Thanksgiving
So many people skip right over this holiday and go straight to Christmas. After all, Thanksgiving is a holiday that has been a bit hard to commercialize. I'm not saying that it hasn't been commercialized (think of all the turkey, football, gluttony & shopping), but of all the holidays, this one seems to still ring true to its original purpose for the most part. Maybe that is why it is often passed over without much thought as we trot full speed ahead towards Christmas, the season of getting...uh...I mean giving.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:18
This month, I want to truly focus on Thanksgiving by expressing my gratitude to God for all His many blessings. I especially want to focus on the intangible blessings, such as love, joy, and peace. In every situation in our life, there are many blessings to be thankful for, and if we focus on those things, we can be at peace and find contentment in even the most trying times. It is our purpose to make known the good works of our Father, so when we express our gratitude, we are fulfilling our true purpose.
Read this wonderful chapter on giving thanks!
Psalm 107
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. 3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the wilderness,
lost and homeless.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died.
6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
11 They rebelled against the words of God,
scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;
they fell, and no one was there to help them.
13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
he cut apart their bars of iron.
17 Some were fools; they rebelled
and suffered for their sins.
18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
and they were knocking on death’s door.
19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
23 Some went off to sea in ships,
plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose,
stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
and plunged again to the depths;
the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards
and were at their wits’ end.
28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness
as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
and before the leaders of the nation.
33 He changes rivers into deserts,
and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
the dry land into springs of water.
36 He brings the hungry to settle there
and to build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
and harvest their bumper crops.
38 How he blesses them!
They raise large families there,
and their herds of livestock increase.
39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.
41 But he rescues the poor from trouble
and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
42 The godly will see these things and be glad,
while the wicked are struck silent.
43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
Every Thursday in November, I intend to acknowledge a blessing that God has given me. I will express my gratitude both to God and to those in my life who have been blessings from God! It is both humbling and uplifting to acknowledge all the ways that we have been blessed, and I pray that this experience will help me to develop a lifestyle of gratitude.
Today, I am especially thankful for God's love and grace. I have been having a rough couple of weeks, and I must admit that I have not given God the attention that He deserves, yet He has continued to wrap me in His love because He is a gracious God, a wonderful Savior. His love and understanding is beyond my comprehension. I don't express my gratitude for His compassionate care nearly enough.
It amazes me that even though I don't think of Him very often, He always thinks of me. In fact, I wrote a song about a year ago called As Much As You Love Me, and I express my amazement through these lyrics:
Oh, I cannot understand the inner workings of Your plan/ How You choose to love so many who may never love You/ But, I cannot complain/ Look at what I stand to gain/ In Your loving eyes I'm perfect and I'm worthy
Jesus, Your love is higher/ Deeper and wider/ Your love is perfect and true/ Your love wraps its arms around me/ And perfectly surrounds me/ Your love sets me free/ Even though You know I'll never love You as much as You love meThose lyrics describe exactly how I feel about the love of God, grateful and unworthy. I know that if I would only focus on the blessing of His love, then I could truly live in freedom and learn to love others more fully and perfectly.
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Romans 5:6-11I am so thankful for the love and care of my Savior. I pray that no matter what circumstances come my way, I will remember all He has done for me and continue to thank Him.
Since I didn't post a Worship Wednesday this week, I will share with you now a song of praise that has really touched my heart lately. This song is a wonderful expression of thanks and praise.
I'd Need a Savior
By: Among the Thirsty
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