š§houghts turn to kindness shared and received, šolding close the moments that matter most. šs we pause to reflect, gratitude grows, š”urturing peace within our spirit, šeeping us mindful of lifeās simple wonders, š¦oftly reminding us to give thanks always.
“In every thing š“š¶šš² ššµš®š»šøš: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
*This is not my original writing, but one I felt led to share on this special day. Blessings~
“Many, OĀ LordĀ my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Psalm 40:5
How many times can you tell the Lord thank you and it will be enough? How many blessings, mercies, or graces can you add, and would you find adequate praise in the sum of these alone, and then stop? How many times can we open our mouths and our hearts and completely fulfill the holy order of praise due to His holy name?
My friends, for what God has done for us, it will never be enough. His blessings, His “wonderful works,” His “thoughts… to us-ward,” are more than we could ever count or imagine! Therefore, our praise, our tongues of worship, our voices of thanksgiving can never be too much.
In prayer this morning, my mind traveled through portions of my life’s journey, and God brought me through every one of those days, even the hard ones, to the moment of today. And my heart is overwhelmingly grateful in a good way.
I cannot count back to God all the goodnesses He has shown me, for I am sure, the half of it I don’t even know. But I can approach Him with a grateful heart and try in my best way possible, this day and every day, to express my most humblest of thanks.
Today, will you step aside into a quiet place, if you haven’t already, a time with just you and the Father, and let Him know how much you love Him, how grateful you are, and thank Him for the “more than can be numbered” times He has been there for you. I’m sure you would agree, that God deserves more thank you’s than any of us could ever count.
“O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!” – Charles Wesley (Public Domain)
“O give thanks unto theĀ Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
Today, many in the United States will gather with family, friends, and others to celebrate our national Thanksgiving holiday. A day we recognize when provision had been made for survival and the abundance of the harvest was reaped and enjoyed. We will gather in living rooms, community centers, church basements, around dining room tables, and elsewhere to remember with gratitude and to feast.
While many dishes will be laid out before us today, the greatest dish, if you will pardon the expression, that we can partake of is the faithfulness of our God. “Trust in theĀ Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed,” is what the Bible reminds us in Psalm 37:3. It is only by what God has done in our lives and for us that we are here today. It is only because of His grace and mercy we are not consumed (Lamentations 3:22, 23). Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5), and so, let the center of my affection today and all days, not rest on the feast and the gatherings (although we can enjoy them), but on Him whose faithfulness not only brought us to the joy of the gathering around this table, but will usher us to a more glorious table to come: “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love,” (Song of Solomon 2:4). One day we will fully come into His eternal celebration with uninhibited thanksgiving, gather around and enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9), and celebrate with Him forever.
But our forever there states with our relationship with Him here. Today, remember to do more than fill your body with food from this natural feast, but take in more of Him, Jesus, that your soul may be eternally satisfied: “O taste and see that theĀ LordĀ is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him,” (Psalm 34:8).
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:11-13)
Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness in our lives and the feasting pleasure of knowing and taking in of You more and more.
“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” (John 6:56, 57)
His holy provision has been made. Come, and join the feast.
Hashtags have found a way into our lives and in our standard of communication.Ā These keywords or lettered initials are used for several reasons.Ā They increase the probability of likes on a post or picture.Ā They can link you to others who are expressing the same interest in a particular subject or person.Ā At other times, they make a statement without going too deep into content.
One of my favorite hashtags I see people use is #tbt (Throwback Thursday).Ā When you see these, people are sharing stuff that you may not have been privileged to see before.Ā Perhaps it was a photograph from an exotic honeymoon vacation many years before you met the individual.Ā Or, how about when people share pictures of themselves as babies or young children.Ā I like to look at these the most and compare their features to what I see today and mark the resemblance, and so on.
Throwback Thursday gives us a view to peopleās past.Ā These moments shared are often joyful and heartwarming, bringing out the āAww!ā of nostalgia.
The more I think about it, the more it came to me that our Thanksgiving celebrations are like those throwbacks we see posted in social circles.Ā For it is at Thanksgiving, if we are nothing else, we are grateful.Ā When our minds take in the year we just went through ā all the Lord God has brought us through, we are grateful.Ā When we see His hands working in things for which we had no control, we are grateful.Ā When we look back over our lives, when we take our own trips down memory lane and see His deliverances, His help, His love and mercy, His grace and anointing at work in our lives, we are grateful.Ā When we see those snapshots of where we have been and compare them to where we are now, we are grateful.
For at Thanksgiving, a time in our history, we set aside this day to express gratitude and thankfulness for what the Lord has done for us.Ā We enjoy a feast of good food.Ā We enjoy fellowship with family and friends (even if some of it is done virtually this year).Ā We come together for the reason of celebrating with like minds and like hearts.
While this year those gatherings may look different and the feasts for some may seem smaller or not quite what you are used to, letās keep the grandness of this day ā the reason for its purpose front and center: thankfulness for all God has done for us.
During this Thanksgiving, this throwback Thursday, reminisce on Godās faithfulness through this year and through your life.Ā In your mindās eye, allow yourself to wander and spend some time on those beautiful snapshots, those past moments, those photographs of your life, and be reminded of His faithfulness at work.
And, while many of us canāt meet or come together as we usually do, we have those good memories of great love and times shared in the past.Ā We have the love and memories from our Heavenly Father and the love and memories of those blessed souls He has placed in our lives that we call family and friends.
Today, as I look back, I am thankful for so much.Ā In the little details and the grand adventures, I am thankful.
I have had times of tears and times of joy, but knowing God is still with me today and He has an even greater plan beyond what we see for this day or even for this year ā I am thankful.
No wonder David wrote, āI will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth,ā (Psalm 34:1).Ā There will be some times that are harder than others, but it is God who sustains us and protects us, and loves us through it all.Ā Therefore, we praise.Ā Therefore, we still give Him thanks!
I pray that however this Thanksgiving finds you, it will find you in the peace and love of the Lord above all.Ā Blessings to you and Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes, I know.Ā Trust me, I know.Ā It is too easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and forget to stay focused on the real meaning behind them.
After all, I am expected to have an immaculate house, be able to put a five-star feast on the table, look happy even though I have been up half the night, and on, and on, and on.Ā I FEEL YOU!Ā In this area, we all do our very best to make the holidays most enjoyable for everyone involved.Ā We primp, we cook, and we do what we have to do to pull it all off.
Can I tell you, Thanksgiving is a day not like another?Ā Its whole focus rests on a God who keeps His promises.Ā God has promised that every need we have will be supplied.Ā He declares in His Word that with Him there is no want.Ā The fact that we are here to see another Thanksgiving is celebration enough.Ā Not only are we here, but we are here because He has provided the way.Ā He has orchestrated our lives so well, that we ended up right where He intended – to see this day; to celebrate this day; to enjoy love and fellowship this day.Ā We have this day!
Let us not lose that focus.Ā I know itās easy to follow mainstream society and just look at this day as a football/feasting day as we put together our lists of stores we want to hit afterward to rack up the Black Friday deals.
It is so much more!
Think now, as you read this, just from the time that you have opened your eyes this morning, are you able to even begin to count all the blessings He has done for you?
Are you?
When you think of every breath you have inhaled and exhaled; every morsel of food you have placed in your mouth; every sickness or disease He has kept you from or brought you through or is currently bringing you through . . .
When you think about every bit of warmth that wraps around you as you lay cozy in bed at night . . .
When you think about every blessing ā period; do we (me included) really want to shortchange God?Ā Do we want to leave Him out of a day that was proclaimed to praise Him for all that He has done for us?
No, we donāt!
In your celebrating donāt leave out the main reason for celebrating: God; for this isnāt just a normal day.Ā Itās a day of giving thanks to the One who only truly deserves it.
Donāt let mister gobble gobble or all the festivities take over this wonderful day.Ā Enjoy this day.Ā Enjoy your family and friends.Ā Even, enjoy your feast and such.Ā But, more importantly ā enjoy your God because He is enjoying you.Ā After all, He is our reason for thanks.
Have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!
Psalm 75:1, āUnto thee, O God, do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.ā
Yes, I know.Ā Trust me, I know.Ā It is too easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and forget to stay focused on the real meaning behind them.
After all, I am expected to have an immaculate house, be able to put a five-star feast on the table, look happy even though I have been up half the night, and on, and on, and on.Ā I FEEL YOU!Ā In this area, we all do our very best to make the holidays most enjoyable for everyone involved.Ā We primp, we cook, and we do what we have to do to pull it all off.
Can I tell you, Thanksgiving is a day not like another?Ā Its whole focus rests on a God who keeps His promises.Ā God has promised that every need we have will be supplied.Ā He declares in His Word that with Him there is no want.Ā The fact that we are here to see another Thanksgiving is celebration enough.Ā Not only are we here, but we are here because He has provided the way.Ā He has orchestrated our lives so well, that we ended up right where He intended – to see this day; to celebrate this day; to enjoy love and fellowship this day.Ā We have this day!
Let us not lose that focus.Ā I know itās easy to follow mainstream society and just look at this day as a football/feasting day as we put together our lists of stores we want to hit afterward to rack up the Black Friday deals.
It is so much more!
Think now, as you read this, just from the time that you have opened your eyes this morning, are you able to even begin to count all the blessings He has done for you?
Are you?
When you think of every breath you have inhaled and exhaled; every morsel of food you have placed in your mouth; every sickness or disease He has kept you from or brought you through or is currently bringing you through . . .
When you think about every bit of warmth that wraps around you as you lay cozy in bed at night . . .
When you think about every blessing ā period; do we (me included) really want to short change God?Ā Do we want to leave Him out of a day that was proclaimed to praise Him for all that He has done for us?
No, we donāt!
In your celebrating donāt leave out the main reason for celebrating: God; for this isnāt just a normal day.Ā Itās a day of giving thanks to the One who only truly deserves it.
Donāt let mister gobble gobble or all the festivities take over this wonderful day.Ā Enjoy this day.Ā Enjoy your family and friends.Ā Even, enjoy your feast and such.Ā But, more importantly ā enjoy your God because He is enjoying you.Ā After all, He is our reason for thanks.
Have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!
Psalm 75:1, āUnto thee, O God, do we give thanks: for that thy
Word For Life Says... 