It Lasts Forever

Many of us probably feasted on traditional turkey dinners with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day, and now we are eating leftovers.

Some may also have used Thanksgiving Day as a time to think of material blessings—and to be thankful for them. And now we can be thankful for leftovers!

Life would be tough without God's blessings—including necessities, leftovers, and even some of our luxuries. But there is another blessing we should remember during the Thanksgiving season: In his great mercy he [God] has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (I Pet. 1:3b NIV)

This blessing is more important than food, shelter, clothing—or any of the less vital, but enjoyable benefits of comfortable living. Although the new birth cannot be touched or seen, it will last forever.

God gives the new birth as a spiritual feast to all who come to Him, and we never grow tired of it as we do with physical food. There will always be enough to satisfy us over and over. The new birth is an eternal blessing that offers consistent hope and joy, an inheritance can never perish, spoil or fade. . . . (v. 4a) It comes to us directly from God—and will be with us when other blessings fail.

Originally published Novemer 25, 1988.

Picture: Potted plant on deck, 2008. Photo by Solveig.

We Receive to Give

After celebrating Thanksgiving Day, it is a good idea to remember that genuine thankfulness goes beyond simple gratitude. If we are truly thankful, we will take another step. We will move from receiving to giving.

Using an agricultural metaphor, Paul wrote to the Corinthians that if farmers are unwilling to be generous when planting seed, they will not receive an abundant harvest. He who sows (or plants) sparingly will also reap (or receive) sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (II Cor. 9:6 NKJV)

Paul’s subject was not planting and harvesting crops but giving. He goes on to explain that when people give, God provides abundant grace. The more we receive, the more we have to give—and the more we give, the more we receive.

Giving and receiving do not always seem to directly correspond, but giving and blessings do. And God actually gives to His people so they can, in turn, receive His blessing by giving to others.

Originally published November 23, 1989.

Thanksgiving to God

Although Thanksgiving Day originated with Christians who depended on God for survival, many Americans today overlook Christian aspects of the holiday. A day full of food and football are the often the plan.

Scripture helps us look beyond our natural inclinations because it lifts us beyond our natural mindset—and the psalms are a good place to start in Scripture. The settings of the psalms are varied—and they differ greatly from both the Pilgrim’s setting and our setting. But they have power to change the focus of our hearts.

Many of the psalms emphasize God’s provision. Psalm 65 begins with, Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion . . . O You who hear prayer. . . . (v. 1a,2a NKJV) Then, Your paths drip with abundance. (v. 11b)

If we do not know He listens to prayer, there’s a good chance we miss out on much of God’s abundance. Today is a day to offer thanksgiving to God—and to believe He hears.

Originally published November 20, 1992.
Picture: Como Park Convervatory, St. Paul, MN, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

The Humble Shall Hear

Thanksgiving originated as a harvest festival—as a day when the early Pilgrims offered thanks to God for the year’s crop. Their very lives depended on full storehouses, so we can imagine their gratitude was heart-felt. They knew they were vulnerable—and that they could not provide for their needs without God’s help.

In United States today, we can be thankful for a multitude of blessings on Thanksgiving Day. Because it is a national holiday, we might focus on historic aspects of the celebration. The vital connection of the Pilgrims to God reminds us that, after a certain amount of struggle, the early leaders made a decision to offer freedom of religious expression for both the minorities and the majority.

But do we remember that true thankfulness contains an element of humility? Thankfulness means we are grateful to someone for providing what we did not provide on our own. It looks to the One who helps us when we cannot help ourselves. David was king and a poet whose wrote many songs of thanksgiving. He wrote in one of his songs, I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. (Ps. 34:1-2 KJV)

This Thanksgiving, remember to thank God for His blessings. We need them.

Originally published November 22, 1985.