happy thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

That phrase and this holiday brings about a lot of emotions. In fact, it is often different for different people. How about you?

Some think about time with family and how precious that is. Some don’t have family, and it really is a lonely time.

Some think about the food and all the yummy stuff they will consume. Others will not think of how much food but of how hungry they are.

Some think about what they don’t have or how difficult life is. While others cannot do anything but thank God for their lives and faith.

The contrast of those things reminds me of the truth of the Bible and how the authors will often place one thought against another. It is a powerful picture of how things impact our lives.

Philippians 4:6 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Ephesians 5:4 NLT

Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.

Colossians 3:17 NLT

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Psalm 30:11-12 NLT

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, 12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

Those verses and others help us see the impact of being thankful on our lives. Please take time this Thanksgiving week to make sure your life is an example to others of being thankful.

In the sermon on Sunday I shared that one of the things that keeps us from being thankful is the problem of comparing ourselves to others. I close out this e-devotion with a quote about comparison that I found powerful.

To come to that inner place of not judging in the face of the enormous variety of human experience and expressions is a long road of faith. To overcome that constant need to determine my comparative place, and to be simply who I am, can make me whole. To finally let go of that burden is one of the greatest joys and freedoms in life. - Henri Nouwen

Have a great Thanksgiving and remember God is good!

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