Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

  1. Hayden 11-14-18

  As we approach another Thanksgiving Day celebration, we are given the opportunity to reflect once again on this time-treasured holiday. How appropriate it is that we are reminded of our need for giving thanks to God for our many blessings, especially during the season that leads up to Christmas Day; a day we celebrate the greatest given to all of us. It is in our giving of thanks that we are able to discover what praising God really means. In fact, it is as we give thanks that we are able to enter into praise and worship as God intended, in Spirit and in truth. Psalm 100:4 says this, “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.” The giving of thanks and praise of God go hand in hand. They cannot be separated for it is in remembering all that God has done for us that leads us to a heart of appreciation of His goodness, causing praise to spill forth. In Psalm 34:1-3 (GNT) we read, “I will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising him. I will praise him for what he has done; may all who are oppressed listen and be glad! Proclaim with me the Lord’s greatness; let us praise his name together!” I heard a preacher give this example one time. He reminded of the time we used to get the Sears catalogue in the mail. When I was a kid, I would look at that catalogue and begin to circle all the things we want to get for Christmas. Today we do the same thing with those weekly circulars that are inserted into the newspaper. We pull those ads out and begin to circle everything we want to get for Christmas. This year, maybe we should skip the circular ad shopping and instead, take pictures of all of the wonderful things that we have been blessed with. Gather pictures of things given by others and all the treasures (family and friends as well as things) that God has blessed us with by giving us the ability to acquire them. After you have the pictures, begin circling each one and see how truly blessed we are, remembering the scripture telling us that all good and perfect gifts come from God above (James 1:17). There is just something about remembering what God and others have done for us that leads us into thanksgiving and praise and keeps us away from complaining and bickering.   Be blessed this holiday season,   Pastor Chris


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