In Everything Give Thanks

In Everything Give Thanks

INTRO. The 102 Pilgrims were crammed into the Mayflower’s hold (which was about the size of a volleyball court). Compound the misery of such cramped quarters by a lack of light and fresh air (all the hatches were battened down because of foul weather). Add a diet of dried pork, dried peas and dried fish, and the stench of an ever-fouler bilge and multiply that times 66 days at sea.

Before they ever left Holland, William Bradford and his wife, Dorothy had a 3 year old son, but because they felt the voyage would be too dangerous, they left him with relatives. They were ready to give their lives for freedom, even if it meant leaving their young son. What a sacrifice!

They endured without complaining. What a great price they paid! Yet they paid it cheerfully! When they arrived at Cape Cod, the summer was over and there were no friends to welcome them, no inns to refresh them and winter was approaching. Men like William Brewster, Pastor John Robinson, William Bradford and Miles Standish experienced that horrible winter.

When the worst of the winter was finally over, they had lost 47 people. 13 out of 18 wives had died. Only 3 families remained unbroken. Of all the first-comers, the children fared the best: of 7 daughters none died; of 13 sons only 3 died.

Why did they make this fateful trip? Primarily, so that they could have the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience and the Word.

In May 1621, the weather began to warm up and the community of settlers had their first wedding. Edward Winslow had lost his wife and Susanna White her husband. They both felt that God did not intend for them to continue alone, so Gov. Bradford married them and the whole settlement enjoyed the wedding feast.

That summer they continued work on the new buildings—homes for the settlers. And with the help of the Indian, Squanto, they began to trade with the tribes of the region. The Pilgrims were overcome with gratitude—not only to Squanto and the Indians who had been so friendly, but to God who had seen them through that first winter.

Gov. Bradford declared a date of public thanksgiving to be held in October. Massasoit was invited, but he brought 90 Indians with him. The Pilgrims feared they wouldn’t have enough to feed the whole crowd. And they worried about cutting into their winter food supply. But they had learned to trust God and, as it turned out, the Indians brought five deer and twelve turkeys.

The Indians taught the Pilgrim women to make hoecakes and a pudding made of cornmeal and maple syrup—they also had a delicacy = popcorn. The Pilgrims provided vegetables from their gardens and with the Indians’ dried fruits; they made blueberry, apple and cherry pies.

Contests between the men = races, shooting guns, bows, wrestling. There were even military drills by Captain Standish. Things went so well that Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days. Surely one moment stood out in the Pilgrim’s memory, William Brewster’s prayer. They had so much for which to thank God. He had sustained them!

I believe that the keys to happiness, contentment, peace, joy and all of the Christian life is wrapped up in this verse, “In everything give thanks.” It is easy for us to be thankful for such things as health, strength, food, shelter, clothing, love, friends, family, etc. But notice that the scripture says, “IN EVERYTHING give thanks.”

I believe there’s a difference in “giving thanks” and “being thankful.” Being thankful means that you recognize the benefit that you have received or experienced. Giving thanks means that you thank God for your condition, your circumstances, etc. even in those things where you don’t see the benefit.

In everything GIVE THANKS even though you may not understand the reason for it; or God’s purpose behind it.

1. The Things That Benefit Us

Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits….The God of our salvation!

This should be obvious to all of us, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who are Christian, who are embarrassed to thank the Lord for food at mealtime. Do we ever thank the Lord for His great gift of salvation? Do we thank Him for His amazing grace? Do we thank the Lord for His comfort during trials, His strength for the journey, His hope we have in the future?

A. Your Country

We live in a great country. America is a great nation. Yes, we have some tremendous problems, but would you want to live in Afghanistan or Ethiopia right now? With all of our problems, people are still clamoring to get here! Hey, folks aren’t dying to get to Mexico or Canada, but they are dying to get here!