Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving! I enjoy the food, family, friends, and fun. It's a wonderful family time and probably the least commercialized of all the holidays. I'm glad God thought of it. We like to think of it as a uniquely American holiday, and it is, at least as far as holidays go. However, it was God who showed us throughout His word how important it is to be thankful. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." If we take the time to look, God will show us a reason to be thankful in any situation we find ourselves. To be "thank-full" means to be full of thanks. If we are full of thanks, then we won't be full of envy, jealousy, greed, bitterness, fear, emptiness, and a host of other negative traits.

Something else I've noticed is that it's all too often that people will give thanks without ever even mentioning God. They don't even know who they are thanking. James 1:17 tells us "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..." God is the one who has given us everything we have and has made us everything we are. He is our provider and the only one who is worthy of our thanks.

You know what? This would be a perfect time to take a few moments to think about all the many reasons you have to be thankful to our Lord.

Thankfully Yours,
Pastor John