Sunday, November 14, 2010

Thanksgiving.....The Forgotten Holiday

Thanksgiving is giving of thanks, a means of expressing, thanks.
Thank-- acknowledge, appreciate, recognize.
Give---to present impart, and convey.
Thanksgiving---an act of expressing gratitude.
Holiday---celebration.

            As you can see above the words: thank, give and holiday express a celebration of giving thanks. This has become such a lost art and a lost holiday. It is stuck between July 4th, Halloween and Christmas. The only reason I mention Halloween is because everyone still decorates for and celebrates Halloween. However it seems we go from July 4th straight to Christmas with Halloween somewhere in the middle but we always forget about that one special day that was set aside to give thanks. The first year the pilgrims were in the new country and realized they made through the first year of hardships they threw a huge celebration and gave thanks. We have lost that concept all together. For those who do celebrate Thanksgiving it is about all the food, family and friends.
            We are commanded to give thanks in all things, however, it is good to set aside one day every year to sit back and look at all we have walked through all that God has brought us through. If it were not for God and his Grace you wouldn’t be here and there are a lot of us that can honestly say that. So why do just totally skip setting a side a day to totally give Thanks to God for everything he has done for us and will do for us. I encourage you as you sit down to your huge Thanksgiving feast with family and friends, you take the time to go around the table and express openly and honestly how thankful you have made through the fires and you are making it through the fires you are currently walking through.

I Thessalonians 5:18 says “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; THANK God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”
Colossians 6:7 (B) says “And let your living spill over into Thanksgiving.”

Isaiah 41:7 Says, “Urge one another one---Great Job! Great Design!”

I Chronicles 23:30 says, “…..Thank and Praise God…..”


            You may be in the midst of the fire right now and may not feel much like giving Thanks because you feel like there is nothing to be thankful for. You are wrong! Remember the story of Meshech, Shadrach and Abednego, in the midst of the fiery hot furnace they sang and gave Thanks to God above and they walked out of that fire untouched. So will you if you stop and quit complaining about your circumstances and start giving thanks to God for those circumstances. God is with you in the midst of all your fires, all you need to do is give him thanks for being there and bringing you through unharmed.
            We all have a reason to celebrate and give thanks this Thanksgiving so look around you and see all that is good and all that God has done for you and give thanks. Don’t make it just about food and spending time with family, especially family you don’t really like but this is the one time of year you have to be around them. Be thankful that you can be around them. Ask God to show you the good about them.