THANKS GIVING VS THANKS LIVING…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
WHO HAVE YOU THANKED TODAY? Did you write a note or text of thanksgiving? Did you call or visit some old person and give them thanks? Have you ever thanked a teacher or preacher? Or do you think THANKSGIVING is about the turkey? I ask us to consider THANKS LIVING as a lifestyle.
“TO THOSE OF YOU WHO RECEIVE HONOURS. AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS, I SAY WELL DONE. AND TO THE C STUDENTS, I SAY TO YOU, TOO, CAN BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.” George W. Bush
DO YOU GIVE THANKS?
Thanksgiving is a national holiday we celebrate once a year? Once? Thanksgiving has religious roots… we personal traditions added. I guess we should include prayers of thanksgiving?
We understand that the Pilgrams and Puuritans came from England to the USA in the 1620 and they brought with them to “NEW ENGLAND.” It was a holy day of thanksgiving to the ALMIGHTY GOD. Today it falls on the 4th Thursday in November.
GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART…
Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2 (NLT) Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Colossians 4:2 (MSG) Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.
PRAYER WAS A REAL PART OF THANKSGIVING. TODAY IT IS SAD TO SAY THE TURKEY HAS BECOME OUR SYMBOL NOT THE CROSS?
JUST DO IT!
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit.
Moslems pray 5 times a day, all their lives, until it becomes a life style.
The Jews pray 3 times a day, all their lives, it becomes a lifestyle.
They do it whether they are happy or not? Whether they are under attack or not?
They pray when they are blessed or not? Whether they are happy or sad, they just do it as a life style.
They just do it as it becomes a lifestyle.
How many times to you pray a day… ??? Do we pray for total takeover of our nation and the church and family?
We pray once and expect change? One prayer and we think we have made it.
Pray in morning, pray in the day, in the evening, pray in the night.
Pray, pray in the 4 watches of the day.
Pray consistently, prayer has to become a life style to maintain victory.
Pray when you are broke… Pray when you are blessed. We must go back to the place of a lifestyle of prayer.
We try to use our head and our heart, we intellectualize God, and put him in a box.
We can never succeed unless we make prayer a lifestyle. It is our only choice to please God.
We must pray when we are down, pray when you are up.
We must find the lifestyle and go back to the altar to find the place and lifestyle of prayer…
We have the anointing, we are successful, we have it all but the lifestyle of prayer.
Pray when you feel like it or not?
We must learn to go faster to the place of prayer, Bethel, the house of prayer.
Prayer is a necessity of survival, prayer has to become a lifestyle.
What you gain by intercession you keep by intercession.
Whatever made you who you are, we must continue the lifestyle prayer….
You will never be able to navigate through the end times with a weak prayer life.
We must go back to the lifestyle of prayer.
LORD, TEACH ME TO PRAY… (unknown)
CONCLUSION: When I was teaching school, one Mother’s Day I had the students write a letter of appreciation to their mothers. The letters made me so angry, the thanks they were giving their mothers was all about things… things mom gave me, materialism. I threw every letter in the garbage can and I gave them a speech about the mother’s sacrifice and love and made them write their letters again. Wow, the tone of their words changed. Well, I am concerned about THANKSGIVING and TOYS, so little real appreciation for the heart of God… God gave his son, Jesus gave us his life and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings us comfort. My opinion is THANKSGIVING can be so cheap… me thinks: WE SHOULD PRACTICE THANKS LIVING. We can have a happier, healthier, better lifestyle with prayer and thanks living with a grateful heart.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
