Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thanksgiving Day
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
GIVING THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES
Giving thanks is easy when we see the noon table filled with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings. Giving thanks is easy when you have to move some of the serving bowls onto the kitchen counter because they won't all fit on the table even with the extra leaf installed. It is indeed proper to thank our God this day for the blessings of the earth which sustain our bodies from day to day.
But you know that there will be people in the world today who will suffer from a lack of food. You know that there are people who will not have family gathered around them this afternoon. Some families have soldiers off to war. Some face poverty, sickness, turmoil, and sorrow. Some families will deal first hand with death this very hour, on Thanksgiving Day of all days! What about you? Could you maintain an attitude of thanksgiving even if all these were gone: goods, fame, child, and wife? Could you say, "Thank you, Lord, for your lovingkindness!" if He chose in His perfect wisdom to take away rather than give?
The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians to "give thanks in all circumstances." Is that even possible, or is it just plain ridiculous to think of thanking God while we are hungry or in other great bodily need?
It would be both ridiculous and impossible to thank God in all circumstances if we did not see Jesus Christ risen from the dead, seated at the right hand of God, and ruling all things for the benefit of His children. It would be impossible to thank God in every situation if we did not see the nailprints of Christ's suffering as the proof that whatever daily bread He should give us -- whether pleasant tasting or not -- it is the bread that is best for us. With that in mind, we can always give thanks!
