Thanksgiving, it's a day for ...

Football? Turkey? Feasting?  Perhaps, all of the above?  Tomorrow  I will enjoy Thanksgiving, the uniquely American holiday that came from the Pilgrim celebrations. Those hardy souls that remained alive after the first year of terrible trials, gathered with their Indian friends to give thanks to God.  Three centuries later their day of prayer has grown into our Thanksgiving.  I want to encourage you to actually ‘give thanks’ on Thanksgiving!  Turn a day of thanksgiving into a life marked by the beauty of gratitude. How?

First, give;  generously, sacrificially, and often!  God demanded the tithe (10% of income) from the Jews under the first covenant. For those of us who are in Christ, under the agreement of grace, it is no longer a law, but it is a great guiding principle for our giving. We need to go beyond giving as an emotional response, or giving because we are pressured, or giving because we buy into a 'give to get' scheme that prosperity teachers use to manipulate us. Instead, we should give purposefully, like an investor uses his money. We should look for worthy ministries, well run charities, and individuals  that we can help onto their feet. In these ways, we put a portion of our resources, at least a tithe, to work for God. When we choose to live with less so we can give more, we are able to grasp that what we have is not because we are more deserving than someone else, but because we are God-blessed. Gratitude grows in the fertile soil of generosity.

Second, worship deeply, regularly, and from the heart! True worship restores proper perspective. I urge you to set aside time each day to be with the Lord. Worship, in church on Sunday, is good and should be part of every Christian’s regular habit.  Worship, daily and weekly, focuses our hearts on things eternal, as well as keeping it clear to us Who is God. Worship helps us to remember that we are not Him! Worship that is mature allows us to listen intently to His instructions. In worship we learn how to live to bless. It is not wrong to pray about our needs. God wants us to ask boldly. But, I think each of us can remember more than a few prayers that were more about our wants than our needs. Spiritual worship helps us to discern the difference.

Third, express gratitude! Cultivating a habit of thankfulness helps us to avoid a 'me centered' life. We keep in sight the ways that God has blessed us. We realize how much those around contribute to our well-being. Thanksgiving should not be just a day on the calendar, it should be a way of life.

Moses, the great leader of God’s people, when he was advanced in age and near the end of his time of service, warned of the danger of blessings - that they would become self-sufficient and forget to serve God. I pray that these ancient words of warning will find a place in our hearts and minds today, so that we will give glory to God. "For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession. He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as his most precious possession. Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them in and carried them aloft on his pinions. The Lord alone guided them; they lived without any foreign gods. He made them ride over the highlands; he let them feast on the crops of the fields. He nourished them with honey from the cliffs, with olive oil from the hard rock. He fed them curds from the herd and milk from the flock, together with the fat of lambs and goats. He gave them choice rams and goats from Bashan, together with the choicest wheat. You drank the finest wine, made from the juice of grapes. But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation." (Deuteronomy 32:9-15, NLT)`

So, let’s us give thanks, today, tomorrow, and each day. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)

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Thanks To God For My Redeemer

Thanks to God for my Redeemer.

Thanks for all Thou dost provide,

Thanks for times now but a memory,

Thanks for Jesus by my side.

Thanks for pleasant balmy springtime,

Thanks for dark and dreary fall,

Thanks for tears by now forgotten,

Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,

Thanks for what Thou dost deny,

Thanks for storms that I have weathered,

Thanks for all Thou dost supply!

Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure,

Thanks for comfort in despair,

Thanks for grace that none can measure,

Thanks for love beyond compare.

Thanks for roses by the wayside,

Thanks for thorns their stems contain,

Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,

Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain.

Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,

Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee,

Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,

Thanks through all eternity.

Amen

August Ludvig Storm | John Alfred Hultman

Public Domain

Jumping to Conclusions?

“I just know that he is planning to ….” and with that, he leapt into the abyss of his own imagination. Have you ever taken a little factoid and turned it into a full-blown conclusion?  Integrity takes a big hit when we rush the process of gathering facts and reach a premature conclusion.  We will make unfounded accusations and risk completely missing the will of our God.  Jesus’ own disciples did it.  One day they saw a blind man. Their immediate assumption was that he was being punished by God!  “Teacher,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?”  They raced to what seemed the obvious conclusion. Somebody did something wrong here and that is why things are what they are.  Jesus presented a totally different perspective -  “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him." (John 9:2-4, NLT)  And, when He healed the man, it provided an opportunity for God to be honored.

Isaiah preached to a generation that ‘just knew’ how things were going, what was about to happen to them; except they didn’t! Isaiah warned them that they were letting themselves be misled. He said,  “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread." (Isaiah 8:12-13, NIV)

Have you prayerfully and thoughtfully taken the circumstances of your life to Him?

Have you asked to see things and/or people through His eyes; or are you jumping to conclusions?

Are you letting yourself be misled by your own imagination or the earth-bound assumptions of others?

God gives Spirit-filled Christians an amazing gift – insight!  The Holy Spirit shows us the unseen, allows us to align ourselves with the purposes of God and thus,  to be an effective servant of His kingdom. Read this carefully and prayerfully. "That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets. No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means." (1 Corinthians 2:9-14, NLT)

Want to avoid rushing to judgment and jumping to conclusions?  Learn to spend time in contemplative prayer, listening at least as much as you speak, inviting the Holy Spirit to mature a godly vision in you.  Here is a word from the Word. May we live in the fullness offered. "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (John 16:13-14, NIV)

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Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak but Thou art mighty,

Hold me with Thy pow'rful hand.

Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven;

Feed me now and ever more,

Feed me now and ever more.

Open Thou the crystal fountain

Whence the healing stream doth flow.

Let the fiery cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my strength and shield;

Be Thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside.

Death of death and hell's destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan's side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee;

I will ever give to Thee.

John Hughes | Peter Williams | William Williams

Public Domain

To Make a Wretch His Treasure

To Make A Wretch His Treasure

60 Minutes reported on a study of morality in children last night.  (Babies unlock morality) One part of the study looked at what we adults would call ‘selfishness.’ Would children share generously or give things away? The very young, preschool to about age 7, chose to favor themselves. They would even choose a lesser reward if it meant they got more than other kids! Around age 8 or so, the cultural training to share started to produce a willingness to be more equitable.  It is fascinating stuff to me. 

This season of Thanksgiving we need to reflect on how we regard our ‘stuff.’  Are we selfish? Do we want more? Are we grateful for what we have?

One day Jesus came upon ten men who suffered one of the worst fates in that time - leprosy. Leprosy not only brought physical suffering, it turned a person into a social outcast. A leper was separated from the community, as a means of keeping the spread of the disease to a minimum. The wretch lived as a beggar outside of town, usually near the dump from which he scavenged the scraps that kept him alive! When the ten lepers realized who was approaching, they yelled - "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, their leprosy disappeared.” Luke 17:14 (NLT) Imagine their joy when they saw their skin clearing, all evidence of their leprous condition gone, given the desperate situation in which they lived because of it! Here is the shocking part of the story -  "One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:15-17, NLT)  Where are the other nine?

This question needs an answer from each of us:  Is the Lord wondering where my gratitude is today?  

Some of us are so infected with entitlement, feel ourselves so deserving, that we never even consider that we owe the Lord our thanks. Do you think that God paid up because you did some good thing, because you were righteousness enough to merit a reward? What blindness!  You know what we deserve? Judgment and condemnation. Scripture reminds us that ‘by nature we are objects of His wrath’ But, mercy is God's method. The Psalmist reminds us - "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103:9-14, NIV)

Are you grateful today?
Does thankfulness overflow from you?
Or is God asking, "where is the gratitude, where is the recognition of My mercy?"

Let's not be absent when it comes to returning thanks. Check your heart to see if entitlement has taken up residence. Found it there?  Confess it for the ugly sin that it is. Ask the Lord’s forgiveness and humble yourself by acknowledging this truth - "Where is another God like you, who pardons the sins of the survivors among his people? You cannot stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing mercy." (Micah 7:18, NLT) Realize, anew, the gifts of kindness and mercy that come your way. Then, liberally give thanks - to God, to friends, to family.

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You Are My King (Amazing Love)

I'm forgiven,

Because You were forsaken!

I'm accepted,

You were condemned!

I'm alive and well,

Your Spirit is within me,

Because You died

And rose again.

Amazing love,

How can it be,

That You, my King,

Would die for me?

Amazing love,

I know it's true,

It's my joy to honor You,

In all I do, I honor You.

You are my King.

You are my King.

Jesus, You are my King.

Jesus, You are my King.

Billy Foote

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