It’s NOT Turkey Day
There’s been a not so subtle trend over the past several years to rename Thanksgiving as “Turkey Day.” I’m sure someone somewhere was offended by the traditional and official title for tomorrow’s holiday. Or maybe it is just a reflection of our culture becoming more focused on the material and blinded to the spiritual. But the trend is not a healthy one and I hope you have not been sullied by it.
Giving thanks to God is one of the most important qualities of a Christian’s life.
To give thanks to God is simply an expression of gratitude toward Him. Pride takes all the credit for any good in my life. It takes HUMILITY to acknowledge all that I am (1 Cor 15:10), all that I have (1 Cor 4:7), and that I accomplish (John 15:5) is by the grace of God. How many things can you give thanks to God for? The length of your list might indicate how humble or proud you are.
It takes FAITH to give thanks to God. Sometimes we experience bad circumstances. Everyone does. And it’s difficult to give thanks to God when things aren’t going well for us. But God remains enthroned on high even if it doesn’t seem like we are. Giving thanks in difficult times is a declaration of your faith that God is still in control and will work all things together for good in the lives of those of us who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Thanksgiving should be VERBAL. Take time tomorrow (and every day) to thank God verbally – out loud with words. It’s essential to have a “thankful heart,” but since the mouth will speak from what fills the heart (Luke 6:45), make sure you are verbalizing your praise. We are told in Hebrews 13:15 to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips which gives thanks to His name.” Using spoken words to praise God takes our thanks from the realm of the vague to the specific. Plus, since the devil can’t see our heart but he can hear our words, I think it is particularly irritating to him to when we verbally praise God. I like to irritate the devil; let me encourage you to as well!
Thanksgiving is a time to think not only of our personal blessings, but of our national blessings as well. Seldom has there ever been a country more blessed of God than ours. We have come a long way from our humble beginnings of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. God has blessed our lives with abundant resources and the ingenuity to develop those resources. We have not had war on our soil in generations. The poorest among us have more access to health, security, convenience and luxury than kings had in previous centuries.
Best of all, we have freedom. Freedom to worship God, think for ourselves and speak what we believe is a gift unknown to many people throughout history and in many other parts of the world. Spiritual freedom has made American perhaps the most Christian nation in the history of the world and economic freedom has made us perhaps the most prosperous ever. Of course, some will misuse this freedom by believing and teaching things that our false or exploiting others with greed. Such is the downside of being able to think and act as free people. But when I consider the benefits and consider the alternatives, I would have it no other way.
Might you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Might Jesus be central in your heart, your thoughts and your conversation.
Might we as individuals, families and as a nation seek the Lord and honor Him as our God, and might His blessings reign over us all the days of our lives.
Category: Christian Living, Culture, History
