Psalm 100 NIV
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
"Thanksgiving is more than a holiday," is a short lesson that we all need to absorb periodically.
Far too many, even Christians, think of Thanksgiving as a long weekend, full of food, football, basketball and rest.
Obviously, none of these are bad in themselves, but again, Thanksgiving is more than a few days off; more than a feast; more than rest and relaxation.
In fact, a spirit of thanksgiving should be a component of our daily worshipful attitude. NOT a one day a year thing.
Regardless of what comes our way, as a Christian, we are blessed. Whether the loss of a job, illness, the loss of a loved one, or any other trial we may face, we must always remember how many ways God has blessed us in our life.
Instead of allowing Satan to focus our mind on the trials, we must focus our mind on God and the many things He has done for us in our life. When we get Satan "behind us" and out of our mind, we realize that just as David wrote in the 23rd Psalm, "our cup truly does run over."
If our desire is to grow spiritually and closer to God, we need to make the attitude of thanksgiving a part of our daily worshipful attitude.
In closing, think of your life as a parent. You loved to provide the necessities for your children and when possible you loved to provide the "extras" that they wanted. In return, maybe not always realizing it, you wanted your children to be appreciative and thankful.
That is why most parents teach their kids to say "thank you" when receiving something tangible or a compliment...they are teaching their children to be appreciative and thankful.
In comparison to earthly parents, God has done so much more for His children, especially with the gift He gave on the cross of Calvary.
God loves and provides for His children and He desires that we be thankful every day.
Thanksgiving should not just be a holiday. It should be the Christian's lifestyle.
Let us make it part of our daily life and find the blessings far outweigh the trials.
Psalm 105:1-5 NIV
1 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
RVH