Have A Blessed Life Sermon I: Blessed By God, Give Thanks Series

BLESSED BY GOD, GIVE THANKS UNTO HIM, AND HAVE A BLESSED LIFE

Nowadays some folks tend to “jump the gun” and begin their commercial celebration of Christmas way too early (before Thanksgiving) - the lighting of Macy’s Great Tree . . . my neighbor’s fabulous display of lights . . . bargain sales of all kinds before Black Friday – you know, the day people trample each other to get bargains just one day after being thankful for what they already have. In my opinion, we ought to wait at least until Thanksgiving Day afternoon to start compiling lists of “wants” for Christmas. Got to thinking:

Since it’s not unusual to compile Christmas wish lists, and since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, why not compile a Thanksgiving list of all for which we are thankful?

Surely, if we made a list, we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just material possessions. Our list would include life itself, treatment for health problems, our family whether near or far, friends whether past or present, our nation with all its flaws yet the freedoms we enjoy.

As Americans, we are blessed and privileged in ways that the world at large can only dream about and hope for. Yet, it seems that so many are unhappy with themselves, the rest of society in general, some of us in particular – who we are, what we stand for, but also what they perceive about us.

No Americans were more underprivileged than that small handful from the Mayflower who started the custom of setting aside a day of Thanksgiving to God – no secure dwelling places and no government agency to help them build houses, no means of transportation except to walk everywhere they went, food from the sea and the forests, and they had to get it for themselves.

But they did have four of the greatest human assets – initiative, courage, a willingness to work, and a boundless faith in God! Sounds strange today when so many forces are at work to strip us of every reminder that the foundation of our nation is the strong conviction that we are “one nation under God”!

We have so much for which to be grateful, but often it is just the opposite. It seems to me that the more some folks get, the less thankful they become, the less mindful of God they are, and the more they want. There might have been a time when we too would have had to assess ourselves in pretty much the same way. However,

At our age and stage in life, we have likely cultivated a different attitude because we have learned in whatsoever state we find ourselves, therein to be content - an attitude of gratitude as expressed in the 100th Psalm . . .

This Message of Thanksgiving was written for the people of Israel. God said to them, “When you come into the promised land, and settle down in your homes, and you have plenty to eat, don’t forget the Lord your God who led you out of the wilderness and brought you into a land flowing with milk and honey.”

It didn’t take very long for the nation’s spiritual leaders to realize that the people of Israel needed a reminder, and it is obvious that the people of America and all free people of the world need it too.

Did you know that, except for Canada and The Philippines, ours is the only country in the world that has a Thanksgiving Day? Why do you suppose that is?

Notice that the psalm is addressed to “all the earth” . . . “all generations” - every person in every nation in every era in every stage of life! What a difference it would make if the whole world set aside a time to give thanks to God! That would mean that the whole world knows God and therefore gives thanks to Him.

Surely a massive giving of thanks would go a long way toward the breaking down of barriers between people of different languages, cultures, nationalities to the extent that eventually wars would cease and there would be peace on earth.

Yet, realistically speaking, such is not going to happen apart from acceptance of the truth about God and the truth about His love for all mankind shown to the world via the birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we’ve a story to tell to the nations! And we must never give up nor let up in our unswerving efforts to proclaim the gospel to all the world!

In a world, so full of animosity and strife, things that we are accustomed to can change at any moment so that the bounty of material blessings that we enjoy quite possibly could no longer be ours to give thanks for. The only thing we have for sure is our relationship to the Lord. Thus, the psalmist emphasizes repeatedly in the 100th Psalm, and all other psalms, “the Lord”. The Lord is our help!