Thanksgiving seems to be a favorite for every American. Whether it’s the food or the football, whether it’s family or just fun, everybody loves Thanksgiving. But it seems like many Americans have forgotten our nation’s first Thanksgiving. After the first year of life in America, after burying nearly half of their friends throughout that first year, they set aside 3 days to offer their praises to the God who led them to America.
H. U. Westermayer wrote, “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.”
Someone else wisely stated:
• If you own a Bible, you are abundantly blessed. About one-third of the world’s population does not have access to one.
• If you have anyone on the planet, just one person that loves you and listens to you, count this a blessing.
• If you can freely attend a church meeting without fear, then you are more blessed than over one-third of the world.
• If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, all at the same time, you are rich in this world.
• If you have an earthly family that even halfway loves you and supports you, you are blessed beyond measure.
• If you attend a church with a church family that offers you one word of encouragement, you are blessed with some form of fellowship.
• If you have money in your wallet, or some spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the worlds’ wealthy.
• If you can go to bed each night knowing that God loves you, you are blessed beyond measure.
• If you can read this message, you are more blessed than about one-third of the world, who cannot read at all.
• If you have never had to endure the hardship and agony of battle, imprisonment or torture, you are blessed in indescribable measure.
• If you have a voice to sing His praises, a voice to witness God’s love and a voice to share the Gospel, you are blessed.
• If you can share a word of encouragement with someone else, and do it with His love in your heart, you are blessed because you have learned how to give.
• If you have the conviction to stand fast upon His Word and His promises, no matter what, you are blessed because you are learning patience, endurance and tenacity.
• If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because most people can, but many will not.
-Author Unknown
The words “thanksgiving,” “thankful” or “thanks” appear in the Bible about 150 times, so it should come as no surprise to us that God expects us to give Him thanks at all times, not just on one special day set aside.
Review this great passage with me, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” (Ephesians 5:18-20, ESV)
On the other hand, we can always find something to grumble about. We are surrounded by discontented people. Are you one of them?
I’ve always loved the story about the old Puritan expositor and commentator, Matthew Henry. Once he was robbed of all the money he owned. Notice what he wrote in his diary, “Let me be thankful first, because I’ve never been robbed before; second, because although they took my money, they didn’t take my life; third, let me be thankful that though they took it all, it wasn’t much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.”
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
-I Thessalonians 5:16-18
0 comments:
Post a Comment