Thanksgiving and courage go hand in hand.  In fact, the giving of thanks leads to courage.  We see this in Acts 28:15, where we see that Paul “thanked God, and took courage.”

Paul needed courage.  On his journey to Rome to testify of Jesus before Caesar, the ship that was supposed to take Paul there was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta.  All 276 passengers survived, but it was a harrowing
experience for them.  Paul was thankful to be alive.

The residents of Malta show unusual kindness to this large company of survivors.  To begin with, they build a fire to provide warmth and dryness to these waterlogged men who had escaped death from the shipwreck.  Wanting to help, Paul gathered wood to throw on the fire.  As he did, a viper slithered out of the armload of wood Paul was carrying, and attached itself to his hand.  Paul shook the snake into the fire.  The Maltese assumed that Paul must be a murderer.  He had escaped prosecution, but justice would not allow him to live.  The locals waited for Paul to swell up or fall over dead from the snakebite, but that didn’t happen. He suffered no ill effects from the snakebite.  So, Paul had something else to be thankful for.

The people of Malta recognized that Paul was no ordinary man.  No ordinary man can survive a poisonous
snakebite.  So, they concluded that Paul must be a god.  Of course Paul was only a man, and not a god, but the one true God lived in Paul.  The Apostle was used of God to bring healing to many sick persons on the Island of Malta.  That was something for many to be thankful for.

Three months later, after winter had passed, Paul boards a ship headed toward Rome.  They made a stop at
Puteoli, where they found some Christian brothers who offered hospitality to Paul.  And when the ship finally made it to Rome, Luke tells us that they were met by some Christians who had traveled some distance to meet him.  On seeing him, Luke tells us, Paul thanked God and took courage. Courage is closely related to
thanksgiving.  In fact, thanksgiving leads to courage.

Being thankful renewed Paul's strength and helped him to be courageous as he faced his imprisonment in Rome.  Gratitude produces fortitude! Paul was transformed from a weary man into a courageous man.  And that
transformation started by thanking God. There is something invigorating about thanksgiving that instills within us a confidence to face the trials of life.

Thanksgiving isn’t just an occasion to express gratitude to God for what He has done for us; it’s also an
opportunity to find courage.  There are people all around you who are in need of encouragement.  They need to be transformed from people who are weary to people who are courageous.  God wants us to be these kind of people.