With Thanksgiving - Part 1

  

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 

Pastor Herk based his Thanksgiving Holiday message off of a church member’s “life verse” (a favorite bible verse that a person uses to focus and live by). If we are going to build up God’s House within us, then we are going to build upon lasting values. The sad reality today is that there is not going to be much thanks given to God this holiday. Secular history revisionists have deemphasized the narrative of the Christian Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts thanking God for preserving them through the New England winter and providing a bountiful harvest, plus the busyness of gathering for a feast, watching Football games on the television and preparing for the frantic sales of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Such thoughts and actions bring more fatigue than joy, and not much thought is given to our heavenly Creator Father besides a faithful prayer before dinner. 

 

Are we missing the point and original intent of this Thanksgiving holiday? Are we dedicated and devoted; truly thankful for everything that God has done, is doing and is going to do in our lives? Everything that we have, everything that we see, everything that we touch, feel or taste, and time itself all comes from Almighty God. The very air that we breathe, the water we drink, and the anthropomorphic (built for life) world that we live in comes from God. Realize that if we didn’t have Jehovah Jireh (Provider God), we would have nothing. Genesis 1:1-3 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” The Old Testament Believers voiced in 1 Chronicles 29:16 proclaiming, “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you!” The soul of man is a spiritual substance distinct from matter. Do not get “caught up” in the things on this world, but focus on the Creator of the things of this world and be thankful for His loving provision. Thank God in everything.

 

Everyone goes through tough times in life. It is not enough to endure through those difficult times, but we need to be thankful in them. We may have the stress of losing a “loved one”, and though they may have glory in Heaven with the Lord, a holiday without them naturally brings up a difficult longing and sorrow because we miss them. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4-5 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.” How do we maintain that joyful demeaner of rejoicing during hard times? Answer: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on thankfulness in the next post.

In Christ, Brian