Thanksgiving Edition-Give Thanks
Pause a moment…give thanks.
Be specific give thanks to God.
Now think a moment about Thanksgiving…we’ll use Psalm 136.
Giving Thanks did not originate in 1620 with Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. One thousand years BEFORE Jesus was born in Bethlehem there were those who bowed the head and bent the knee to God in Thanksgiving. Names are unnecessary. In those days, as today, there were people who knew this fact:
“The steadfast love of God endures forever.” This sentence is the heart of all thanksgiving…read it again: “The steadfast love of God endures forever.” What are we, created by God, earth dwellers to do with these words of truth?
GIVE THANKS.
Give is a verb. It is taking action to “hand over” to God our gratitude. Thanks, is gratitude and gratefulness. To give thanks is to hand over to God our gratitude and gratefulness for the gifts God gives us. Friend, God is the source for all thanksgiving.
For God gives us uncountable gifts. In fact, every “good and perfect gift comes from God.” Uncountable? Sure, our very breath is a gift. All we have-is God’s. Everything. But it’s easy for an earth dweller like you and me to forget. We easily forget what we cannot see. But, today, God is everywhere. Present with you, present with me. His love never changes. His love never fails. Because He loves us we give thanks. Today on Thanksgiving…every day.
Again-What is the first gift for which we give our thanks?
“The steadfast love of God endures forever.”
Nothing is greater than the love of God…His gift to all. All our possessions…abilities, health our very life-all gifts of God. And the greatest of all these? The forever love of God for you, me the world. Psalm 136 was written sometime between 1100-600 years before Jesus’ birth. Our finite minds cannot truly understanding the greatness of God’s love! These ancient words of thanksgiving fix our thoughts on the greatest reason to give thanks-today:
“The steadfast love of God endures forever.”
The steadfast love of God is seen in a person-Jesus.
Happy Thanksgiving my friend…I thank God for you.