Happy Thanksgiving

I pray you had a full Thanksgiving Day! We spent a wonderful afternoon with some friends and their family. Thanks, Steve & Susan, for a great day, a yummy meal and once again opening your home to our family.

I received this email from another friend. I enjoy reading his email messages - I hope you do to.

As we look to the journey ahead, it is my hope that our family can "Be joyful always; praying continually; giving thanks in all circumstances."

Blessings,
Kim

Dear Friends and Family:

Happy Thanksgiving!!! That’s the familiar greeting of the season; I like it much better than “happy turkey day”.

Certainly when we think about all the ways that God has provided for our needs, we are thankful. It is easy to thank God for the good stuff, but what about the bad? We are living in a time when there are a lot of “bad” things happening around the world; the violence in India yesterday, the continuing worldwide economic instability, political uncertainty…

But what does God teach us about that? In Ephesians 5:20 we learn, “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (not just in the good times but ALWAYS) Then we learn in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Not only give thanks when times are bad, but be joyful about it!! Wow, that is a tall order. How can we do that?

Notice in both of those passages Jesus Christ is mentioned. Isn’t He really our true source of joy? When we consider Jesus’ awesome love for us that led Him to a cross to pay the price for our sins, how can we be unhappy? When we think of the millions upon millions of years (eternity) we will spend in Heaven because of Jesus’ sacrifice, experiencing more happiness than we ever experienced on earth, how can we be sad?

So I pray that you really have a HAPPY Thanksgiving this year and every year, no matter what. Romans 8:28

Even if we feel poor and weak; we are actually rich and strong in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 12:10

I am reminded of an “old” hymn from 1978. (Not old for me, but for some of you…) It is called “Give Thanks”

Give Thanks

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give Thanks… Give Thanks… GIVE THANKS!!!

Love,
B

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.“

A. Lincoln (October 3, 1863)