Thanksgiving - Where Are The Other Nine?

Thanksgiving - Where are the Other Nine?

Talk about Thanksgiving - we’re having fowl weather!

Thanksgiving is coming soon so let’s talk about Thanksgiving. It’s just more than just Turkey day as some are calling it now, and it’s more than just the day before the black friday shopping day, or day to watch football! It’s a day to offer up our praise and Thanksgiving to God! I hope you will take at least a moment this year on Thanksgiving day to pray and truly thank God for all He has done!

Psalm 100 (a beautiful thanksgiving psalm)

100 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

3 Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5 For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Kids fighting say sorry

Have you ever seen when kids are fighting and the mom steps in and tells them to tell each other sorry, what do they do? Quick, off the cuff, sorry. Then the mom says, no, say it like you really mean it! And another quick, off the cuff, sorry. Lol. These days, the mom just sighs, rolls her eyes, and gives up, right!? How do you teach someone to really mean what they do?

We say things and don’t mean it sorry, thank you.

Sometimes we do so many things and don’t mean it. Things like sorry or thank you are just words sometimes. Hopefully, when you say you love someone you really mean it, rilght? We give presents and don’t mean it, send flowers and don’t mean it. (ugg).

Have you ever gotten a card or letter that was sent to 10,000 people on a list and telling you how it was a personal thank you when you know they didn’t even have you in mind when they sent it! People don’t do that sort of thing. Do what you mean and mean what you say! Especially, your kids and family know when you’re pulling that stuff on them! If you are doing that to friends, it is a way to lose a friend.

Seminary sign

At seminary, there was a sign over the cafeteria door that really meant a lot to me that said: Complainers are not thankful and thankful people do not complain. Let’s try to be less as complainers, and more and more thankful to God for all the good things He has done for us! Complaining is sort of the opposite of praise! Complaining is worse than not praising!

Cultures that never say thanks or sorry!

Some cultures never say thanks! I worked with a guy like that once!

I think people in those cultures are sad people. No one appreciates anything you do for them so why would they want to do anything for you?

Do you want people to be good to you? Be good to them too? (golden rule: do unto others…)

If someone is good to you and you bite them back do you think they will want to do anything good for you ever again? Don't be that way! Be thankful!

We don’t always mean it when we pray / worship.

Even when it comes to God, sometimes people pray and even fast and don’t really mean it!

God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. Was that really for the Lord? Did you really pick up the phone (analogy) and make a real connection with God or were you just going through the motions and ignoring Him? We must be careful not to just go through the motions where it becomes meaningless. We should be thoughtful in all that we do.

When we Worship God we should worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, not with just lip service.

So let’s offer up our Thanksgiving to God this year in spirit and in truth and be thoughtful as we give our thanks because God truly deserves it because He is worthy because He loves us and has done so much for us!

Do you recognize miracles?

Do you ever recognize when something really cool happens? Like when the boss gives you a $5000 bonus, do you freak out and do a happy dance or do you just say ho, hum, the boss should have given us $10,000! Or do you just forget about it as if it never happened? A sizable amount like that, I hope everyone in here would offer a “thank you” back to the giver!