Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving- the act of giving thanks.

When you give something that implies that there is one that receives the gift.  Who is that person that we are giving thanks to?  Is it the random cosmos of chance?  Mother Nature? Santa, maybe?  No!  It is to the utmost high God in whom all things move and have their being.

 Some  have tried to take away this meaning by referring to thanksgiving as turkey day or even just "holiday."  But they can't take away the meaning of who we are to give thanks to.  We are giving thanks to the Creator of the universe, not the gods of the creation.

"I.. invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also all those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the Heavens."

~Abraham Lincoln, October 3rd, 1863

What is "thanks"? Is it what you say to a waiter when they deliver your food? While thanks does include that, it is so much bigger than only that. 

"I will praise the name of God with a song;

     I will magnify him with Thanksgiving.

This will please the LORD more than an ox

    or a bull with horns and hoofs."

~Psalm 69:30,31

When we thank God we magnify his name.  When we come together and share what we are thankful for and honor the giver we bring glory to God.  Our goal in giving thanks is the same as it should be in all our life.  It is to lift up the name of The Lord.

Do we only do this verbally once a year on this fourth Thursday of November?  By no means.  We are to give thanks to God every day, both verbally and in our actions.  If someone is gloomy and only speaks negatively the whole time, it is evident that they don't have a thankful heart.  

Raise up your praises all you his saints!  God has provided for your daily physical needs.  He has seen every sparrow fall, He also sees every one of your needs.  He will provide what is needful for us for today.   

Ultimately, He has provided forever for our spiritual needs.  You are redeemed.  We all were worthless and not worth saving, but God gave his only Son to pay the price for our sins.  Every sinful thought, every second glance, he died on a cross paying the penalty of our sins.  Give him thanks!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

    for his steadfast love endures forever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods,

    for his steadfast love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

It is he who remembered us in our low estate

for his steadfast love endures forever;

and rescued us from our foes,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

he who gives food to all flesh,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

~Psalm 136:1-3, 23-26

Lay it Aside

There are many things in our lives that can weigh us down.  They don't even have to be "bad" things. They can be in context useful tools.  However, if they are keeping you from pursuing God, they need to be gotten rid of.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
~Hebrews 12:1-2

Sometimes the weight that clings so closely to us isn't even sinful.  It can be a useful tool or benefit us in the right context.  Once that thing starts taking over our life though it becomes a weight that will slow us down from attaining our goal.

What is our goal in life as Christians?  Well, what is the greatest commandment?  In Matthew 22:37, Jesus was asked that question and gave this answer:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Did you get that?  God is ultimately our goal.  Everything we are ends and begins with him.  If we truly love God, we will also love what he loves, and end up loving our neighbors in the process.

One thing that I have been noticing in my life has been that the farther away I get from worldly things, be they games, movies, music, etc., the closer I get to God.  And the closer I get to God, the easier it is to put away worldly things   We cannot serve two master.  We need to love, honor, and pursue God with every fiber of our being.  But we can only do that once we have laid aside every distraction.  I encourage you to wholeheartedly seek God and lay aside all else.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
~Philippians 4:8