Three Eternal Gifts God Gives His Children (Sermon On Thanksgiving)

However, right before Thanksgiving one by one they began to call from another town that they were sorry they would not be able to come.

But the elderly man told his sad wife, Honey, do not worry they will all be here I promise!!!

He had this idea to get them there.

• A couple of days before Thanksgiving the husband called his son in New York and said to him, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you some bad news. Your mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough. We’re sick of each other, and so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her."

• Frantic, the son called his sister, who exploded on the phone. "They are not getting divorced," she shouted. "I’ll take care of this!!!”

• She called Phoenix immediately, and said to her father. "You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t you do a single thing until I get there? I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

• The man hung up his phone and turned to his wife and said. "Okay, honey. The kids are coming for Thanksgiving and paying for their own flights."

Thanksgiving is a great family time. It’s when most families get together to eat, share, laugh, have a good time, and express their love for one another.

Illus: A few weeks before Thanksgiving Franklin Graham appeared on television concerning Thanksgiving.

• He asked a question, “What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?”

• He gave a few suggestions for things we should be thankful.

• And then he said, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT BEING THANKFUL FOR GOD THE FATHER?

That got me thinking about being thankful for GOD THE FATHER on Thanksgiving for this sermon.

The book of Colossians is a very important book in the Word of God because it covers so many important things in our daily lives.

Such as, this portion of scripture that I read to you deals with “Gratitude”, something we all need to learn more about.

Illus: Have you ever heard the story of the mother who wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson?

She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church. She told her “Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself.”

• When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which offering she had given.

• “Well,” said the little girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.”

Illus: Listen some us can remember when we got our report cards on one side of the report card was where the child was graded for their academics and on the back side they were graded for their character such as: Gratitude, Kindness, Respect, honesty, cooperation, tardiness and etc.

And teachers and parents considered both side of the report card to be equally important.

Listen, I am sorry to say that many parents and teachers today are doing a horrible job of teaching children gratitude.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

In this age of FREEBIES people today do not recognize the need for gratitude.

When they are given something they feel they are entitled to it SO WHY SHOULD THEY SHOW ANY GRATITUDE!!!

Illus: A priest went into a Washington, D.C., barbershop, got his hair cut and asked how much he owed. “No charge, Father,” the barber said. “I consider it a service to the Lord.”

• When the barber arrived at his shop the next morning, he found a dozen small prayer booklets on the steps along with a thank you note from the priest.

• A few days later a police officer came in. “How much do I owe you?” the police man asked after his haircut “No charge, officer,” the barber answered. “I consider it a service to my community.”

• The next morning the barber found a dozen doughnuts on the steps along with a thank you note from the police officer.

• A few days after that, a Senator walked in for a haircut. “How much do I owe you?” he asked afterward. “No charge,” the barber replied. “I consider it a service to my country.”

• The next morning when he arrived at the shop, the barber found a dozen Senators waiting on his door steps.

This is the age when people line up in a line for freebies. And many times no gratitude is showed.

Their mindset is anything you can do for them, this is the least you can do for them so their attitude is why should I be grateful!