Thanksgiving

"Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name." II Sam. 22:50

Last year I was watching a news cast and at the end of the show the reporter looked at the camera and said with a smile: “Everyone have a happy ‘Turkey-day’!” The thought then occurred to me: “Might young children be puzzled or even misled by such a statement?” It was after this that I began noticing all the signs which bore the words “Turkey-day.” In stores and shops, there seemed to be an abundance of “turkey-day” banners.

So why do some call Thanksgiving-day, Turkey-day? I was once asked to explain the difference between Thanksgiving and Turkey-day. I was at a loss for words. I couldn’t say what was so important about not changing the name. So I began to study, searching for the answer! Finally God allowed me to see the reasons for such seemingly simple and unimportant changes.

The answer is simple and clear. Satan desires to remove all reference to God from any thing that is for the purpose of worshiping God. Satan wants to divert all worship to him alone, therefore, he begins by chipping away at the stones that seem less important. Yet the holy Scripture warns: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3) The Devil slowly takes away some here and a little there and the Christian fails to see the importance of such building blocks. The fact is we seem to be “ignorant of his devices” (II Cor. 2:11), we willingly refuse to see the impact of his deceptions.

Satan doesn’t want people to realize that they are supposed to be worshiping God by giving thanks unto Him. Instead the devil desires to make humans worship the creature more than the Creator. Think about it! Just look at the difference in the meanings of the words.

1. Thanksgiving - to give thanks.

2. Turkey-day - popularizes the feast and times that are spent edifying the flesh (the enemy of God).

So we see that Thanksgiving tells us to remember to worship God and the term Turkey-day tells us to only think about the feast. Satan just sets back and laughs as Christians apathetically go along with his lies. It is time we quit looking at the war between us and the devil as a futuristic Armageddon and start realizing that it is a right now battle. As we wait for God to spell out His attack commands in letters of fire in the sky, the serpent continues to beguile the world and we allow it to happen simply because we don’t want to “rock the boat” or be called a “fanatic.”

I have news for us Christians! God did not call us to be popular in this world; the Almighty did not call us to be successful; but he called us to be faithful. Faithful in preaching the gospel of Christ, the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16).

Beloved we must stop allowing Satan to deceives us with his beguiling ways. We do not celebrate Thanksgiving for a turkey feast, or even as a day to gather together and be a family. No!!! We celebrate Thanksgiving for the sole purpose of giving thanks and glory unto God, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and he plainly declares that “. . . I will not give my glory unto another.” (Isa. 48:11). If we try to give the praise that is supposed to be given unto God to our own wants or lust, then we are worshiping ourselves (the creature) more than the Creator Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:25).

Therefore to all that read or hear “choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Josh. 24:15).