What We Can Learn From Children About Thanksgiving Series

Notice what the verses says:

The only way for you to be enriched or enchanced with more blessings is when you are generous to people.

The more you give, the more you will receive.

Because when you are generous to people, you will always have a heart of contentment and thanksgiving to God.

Let me read to you a poem regarding this truth.

Thanksgiving Observance:

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes;

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean years;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean deeds,

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.

Author unknown

Look at all your blessings and you will always be happy.

And after you have counted all these good things from God, you feel happy and thankful.

There was this story of Dr. Robert Hill, the author of over fifty books when he visited Bangkok, Thailand.

He was invited to a special celebration given by the King and Queen.

His Thai guide, a young man named Joseph, asked several questions as he drove them to the pavilion.

When he asked where the Hills lived, they told him Richmond, Virginia.

"Oh, you are a rich man?" asked the boy.

Bob laughed and told him, no, he was not rich.

Bob recalled, "Then he asked if he owned an automobile and I told him we have two cars in our family.

His next question was about the house we lived.

I told him it was rather simple house with ten rooms.

He was amazed at its size, especially when he related his family lived in just two small rooms.

Then, he asked about our family.

We told him we had four healthy children, two in college and two still at home.

Joseph was silent for a moment or so, then he replied, "You are a rich man."

We laughed, but deep in our hearts, we knew he was right, although we have never thought of it in those terms.

We are rich, but are we thankful?"

You see, if you are living here in America, we are more rich than many people in other third world nations.

But are we thankful?

Let me say this again: Are you thankful?

Are you content with what you have and feel grateful?

First, thankfulness means humility and purity.

Second, thankfulness means simplicity and contentment.

III. INTEGRITY AND FAITH

There is a third principle to be added to humility and simplicity.

It is the principle of integrity and faith.

Verse 3 says, “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.”

The word “hope” in Hebrew means first to wait, then to wait expectantly.

The concept is very close to our English word “confidence.”

An expanded definition would be “to wait on something because you know the thing you are waiting for will happen because the person you are waiting on is trustworthy.”

Our full confidence is on God.

We believe with all our hearts that what He says will happen.

He is a trustworthy God.

David says, “You have a choice to make. Either you choose to live like everyone else or you choose to wait on the Lord.”