Psalm 95:1-2 Come,
let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our
salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music
and song.
Thanksgiving Eve is upon us. It's still very early morning but if I were
to name the day, it would be Thanksgiving Eve. Pardon my giddiness; it is
simply that I love Thanksgiving! I know I've said that before but you'll hear
it again. For days, I've fought the temptation and burning desire to cook my
portion of the meal with our family. Everything that can be done ahead has been
done and my sights are set on the things that need wait until closer to time.
Colossians
2:6-7 So then, just as
you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted
and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness.
Before you start to get annoyed with my enthusiasm, let me
say this…my love affair with Thanksgiving Day is not about turkey or pumpkin
pie or even the fall weather I love so much. The day itself symbolizes many
things to different people. To me, it is the national holiday named for the state
of heart God gave me.
Once upon a time, the state of my heart and mind and outlook
waffled from day to day, molded by circumstances in my life. Many times
circumstances of my life sucked! I will not bore you with a laundry list of
situations because we all have our own. You know what's on your list; we all
know a situation that sucks when we see it. Especially when we have to endure
it.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
Living with an attitude of thanksgiving does not come
naturally to us. We tend to get bogged down in the muck and mire of the world
and behave in ways that reveal we think we deserve better than that which has
been dealt us. Some people feel they are Fly Paper to all things horrible and unfair.
Their attitude, mentality, behavior and words all concur, "I am a victim
of life, and life sucks."
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of
Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one
another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The fact is you can't sing praises to the Lord when you're focused
on yet another verse of "Woe is me!" We all have heartache and
burdens. How we choose to deal with them says a lot about the state of our
hearts. I have always said Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday but it wasn't
until God changed my heart and I made a point to be thankful regardless of
circumstance that I learned what thanksgiving really is. I look for reasons to
be thankful. I don't know about you but I can handle frustration and
disappointment better when I have an ongoing list of things for which I am
thankful to read as I pass through the difficult times. A thankful heart is the
product of God's work in me and I am extremely thankful for it! For me,
everyday is thanksgiving day! My cup runneth over!
Revelation 7:12 …saying, "Amen,
blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever Amen."
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