Text: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).
Isn’t it wonderful to know that our calendar indicates one day out of three hundred sixty-five days as a day of thanksgiving? What do we do on the other three hundred sixty-four days?
I am not against the official Day of Thanksgiving as set aside for celebration by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. I just wonder if some people consider this the only day of thanksgiving and if the only meaning of thanksgiving is turkey with all the fixings.
We need to look back to the year 1620, when 102 people boarded a small boat named the Mayflower and set sail for the new land of freedom and opportunity. These people were called Pilgrims. They sailed the Atlantic Ocean for approximately two months. The ocean was rough and the weather stormy which meant they had to remain below deck in the hold of the boat.
There was nothing they could do to entertain themselves because space was very limited, but they knew God was with them and He would see their mission accomplished. The Pilgrims were religious people who knew God’s Word. They were able to pass the time of day and night by singing the hymns found in the book of Psalms.
After a rough voyage about 2 months, they landed upon the shores of America. Instead of landing on the shore of Virginia, they landed at Plymouth Rock on the 11th day of December, 1620.
Their first winter was extremely cold and they did their best to survive, however, almost half of them died due to the weather and due to sickness. They thanked God for protecting them and they knew in their heart He would continue to bless them because they placed their faith and trust in Him and they looked to Him in their time of need.
The native Indians were very kind and helpful to the Pilgrims. They taught the Pilgrims how to plant and cultivate corn. When the crops had been planted in the spring of the next year, a severe drought came upon the land. The Pilgrims, knowing their source, called upon God. They prayed and fasted believing God for what was about to happen. Sure enough, God came through with the needed rain and the harvest was more than what they expected.
That is the way it is with God. He always knows our needs and He is always just a prayer away. He waits for us to do our part, which is praying and fasting, and then He does His. We start the process of the possible, that is our part, and God finishes the process by bringing forth His part which is the impossible. Jesus said, “….with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
After the harvest took place, the Pilgrims held a celebration in which they thanked God for His favor upon them. They invited the Indians who helped them get started (God’s intervention) through providing seeds for the various plants and showing them the art of survival.
God works in mysterious ways. Nothing good just happens. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is not variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). God is the source of everything good and what He promises, He provides.
Since He provides everything for us, we need to thank Him and praise Him each day of life. When life is going the way we think it should, we tend to forget that it is progressing well because God is in control. At times, we take credit that is due God.
During the times of hardship, trials, and tribulations, we think God has forgotten about us, but this is the time He is waiting for us to reach forth and seek His help and guidance. This is the time we need to thank Him for being with us although we may not feel like it. Satan likes it when we don’t feel like talking to the Father because then he can step in and take control of our minds.
This is the time Satan thinks he can claim a victory. This is the time we need to bring forth the Word of God which is “….powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joint and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
God’s Word is alive and it is life-changing. We need to thank Him for His instructions concerning how to live the good life. Everyone in this country has access to His Word, but not all people take advantage or are interested.
Some say His Word is too complicated or it does not apply to life today. They say this because Satan is speaking to their heart and they are listening to him instead of listening to the still small voice of Almighty God.
The official Thanksgiving Day is not the only day to give thanks to God for what He has done for us and for what He has provided for our well-being.
Everyday should be a day of thanksgiving. We try to teach our children to say “thank you” when they receive a gift or someone does something for them. We, as adults, do not always set good examples for those around us. At times, thankfulness seems to be a lost art.
In 1860, there was a ship sailing in Lake Michigan and hit ground somewhere near Evanston, Illinois. A man by the name Edward Spencer dived into the cold water to rescue 17 passengers. The water was so cold that Spencer’s health was permanently damaged. It was noted that not one of the 17 passengers he rescued that day said “thank you” to him.
Some people seem to have forgotten the words “thank you”. When we are disappointed or when we are hurting for whatever reason, we need to praise God and thank Him and when we do this, we will find that He will reach down and place a blessing upon us. We are recognizing that He is in control; we are exercising our faith in Him, and we are trusting Him to take control of our present status.
There are times we feel sorry for ourselves and complain about something that has happened to us. We may feel that others have more than we do and we have been deprived. We may feel that we are not as good as someone else or that God has shorted us in some aspect of our being. Have you ever felt like that? Listen to this story that someone shared with me.
Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely lady with golden hair; I envied her – she seemed so happy and full of joy. Then she rose to leave and I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a silent prayer I said, Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet – the world is mine.
And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, “It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find”. He turned and said, “Oh, thank you sir”, then I saw that he was blind. I silently prayed again, Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, and the world is mine.
Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue. He stood and watched the other children play. It seemed he knew not what to do, so I stopped a moment and said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?” He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. I silently prayed, Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, and the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I want to go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know, I am blessed. The world is mine; Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
Do we give thanks go God one day a year for His many blessings or should we thank Him everyday? You know and I know the answer and that answer is we need to give thanks to Him everyday for everything.
Paul told the Ephesians “….give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ….” (5:20). The Psalmist said, “Offer to God thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14).
A soldier in the American Third Army was sent to a rest camp after a period of active service. When he returned to his outfit, he wrote a letter to General George Patton and thanked him for the splendid care he had received, General Patton wrote back that for thirty-five years he had sought to give all the comfort and convenience he could to his men, and added that this was the first letter of thanks he had received in all his years in the Army.
There are few points at which human nature is more lacking than in lack of gratitude. Parents must constantly say to children, who have received some gift, “Now what do you say?” As we grow older we become hardened to the good things of life and do not think of thanking God who is the giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift.” The best rule is the one given by Paul, “In every thing give thanks,” and especially “thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
----------------------------Essex
Do you remember the story of the ten lepers who came to Jesus for healing? Scripture says that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when He entered a certain village where there were ten lepers. They asked Jesus to have mercy on them and He did by curing them of their leprosy. Of the ten lepers cured, only one came back and thanked and praised Jesus for healing him.
Jesus asked, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:17-19).
Is giving thanks a thing of the past? Is it sufficient to give thanks only one day a year? Are we supposed to go through life believing we are in control and whatever we do or accomplish is done on our own efforts?
Let’s stop and think for just a moment. You are sitting in this service this morning listening to the Word of God being preached. How did you get here? Did the Father not give you the breath of life that brought you through the night and did He not give you the strength to get out of bed this morning? Did He not provide breakfast for you this day? Did He not enable you to move your arms and legs so that you could get to breakfast and feed yourself?
Has He not provided for you all the past days and years? Did He not give you a family that loves you? Didn’t God give you the ability to see and hear this morning?
It is true that as we become more mature, our sight might not be as sharp as it used to be or our hearing may not be as keen, but we need to give thanks to Him for what He has given us and what we still have.
We may not be able to move along as well as we would like, but we can still move. We are not paralyzed from head to foot and that certainly is a reason to give thanks.
God bless each of His children regardless of what physical condition they may be in. The blind person is blessed with other keen senses and attributes. Listen to this story:
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service and where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods when his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The man by the window described the park and the lovely lake outside. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm among the flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
One afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. The gentleman by the window used very descriptive words to paint a picture for the other man.
After the man by the window died, the other man asked if they would move his bed next to the window. The request was granted and the man’s bed was moved next to the window. The man painfully propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world. He discovered that the window faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse how his former roommate could describe such wonderful sites.
The nurse said the other man was totally blind and could not even see the wall. She went on to say that the blind man had thanked God for replacing his sight with the keen sense of imagination and descriptive words so that he could enlighten the life of people around him. The nurse said the blind man told her God had blessed him with things money could not buy and he gave all the glory and praise to Him.
Every person is blessed regardless of their physical condition. God deserves to be thanked for each one of these blessings.
Let’s thank God each day for his many blessings bestowed upon us. Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful day to get together and fellowship one with another and to enjoy the company of one another.
It is a time to thank God for our families, friends and loved ones, the opportunities afforded us in the work place, material things of the world that we enjoy, the food He has provided, the happiness in our heart, the joy of knowing His love for us, the freedom to worship and talk to Him, and for sending His Son to the Cross to pay our sin debt.
We need to count our blessings one by one and give God the credit for all the good He has done. We need to thank Him for His Word that guides us down the straight and narrow road of life.
Conclusion:
The official designated Thanksgiving Day is wonderful, but everyday should be a day of thanking God. Let’s thank God:
For all the gifts that Thou dost send,
For every kind and loyal friend,
For prompt supply of all my need,
For all that’s good in word or deed,
For gift of health along life’s way.
For strength to work from day to day.
I give Thee humble thanks.
For ready hands to help and cheer,
For listening ears Thy voice to hear,
For yielded tongue Thy love to talk,
For willing feet Thy paths to walk,
For open eyes Thy word to read,
For loving heart Thy will to heed,
I give Thee humble thanks.
For Christ who came from Heaven above,
For the Cross and His redeeming love,
For His mighty power to seek and save,
For His glorious triumph o’er the grave,
For the lovely mansions in the sky,
For His blessed coming by-and-by,
I give Thee humble thanks.
-------------------------------Clifford Lewis
All the grandkids were visiting for Thanksgiving. Before dinner, Grandma made a lengthy speech about being thankful for her extra-special blessings, her four grandchildren.
Two seconds after she stopped speaking, all hell broke loose and the kids were yelling and grabbing for the home-made rolls.
Grandma sat there, eyes closed with a tight squint on her face.
When asked what was the matter, she replied, "I’m just praying for a little patience to handle all these blessings."
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).
Thank God for today because it is a gift – that’s why today is called the present.
Amen.
