A Day of Thanks
This article is courtesy of Stand Firm
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34).
In the early 1600s, a rag-tag group of “pilgrims” migrated to a new country in search of religious freedom. The wilderness was unforgiving, and many people, young and old, died in those first years from disease and malnutrition.
But determination, prayer, and persistence paid off, and in the fall of 1621, the Plymouth colonists gathered their first harvest. It was cause for celebration, and Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer.
Two hundred years later, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of thanksgiving. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt advanced Thanksgiving Day one week. However, since some states used the new date and others the old, it was changed again two years later. Thanksgiving Day is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving, Not Thankskeeping
Thanksgiving, by the very nature of the word, means “it must be given.” It’s not enough to simply be thankful in your heart. Your thanks must be expressed. If not, it’s called “thankskeeping.” Take a little time right now and thank God for:
- Your family and friends.
- Your job (regardless of income or position).
- The food that you’ll eat today (billions will never have a feast like that).
- Your health (even if you’re sick).
- This country (even with its flaws, it’s the best country in the world).
- Your salvation.
Be the One
One day Jesus entered a village, and in the distance 10 men stood calling, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Jesus knew who they were. Everyone did. They were lepers, people whose skin was covered with open sores and whose fingers and noses had been eaten away by their disease (Luke 17:11-19).
When Jesus saw them, He told them to go show themselves to the priests. The Bible says, “And as they went, they were cleansed.” Their faces were restored, and their skin grew smooth and healthy. They must have screamed and shouted in excitement, but then a curious thing happened. Of the 10 men who were healed, only one returned to Jesus to express his thanks. Determine today that you’ll be like that man.
Express your gratitude to God today for the ways He has blessed you and your family this year.
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