also die with Jesus!
The Many Blessings of Christ
There are many blessings listed in this very short passage; blessings poured out by the bounty of the LORD’s mercy upon the suffering and faithful in the world. Blessings many miss because they refuse to take part in any such earthly sufferings.
Now is the time to stop and take notice of these blessings.
What blessings in Christ do you have?
There are many, many blessings in Him- see if you can discover a few blessings as poured out from the Word of God.
Biblical Reasons 
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