The First National Day of Thanksgiving 3 Oct 1863, Proclamation by Pres. Abraham Lincoln. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
Well it’s about that time of year again, when we begin to remember how it was at ma ma’s house, all the aroma of the hoilday season begin to come rushing back again. It’s that time of year when we take stock of where we are, and where we have come from. And as the year draws to a close, we look to new beginnings. For many they are thankful for the material things of life, money, car’s houses…etc. Many are thankful for their families and friends and all the good times they shared.
But how many of you know that the word of God say’s, He knows what we have need of , shelter, food, clothing the material thngs of life. thought God does not want us to base our grtitude only upon the material things, but rather God would have us to look deeper………!
For the child of God, as we approach this Thanksgiving, we give thanks yes, for our country, for family and friends. The material blessings that God the Father has blessed us with. But there is much more to the story than that. We remember the diffcult times of the past months and give thanks for how the Lord brought us through. We remember the great joy of the blessings of God through the year. Prayer’s answered, love one’s saved or encouraged. His visitation with us in what at the time seemed like our darkest hour, but he gave us peace.
We remember who we were before we meant Jesus, before we accepted His offer of forgiveness, before we said not our will, but His will be done in our lives. What a difference a change makes. Instanly we were washed in His blood and went form the dark soul of despair, into His marvelious light, we went from being an enemy of God, to be called a friend of God, His child!
And somehow as we travel this road of life, we begin to realize that what Jesus Christ did for us, is so mind blowing, and we are so unworthy of it, that all other things, people become insignificant. The palmst said it like this,
Psalm 95:1-6 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”
So just what does the Christian “Give Thanks” for. It’s simple we give thanks for the sacrifice on the cross, by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, from which all blessings flow. Remember Jesus this Thanksgiving
Tags: give, thanks, thanksgiving
November 30, 2009 at 6:43 pm |
Thanks for the word Pastor, I am as always thankful that God loved me enough…. To many things to count but I will always acknowledge his ultimate gift to me. Our Lord loved us enough to give us back our lives that were not ours in the first place. We get so busy with living and maintaining our earthly life and some how forget to acknowledge that without his love for us we would have nothing that could sustain us. We are living testimonies to his glory. As this season is again upon us we celebrate Christ’s birth. The life he lived and willingly gave for us. I am humbled each time I open my eyes that he loved me ENOUGH.
I have come to realized that I have lived a sheltered life in the last years in Europe. Being back in the USA these last months has me seeing so much that is going on. I recently had begun to feel that shell of hardness that comes with seeing so many suffering, as well as seeing so many with plenty who are scared to open their eyes to the mess around them. No eye contact PLEASE in case you might lift the veil, and as you say ‘What’s really going on”. I again and again thank God for having put in a church family that grew me and showed me who I am. I pray that I will always allow the Holy Spirit to convicted me when I get complacent with my life. Romans 12:1-21. Praise him always.
Let the world know through you that ‘GOD IS___________’! Let your life fill in the blank.–Lynn