Heart of Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving in the United States being celebrated nation-wide tomorrow, we think back on all the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us.  But how can we be thankful with all the sin and havoc that is going on in the world today? How can we rejoice when wars are breaking out and our peaceful lives are being disrupted by chaos and confusion?  It's not easy.  But if we turn to our Bibles and pray daily for those who constantly live in turmoil, even if we ourselves do not, we are living out our Christian roles.  We cannot fix the problems in our world single-handedly; but we can turn to the One who can fix the problems of this world with a wave of His hand.  Powerful and almighty, God can do anything. However, we live in a wicked world and will continue to until "our number is up" or the world's "number is up".  We can pray though and give thanks to God for what He has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future.  The future is in His hands and it's not our duty to find out what He's going to do next; we just need to have faith that whatever happens, it will be for His glory and He is always in control.

In Psalm 100:4-5 it says, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations".  From generation to generation, we've seen His mighty hand at work; through wars and famines, through good and bad, God has always been in control and we must remember that we have much to be thankful for.  In fact, I'd like to share with you something that I've been doing for the past few Thanksgivings.  I take a piece of paper and on the left hand side of it, I write "Happy Thanksgiving" in a downward motion like this:

"T
 H
 A
 N
 K...etc."

Then I write one thing-beginning with that letter-that I'm thankful for, such as this: "H"="Horses".  It might not cover everything that you're thankful for, but that's when you can get out a notebook and write down everything that you're thankful for. Probably wouldn't take more than a few minutes and it serves as a good reminder on our days when nothing is going right for us and everything is against us.  These lists will prove to you-whether you keep it on your refrigerator or memorize it-that God has been faithful.
 
I would like to share a few verses with you now on Thanksgiving.

When you're worried: (Philippians 4:6) "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything be prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;..."

God's commands on being thankful: (Psalm 50:14) "Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High." 

When in dispair: (1 Chronicles 16:34) "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever".

We're never out of God's love. And that's something most important to be thankful for. Christ died on the cross for our sins. Important to be thankful for. Christ is preparing a heavenly home for us to live in. What a wonderful thing to be thankful for.  No more tears, no more sorrows, no more pain, no more death, no more lying or cheating, no more stealing, and no more idolatry or adultery. Heaven is something to be thankful for. Wow! So many things to be thankful for and we've only scratched the surface. ;)