My wife and I have been living in the United States for about 18 months now and as all American citizens and residents, we have been celebrating Thanksgiving. I did some research on the origins of Thanksgiving and discovered that the tradition has mixed roots. Grateful Pilgrims, who had earlier on spent about two months at sea traveling to America from England, reaped a bountiful harvest after going through a very harsh winter in 1620. Many lost their lives during the winter and in gratitude to God, the survivors declared a three day feast in December 1621 (Check Christian Answers website).
The Bible says:
"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! "(Psalm 107:21, NKJV)
"Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it." (Mark 14:23, NKJV)
My brethren, the above verses are just two of the numerous verses in the Bible that challenge us to be thankful. Jesus gave thanks when He broke bread. The Psalmist prayed that men all over the earth would give thanks for the goodness of God.
Today many people forget God in times of prosperity and blame Him when there are disasters or other problems. That is quite typical of mankind today. Our self-centered mentality focuses on what we can get out of every situation rather than what we can give. Yet we are admonished to think about the goodness of God who on a daily basis gives us air to breathe, keeps us alive, and provides our daily needs. Remember He gives us the power to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18)
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, the Bible says
" in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."(NKJV)
Colossians 3:17 tells us:
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (NKJV)
Thanksgiving is a God-ordained responsibility. We are commanded to be thankful for good reasons. We came naked into the world and naked shall we leave, so to speak. We were created by God not by collective bargaining but by His divine will and for His purpose - a purpose which is rooted in love and goodness.
Take a look around, my brothers and sisters. Who is like you? You are unique in every respect. One and only, created for a divine purpose that no other person can fulfill. Awesome! Give thanks to God today. Give thanks to God everyday.
There are many individuals around the world who do not have food to eat today but God has given you shelter and food (turkey perhaps!) to eat. Is that not something to be thankful for? And that brings me to my last point. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us not lose sight of its original purpose and let us remember those who are not so privileged even in this great country, the United States of America. The US has been generous over the past decades and despite the bad news about our economy, lets continue to be generous and the blessings of God will flow our way. Lets reach out to the less fortunate, those who are not so privileged to have all that we take for granted in our society. I was raised in a place where having power supply for 3 hours a day was considered a real blessing. Let us be thankful!
God bless you all and have a great weekend.
