THANKSGIVING MESSAGE

English: Saying grace before carving the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner in the home of Earle Landis in Neffsville, Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is hard to believe but tomorrow, those of us in the United States, will celebrate our annual Thanksgiving Day. A time set aside to remind all of America to once again look up, and thank our Creator for the abundant blessings we all enjoy. Someone once said that the road to degradation and sin begins with an ungrateful spirit. People have abundance but want more, and are not grateful for what they have.  This we have seen in young and old alike. So how can we turn this around? Let me suggest a couple of things that might help: First, look around you and count all the things you have that others might not have. Begin with the tangibles such as job, house, clothing, health, etc., etc.  Next, count the intangibles such as friends, family, purpose, the opportunity to live here in the United States enjoying relative peace and prosperity, and so on.  Now ask yourself how you were able to accumulate all of this. Some might be so arrogant as to say "I earned it myself." That attitude is the first step toward degradation and sin. We need to look to our Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and express our thanks to Him for being so good to us. We don't deserve it, but by His grace we have it, and we ought to thank Him for His goodness towards us. Remember that all assets belong to God. We are simply stewards of His property. It does not belong to us. Thank Him for His trusting you to care for His property.  Thanksgiving means a lot more than eating turkey.

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REVELANT SCRIPTURE:

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

1 Timothy 4:4

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge--

1 Corinthians 1:4,5

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THE FIRST THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION - JUNE 20, 1676:

"The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present War with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgments he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions: The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God's Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being persuaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and souls as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ."

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