Nov. 26 Giving Thanks

I'll interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for something a bit more applicable to the day.

We are commanded to give thanks to God all throughout scripture. It seems like such a simple thing to do, yet it is also so easy to forget.

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you." (Deuteronomy 8:10)

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done." (1 Chronicles 15:8)

"Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High ..." (Psalm 50:14)

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4)

"Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy." (Psalm 107:22)

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:19-20)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving ..." (1 Timothy 4:4)

From beginning to end, we are told to give thanks, no matter the circumstance, no matter our concerns. God is the author of all things, the giver of everything we have, He is worthy to receive our praise AND our thanksgiving.

I give Him thanks every day for everything He has done for me.

We had a tradition in our household. It began with 5 kernels of seed corn on our plates. Before we had the feast, we gave thanks for five things in our lives. Fortunately over the years, Dad graduated to cooked corn and then candy corn. Those were much more palatable, but the tradition was the same. On this day of giving thanks, we recognized God as our provider. Tomorrow, people around this country will be offering gratitude for all that they have. What a glorious celebration!