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!
Alex Haley, author of “Roots”, had an unusual picture hanging in his office. It was a picture of a turtle perched on top of a fence post. When asked why that picture occupied such a prominent place in his office, Haley answered, “Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words and think that they are wonderful, and I begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post and remember that he didn’t get there on his own. He had help.”
The Message of Thanksgiving is this: Let us remember that we got where we are with the help of God, and He is the provider of every blessing. So, give thanks to Him and bless His Name!
The Manner of Giving Thanks is laid out by the psalmist in the form of commands: Shout for joy to the Lord. He helped us solve a problem . . . gave us the direction we ought to go . . . provided a blessing, and then we realized, “this had to be from God”. From the depth of our being, therefore, we proclaim what the Lord has done for us!
A missionary served in a region of India where progressive blindness ran rampant. Something in that area caused people to lose their sight as they grew older. This missionary developed and administered a treatment that would stop the progression of blindness.
The people were thankful because their sight had been saved, but they never said “thank you” - because there was no such word in their language. What they said instead was, “We will tell your name.” They would proclaim his name!
Suddenly you realize that God has been good to you and you cannot keep it inside any longer. What do you do? You proclaim His Name!
Serve the Lord with gladness – not the church, not the preacher, not the organization to which you belong – the Lord. When we help feed the hungry . . . clothe the naked . . . by giving an offering to minister to those in need . . . in any way we can to serve the needs of others, we are serving the Lord.
We come before Him with joyful songs - even if our singing only amounts to joyful noise. Have you gotten the notion by now that God wants His people to be happy? I like to say to friends as we part ways: Be safe. Be well. Be happy. Be optimistic about our future as a nation . . . as the people of God . . . as pilgrims just passing through.
After all, we know that the Lord is God, it is He who made us, we are His, we are His people - the sheep of His pasture. “The Lord is my Shepherd”. He cares. He provides. He leads. His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
Folks, I am what I am by the grace of God. So are you. He made us and He is still making us. We are becoming more and more like Him in the way we think and in the way we conduct our lives.
We have discovered the Maturity of giving thanks to God through thanks living. We have matured in the likeness of His spittin’ image as reflected by Jesus. And in the process, we have learned that God is not through with us yet! He’s still at work in us and through us. Give thanks for who you are in Christ – a child of the one and only God. Give thanks for who He is – Father, Redeemer, Shepherd.
Blessed by the Lord God, we shall now and forevermore enter His presence with thanksgiving and prove our love for Him by thanks-living. How could we do otherwise? “For the Lord is good and His love endures forever!” Amen.
