Give Thanks

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise!

Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

                         Psalm 100:4 NIV

     Tomorrow is our national holiday of Thanksgiving. Simply speaking the word beckons images of family gatherings, turkey and dressing, giggling children, and football while Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade captures the attention of millions of Americans as final meal preparations wind down.

     Like many of our national holidays, I’m afraid our day of Thanksgiving has been turned into big business. For retailers, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. For consumers, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of lists made to purchase the objects of our affection; clothes, electronics, toys.

     Many of us will bow our heads at the dinner table tomorrow and thank God for His wonderful bounty and the good things received over the past year. Many will gather around the table with an empty chair that was occupied by a loved one in previous years. Many will celebrate with a meager meal rather than the abundance of years gone by. Others are homeless and will have nothing with which to celebrate on this day of feasting.

     These are difficult times in our nation. But God remains seated on His throne and in control and His grace still reaches out to the lost of our world. The grace of God is not made ineffective during hard times but rather the very thing to which we can cling for assurance and love and hope.

     This Thanksgiving I pray that I and my brothers and sisters in Christ will bow our hearts as we speak of the excellence of our Heavenly Father and focus on the goodness of God. As we thank Him for His bountiful blessings, let us remember that “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28 ESV)

     This Thanksgiving I give thanks to our Holy God for His Son Jesus who redeemed me from my sin as He sacrificed His life for mine. Grace—no greater gift has ever been given or received. Thank God!

©JP 2013