Thanksgiving is a religious holiday anyway you slice it and liberals cannot deny it. They may secularize it with parades and football, but they can never wipe away this indigenous American holiday. Scholar/minister Mark Roberts always posts compelling meditative thoughts during the holidays. Today's meditation is so inspirational that I posted the entire piece below:
READ Psalm 100:1-5
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4
On this Thanksgiving Day, we Americans are encouraged to pause and
give thanks to God. In his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863, President
Abraham Lincoln wrote: “The year that is drawing toward its close has
been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.
To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to
forget the source from which they come, others have been added which
are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate
and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the
ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.”
As you may recall, in 1863 the United States was in the Civil War, a
terribly brutal and emotionally horrifying experience. Thousands of
young Americans had died, while others faced the prospect of imminent
death. Yet, in the midst of such a challenging time, President Lincoln
called upon Americans to remember the richness of God’s blessings, and
to be thankful.
So it should be with us. In many ways, 2009 has not been an easy
year for our nation. Economic hardships have touched millions of lives.
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to take thousands of men and
women away from their homes, and some of these brave soldiers will
never return. In countless other ways, we in this nation have struggled
in 2009.
Thus we need to hear the encouragement of Abraham Lincoln again. In
spite of our challenges and setbacks, we have been richly blessed by
God in this country. Thanksgiving is due just as much today as it was
in 1863, perhaps much more.
When we give thanks, we bring to mind God’s gifts to us. This, in
turn, reminds us of God’s gracious nature. We think, not just of what
God has done, but also of who God is. Thus, thanks is a point of entry
to praise. In the language of Psalm 100, we enter God’s gates with
thanksgiving, so that we might go into his courts with praise. There’s
no biblical rule that states that thanks must come before praise. But,
for many of us, thanksgiving for what God has done leads us to praise
God for who he is.
So, may you enter God’s gates with thanksgiving today, so that you
might celebrate in his courts with praise! May God give you a rich and
blessed Thanksgiving Day!
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How is it possible to give thanks even in hard times? Does thanking God lead to praising God in your life?
PRAYER: Thank you, gracious God, for your abundant
gifts to me. Thank you for giving me, not what I deserve, but so very
much more. Thank you, most of all, for the gift of life you have given
me through Christ. Thanks for the incredible privilege of knowing you
and living my life in relationship with you, both now and forever.
All praise be to you, O God, giver of all good gifts! All praise be
to you, because your grace and mercy are without end! All praise be to
you for the gift of life in this world, and life forever in the age to
come! All praise to you, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen!
