It is good to give thanks to the Lord… Psalm 92:1
In a day filled with food, family, friends, football, and fun, your temptation may be to miss the point. So what is the point? A day to reflect on all the things for which we are grateful.
The original Thanksgiving in America reflected on God’s goodness to the original settlers as He helped them survive with new friends in a new land. For Americans, this is a special tradition to commemorate partially what took place in those earliest of days as they sought to just survive. However, setting a day of Thanksgiving did not start with the Pilgrims. When God helped Israel escape from Egypt, He commanded that they set aside a time each year to remember and be grateful, called the Passover.
A Day of Gratitude
As the psalmist said, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.” Every person on the planet receives God’s grace in various ways every day. As Americans, we may receive more than anyone currently living on earth. Reality is that any one of us may find something for which to complain, especially if we consider politics, the economy, our jobs, the traffic, the weather, you get the idea. However, we have far more for which to be grateful than possibly any generation who has ever lived.
So give thanks to God.
The Bible says that God does good, gives us rain, fruitful seasons, and fills our hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:7). Every day the heat from the sun, the light from the moon, the breeze from the weather patterns, the water from the rain, the food from the ground, the singing of the birds, and on and on with other examples… all these things are from God to you, me, us. God provides us life as we know it.
So give thanks to God.
The Bible also says that God provided us with community. Most of us have family and friends with whom we will spend time today. God gives us a church family where we enjoy love together, share heartaches, provide help, enjoy laughs, and worship together.
So give thanks to God.
The Bible also teaches us about Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, resurrected back to life, ascended into heaven, and now makes intercession for us. Although we deserve eternal punishment for our sins, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection provides eternal salvation through God’s forgiveness of our sin. God makes this forgiveness possible through our personal repentance of our sin.
So give thanks to God.
Enjoy people. Enjoy food. Enjoy activity. Enjoy life today. But whatever you do, don’t miss the point. Give thanks to God.
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