Skip to main content

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! For those who are unfamiliar with the holiday, the fourth Thursday is set aside to give thanks for the bounty with which we have been blessed. We also get together with family and friends and enjoy a nice meal and quality time. Some families have the tradition of stating at least one thing/person/event during the calendar year for which they are thankful. I think that's a nice tradition. It make us focus on the blessings we have in this life and not so much on the struggles, which are highlighted more often than we may care to admit.

Today, let us be mindful of two things:

1. God gets the thanks. Period. Apart from God, we would have nothing and no one for which to give thanks.

But that's the easy part to remember...

2. Give thanks for everything. Yes, I typed "for." You see as Christians, we have a fairly easy time with the concept of giving thanks. We even accept the fact that in every situation we ought to give thanks because no matter how bleak the outlook, God is still deserving of all the glory, honour and praise. But we oftentimes fall flat on our faces when it comes to giving thanks FOR everything. Eph. 5:20 tells us, however, that we ought always to give thanks to the Father for everything. Now, that seems especially difficult if you are going through a struggle. You might ask how you can give thanks for things like unemployment, terminal illness, failed relationships, etc. I don't have all the answers, but I know that if you read Eph. 5:20 in conjunction with Rom. 8:28, the answer becomes clearer. If, in fact, all things do work together for good for them that love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose, then ought we not to give thanks even FOR life's struggles? God is still on His throne working and doing His good will in and through us.

So let's change our perspective (that was for you, Min. Jackie Powell!). No matter what we are going through, no matter how hopeless the situation might seem, this Thanksgiving Day let us pledge to take the path of inconvenience and offer sincere thanksgiving to God our Father, in whom there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. Isn't He worthy?

Comments

  1. CherylNovember 22, 2012 at 4:19 PM

    The best story I can remember about this concept comes from Corrie Ten Boom in the Hiding Place. Her sister told her to give thanks FOR the fleas. It turned out that because of the fleas the soldiers would NOT go inside where they were and left them alone.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ride or Die

I love this phrase. There are quite a few subtle variations on the meaning, but it is an urban colloquialism that means loyalty, no matter what. I thank God that I have been blessed with a few people that have that kind of loyalty to me and I to them. It's a rich blessing that have true friends. They are with me and in my corner no matter what (or "regardless of what" as one of them would say). This week we had Vacation Bible School at my church and I was privileged to be a teacher. The first lesson was taken from Daniel chapter three. The very well known story of the three Hebrew boys: Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego. It is a wonderful story of faith, but something jumped out at me so profoundly that it almost knocked me over. We always focus on the deliverance. But the Hebrew boys did not. Their focus was on God and Him alone. They were ride or die for the Lord. Literally. If you read the story, they never once pray for deliverance. They talk about God's a
2 comments
Read more

Rocks, Gravel, Sand and Water

Let me first start by saying that I cannot take credit for the following example, as I did not originate it. In fact, I was listening to Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah and I was so touched by what he shared that I thought I would share it with all of you. Let's say I have a large, empty 5-gallon jar. If I place fist sized rocks into the jar until no more can fit, is it full? Before you answer, let me say that after I place the rocks in the jar, I pick up a bag of gravel and begin to pour that into the jar. Where does the gravel go? In between the spaces left by the rocks. After I fill the jar to the brim with gravel, is it full? Before you answer, consider this: I pour a bag of sand into the jar. Where does the sand go? Into the spaces left by the gravel, of course. After filling the jar to the brim with sand, is it full? Before you answer, consider this: I pour a pitcher of water into the same jar. Where does the water go? Into the spaces between the grains of sa
2 comments
Read more

Simple Mathematics

If you're like me, you're probably thinking there is no such thing as "simple" mathematics... and the picture above does not help! For some of us, even the simplest calculations require technological assistance. But don't lose heart, loved one! The equation I am about to give you is so simple even a pre-school student can understand it (I think!). So here it is, in the form of an "if/then" statement: If a=b, then b=a Simple, right? Of course it is because it is logical. The equal sign ("=") means that whatever is on either side of that sign is the same. So even if you reverse the order in which you list the items on either side of that equal sign, they are still equal. So then, how does this simple premise, simple equation apply to this inconvenient Christian journey. Here it is: Christian = Christ follower, Christ follower = Christian.  Again, simple, no? Or is it? It seems to me that we as Christians do not always act like Christ
4 comments
Read more