|
“Thanksgiving” Here in our wonderful country we have just celebrated the holiday of “Thanksgiving!” Most places of employment gave their employees one or two paid days off. We have big parades and big meals at Grandma’s house with our families gathered around us. Most of us have been taught from our early childhood to say “Thank you” when the turkey or mashed potatoes were passed to us. I do hope that we did not forget to give God thanks for all the blessings we have received daily and especially for our families and the food that was set before us. However, food is not the only thing that we have to be thankful for. We each receive gifts from God daily; furthermore they are good gifts: (James 1:17) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” So as you can see when we sit down for a meal should not be the only time that we give thanks. As a matter of fact if you turn back to the Old Testament in your Bibles you will find that they as well as we are commanded to give thanks: (Psa 50:14) “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:” Friends, they were not only to give thanks unto God they were to “pay their vows”; which involved offering a sacrifice of a calf, sheep or goat. We should be ever grateful that Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice and we no longer need to do so! Perhaps you are thinking “Well if we don’t have to pay our vows we don’t have to give thanks either.” In that case I would encourage you to open your Bible to the New Testament to Philippians chapter four and verse six: (Phil. 4:6) “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” First he exhorts them [and us] not to allow the wants and cares of the world to distract us from the matters of most importance. As an antidote against perplexing care he recommends to us constant prayer. Brethren whenever anything burdens our spirits we must remember to take our burden to the Lord in prayer. Prayer is the offering up of our desires to God, or making them known to him. It is not that God does not know what our needs or desires might be; He knows what our needs are better than we know our selves, but He does want to hear our desires from us. In reality this is simply showing reliance upon God for our well being. Paul gives the results of such “thanksgiving” and “request” in the next verse: (Phil.4:7) “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” I doubt that I need to remind you, but Jesus Christ set the example in “thanksgiving”: (Matt. 11:25) “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” (Matt. 26:27) “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;”(John 6:11) “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.”(John 11:41) “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” As can clearly be seen from the scripture references above Jesus did not pray and give thanks on one occasion; He did so often! Let us all continue to give thanks unto God all through our lives as Jesus did!
|