Although Thanksgiving should make few demands upon us, it has become increasingly commercialized—think “Black Friday.” Maybe you are among those who try to make Thanksgiving a time to practice contentment and personal renewal of a spirit of thankfulness. And, like many, you could use some spiritual guidance in these efforts.
[Listen to Hymn? Go HERE.]
Consider: When someone performs a good deed for us or gives us a gift, we want to express our thankfulness. Jesus Christ gave the “world’s greatest gift”—He gave Himself as a sacrifice for sin on His cross of Calvary (John 3: 16)! According to Titus 2: 14, Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good (NIV). Hebrews 2: 14-15 (NLT) explains how it became possible for Jesus, through His incarnation, to “set us free:” Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Jesus can set us free from both our bondage to lawlessness (sin) and from the penalty of our sin (death; eternal separation from God).
Response: If you have accepted Christ as God’s
Gift of salvation by faith, then you know the One who is both the central Cause
of true thankfulness and the worthiest Object of our thankfulness. According to Psalm 107: 1-2 and Titus 2: 14
(above), how can those whom God has redeemed express their thankfulness? How will you express your thankfulness to God
today? [To learn more about how you
can be redeemed, see “Thanksgiving Every Day”
below.]
Nov. 19:
“Thanks for All Thou Dost Provide”
[Listen to Hymn? Go HERE.]
Consider: Yesterday, we focused on
God’s greatest Gift, His Son Jesus Christ our Redeemer. When we accept by faith the ransom payment
that Jesus Christ made with His life, we are not only set free from sin and
death; but we are adopted by God as one of His children (John 1: 12; Romans
8: 10-17). Amazingly, God becomes our loving
Heavenly Father! Just as God wants our
redemption from sin and its penalty to relieve us of worry about our eternal
destiny, so He wants our adoption to relieve us of worry about our daily material
needs (Matthew 6: 25-33). Just as
our good Heavenly Father provides for His other creatures, so He provides “all
the rest” that we need. An amazing
truth! James, a half-brother of Jesus,
wrote the following: Every good thing given and
every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation nor shifting shadow
(James 1: 17). Message: God is a perfect Father. He gives us “every good thing and perfect
gift,” He does not change in character, nor do His purposes change in the
slightest.
Response: Take a few minutes to read (or sing) the
lyrics of the hymn again. What “good
things” does the hymn writer include? For
which of these will you give thanks today?
Nov. 20:
“Thanks for Pain
and Thanks for Pleasure”
[Listen to Hymn? Go HERE.]
Consider: Stanza #2 of “Thanks to
God for Our Redeemer” describes the familiar conditions of our lives in a
fallen world in which we experience both “pain and pleasure:”
Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Most of us are well acquainted with both pain and pleasure, sorrow and joy. In fact, during the year prior to their first Thanksgiving celebration in the New World (1621), the Pilgrims lost 49 out of the original 102 passengers who had crossed the Atlantic. Four hundred years later, many of us have grieved at the sickness and loss of family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bible invites us to “give thanks” for both the pain and the pleasure. Our hymn writer himself was afflicted with severe back pain at age 37 which remained with him.
Response: Read or sing the hymn again. Which words remind you of hard times you have endured. Meditate on Scriptures like James 1: 2-4 and Romans 8: 14-28, and ask God to inspire you to give thanks for His work in your life through your “hard times.” Pray for family and friends who are going through hard times during this holiday season.
November 21:
“Thanks for Pain and Thanks
for Pleasure” (continued)
Consider: Yesterday,
we considered that God allows both pain and pleasure; and still, He commands us
in every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you (1
Thessalonians 5: 18). One of my brothers
in Christ, named Bill, who is now in a rest home, has taught me that no matter
how bad our situation, we can always find those who have it worse than us. For example, this Thanksgiving it may be hard
for us to thank God for an illness, or the death of a loved one, or the
economic and political turmoil that we face in America. But when we remember the outright threats of
religious persecution faced by Christians in nations like China, India, Afghanistan,
and Haiti, we should respond by praying for the persecuted church and for
missionaries who are bringing the Gospel of Christ into difficult places. A spirit of thanksgiving helps us in our
trials and motivates us to pray for our brethren who suffer greatly. Meditate
on the Scriptures from Hebrews 12: 28 to 13: 3.
Here’s a portion: Therefore, since we are receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God
acceptably with reverence and awe… Keep on loving one another as brothers and
sisters. Continue to remember those in
prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are
mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Response: According to God’s Word, we are to give
thanks for both pain and pleasure because we can depend upon our Father in
Heaven to use these “good gifts” to mature us (James 1: 2-4). Will you join with us and pray for our
brothers and sisters in Christ in nations where persecution is harsh? Pray using the Scriptures cited in today’s
devotional.
November 22:
“Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!”
Consider: The past two days have
focused on pain and pleasure. Sometimes we
bring pain upon ourselves when we refuse to accept God’s answer to our prayers. Romans 1: 21 describes people who, even
though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they
became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. On the other hand, we can choose to make Thanksgiving
a time to reflect on how God has provided for and blessed us during the
previous year. Ephesians 5: 20 urges us to
give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here,
God commands us to be thankful for answered prayers whether He answers by
granting, delaying, or denying our requests.
Psalm 84: 11 declares, For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD
gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who
walk uprightly.
Response: Is your relationship with God such that you
honor and thank Him regardless of whether He answers your prayers with a Yes,
a No, or a Not Now? Why
not take time today to list ways God has answered your prayers this past year,
and then sincerely thank Him?
November 23:
“Thanks for times now but a memory…”
Consider: God has equipped us with
minds capable of remembering things. God’s gift of memory is intended to help
us grow as a result of both “good” and “bad” experiences. Each of us carry both good and bad memories. Good memories of times with dear family and
friends of the past are treasures we can keep with us and give thanks to God for
them. Sometimes God helps us to see that
a “bad memory” can eventually lead to a good outcome in which we grow in godly
grace and character. I know a man whose
hip was shattered when he was hit by a car.
But the resulting pain, the weakened and handicapped condition, and the
experience of learning dependence on others caused him to draw closer to God whose
purposes became evident throughout the experience. [See HERE
for more details.] Jeremiah, “the
weeping prophet” who bore God’s grief for a rebellious nation of Israel wrote
(Lamentations 3:21-24),
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Response: Pause now and devote time to remembering
specific happenings or people from this past year that have influenced you in a
particular way. Then, thank God for them
and consider how you might respond further.
November 24: “Thanks for Jesus by my side!”
Consider: Have you ever thought what
it means to have “Jesus by my side?” In John
14: 16-17 we can read Jesus’s words to His confused disciples: I will ask the Father, and He will give you
another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you
know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. If by faith, you have invited Jesus to be
your Savior, you are a redeemed child of God the Father. As an obedient Christ-follower, you no longer
have Jesus simply “by your side,” He abides in you, and you in Him (John 15: 4-5). Think of that! You have the offer of an intimate
relationship with the LORD (Jehovah), the “eternally existent One” who is
active in past, present, and future without change (James 1: 17).
Response: On this, the eve of Thanksgiving, return to
our hymn and reread or sing the lyrics, watching particularly for words or phrases
that relate to “time.” Thank God for His
faithfulness in the past which is “but a memory.” Thank Him for the present “heavenly
peace with Thee;” and, for “Hope in the tomorrow, Thanks through all eternity!”
[Listen to Hymn? Go HERE.]
November 25: Have a Blessed Thanksgiving
Consider: We hope our one-a-day devotional
meditations have inspired your thankfulness and helped you to prepare for a
blessed Thanksgiving Day. A great way to
begin this Thanksgiving is to read Psalm 100 and then respond in prayer with a
personal expression of your thankfulness for His character and provisions.
If you are still looking for some fun and learning activities for yourself and
loved ones who may be gathering today, visit Oikonomia, November 21,
2018 which offers “Thanksgiving
Topics for Your Table.”
Response: Enter into his gates
with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and
bless his name. – Psalm 100: 4 [Listen to Hymn? Go HERE.]
Thanksgiving Every Day!
When a person invites Jesus Christ to become his or her
Savior and humbly yields to His lordship, every day can be a day of
thanksgiving, even in days of trouble and pain.
If you would like to know more about the Life transformed and filled by
God’s Holy Spirit, please check out this booklet online, entitled “Have
You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-filled Life?” [See online booklet HERE.] This helpful
booklet explains how you can yield the "throne" of your life to God
and find peace with Him as your Father in Heaven. Through God's Spirit
dwelling in you, you can learn to see the world and your life priorities from
God's perspective. If you have additional questions, comments, or
would like to share your story, we’d love to hear from you. Just post a
“Comment” below or e-mail me at silviusj@gmail.edu
