Thankful

We are rapidly approaching one of the most spiritual and momentous celebrations of the year, THANKSGIVING. I’m going to be sharing two weeks of evotionals on the subject of thanksgiving because I believe it truly deserves it. The first official Thanksgiving occurred in 1621 when Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Rock proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to celebrate the survival of the pilgrims in their second year of the new world. Of course you don’t have to read very long anywhere in the Bible to discover that the idea of relegating Thanksgiving to a day on the calendar year is not what God intended at all.

Now don’t get me wrong I know the intent of the holiday and deeply appreciate the significance of the season, however, as humans it is vitally important that we be constantly reminded that giving thanks is an attitude one embraces and a decision one makes not a date on the calendar that alters our behavior for only a couple of hours on a Thursday. I believe there are two main culprits that rob us of an attitude of gratitude. One is PRIDE. Pride makes us believe that it has been our own hard work and diligence that is responsible for our blessings and with this attitude we feel that we have no one to thank but ourselves. Just read Psalm 100:3. The second is a critical spirit that begins to blind us to the blessings that we DO have by blazing our focus on what we DON’T have. The Bible tells us that God not only appreciates our thanksgiving but it also endears Him to us in a greater way. Let me give you 3 simple ways you can express how thankful you are to God.

1.-SPEND TIME WITH HIM- Everyone is busier than perhaps they have ever been and the mantra “ I don’t have time” is a favorite tune of our time. I’m going to say only this one thing here and I hope you meditate on it for a moment. WE ALL MAKE TIME FOR THE THINGS WE TRULY CARE ABOUT. You know it’s true. So there is no better way to say “thank you” then to invest time with God. To God quantity time is quality time. My time with God is becoming more dear to me the busier and older I get.


2.-FORGIVE OTHERS- Forgiving others truly expresses to God how grateful you really are for his grace and forgiveness to us. Forgiveness is not always easy, somehow I don’t really think it’s supposed to be but that’s why when we walk in forgiveness it stands as such a testimony to the reality of God working in our lives. One of the great indicators of a thankful heart is generosity. We are never more like our Father than when we forgive someone who’s hurt us and done us wrong.

3.-GIVE HIM YOUR VERY BEST- It’s easy to justify giving God our leftovers. Leftover money, leftover time and leftover heart but there is nothing that says “I appreciate you” more than giving someone your best. Let’s say for Christmas you go to great lengths to find out what a special person in your life really desired. It took you great effort, time, and expense to find that special gift, acquire it, but you were determined that no matter what, they were worth it. Then on the day you present your extravagant gift they hand you a blank envelope with five bucks in it and say Merry Christmas. How would you feel? We do it to God all the time. His Son was the most treasured possession He and heaven had. Yet He gave Him for us and to us with joy and then we act like it’s a chore to just sometimes get up on a rainy day and honor His house. I know it stings a little but it’s true. GOD PLEASE HELP ME BE A THANKFUL MAN.

I pray that this Thanksgiving would be the best ever for you and your family and that we would all resolve to express our thankfulness to God every day of the year in these three ways.

God bless and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

All for Christ, J.Mark