Don't Be Indifferent With Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year, but both commercially and culturally it is the most ignored.  It is sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, the most lucrative seasons.  Turkeys are not the most romantic birds (understatement of the year), so not much appeals to the advertisers and stores.  For many, Thanksgiving represents a time to be off work, stuff themselves with food, and watch football or shop.  This is most unfortunate, because thankfulness is truly needed in our lives.  Because of the hubbub surrounding Halloween, it is my guess that most of my readers have thought very little about Thanksgiving, and I want to spend the next few weeks putting it back into our minds. 1 Thessalonians 5:18  says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Are you thankful?  We have so much as Americans to be thankful for.  Next week we will go to the voting booths and cast a vote for the party and candidate of our choice, and we have the freedom to do so.  We are blessed with a nation of freedom to vote and choose our own way.  I am thankful to be an American.
As a Christian, the thing I am most thankful for is salvation.  Psalm 34:2 says, The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.”  With salvation I get eternal life, a home in heaven, a new body, and a Heavenly Father--all in one package!  That is something worth being thankful for.  Everything else in my life is secondary to my Christian faith.  I John 5:12 says, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
If you are not a Christian, you are missing out on the greatest blessing in all the world.  You might disagree, but you only do so because you have never experienced Christ living in your heart.  I have a wonderful wife, six great kids, parents that love me, and a job I love, but all of these pale in comparison to salvation.  Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.”
John Newton penned the famous words, “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost, but now I am found-- was blind, but now I see.”  This enduring truth is what I am most thankful for.  This Thanksgiving season, let’s flip the script in our homes, and instead of treating Thanksgiving indifferently, let’s truly show thankfulness for all the blessings that we have.
 

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