Thanksgiving is nearly here friends! The time for turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing is upon us, so I thought I'd write a post about the purpose of thanksgiving, and what it should mean for Christians right now...
Thanksgiving has been so twisted by our secular world in the past decades, it's seems like almost a completely different holiday then the one that was first held in 1621. The world has taken God out of the holiday and made it a time of greed and selfishness. Just think about it - the fourth Thursday of the month, Thanksgiving day, a time that the world is supposed to be thankful for all their blessings (another question - if not be thankful to God, then who?), and then the day after is Black Friday. People literally camping outside of stores so they can get the best deals on things. Children actually getting killed and lost because it's so chaotic that no one is paying attention to one another. It just seems ironic that this is what our world does to every...single...holiday. Easter, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day (originally a Christian holiday, celebrating a faithful saint of God), and the list could go on and on.
"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 5:10
How true is that? Our world teaches that you can never be satisfied until you have better ________ fill in the blank! A better house, car, job, lifestyle, friends, etc. But the bible teaches that we are not to store up treasures on earth, where they can be stolen or destroyed, but in heaven where, "neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.” (Matthew 6:20) The apostle Paul clearly learned this, as he says:
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13
I think we should all strive to learn how to be content in every circumstance we may be in.
So my plea to you this season is to try and remember what Thanksgiving is really all about. It can be so easy to get caught up in the stuff this time of year brings, we can often lose sight of how much we really have. I recently heard that the word thankful is found 75+ times in the New Testament alone! It must be pretty important to be mentioned so many times! I'm going to leave you with some more scripture, as you can't have too much!
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 107:1
"And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth." Isaiah 12:4-5
Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving with family and friends! Remember to be thankful in everything, for this is the will of Christ Jesus! See y'all next post! God bless!
P.S ~ I'm sorry to say, but I won't be sending out a monthly newsletter for November, it was just a very busy month for me and my family, and I wasn't able to get around to making it... I hope you all understand. Have a great holiday! <3