Give Thanks
By Pastor Thomas G. Cater.
“ Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ
Jesus.” [1]1
Thessalonians 5:16-18
As I come to write this
little article on Thanksgiving, I was reflecting on the year that has gone by.
The older I get the more I understand how fast time can move and that’s why
pausing to give thanks is important to me. This upcoming holiday, I hope, is
more than just a time to eat too much food, watch sports, be with friends and
family, and do online shopping. Thanksgiving needs to be a time for us to take
a moment and do just what the name says: “Give Thanks.” Today, I write to my
fellow Christians to understand this holiday, and why we as Christians need to
be thankful people more than just one day a week.
When it comes to
understanding Thanksgiving, we all know the story of the pilgrims and their
first year at Plymouth Rock. This would lead to the first Thanksgiving in
October of 1621. As time went on all 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving in
October of 1777 for the first time. There was even a point where our first
president George Washington, would proclaim a National Day of Thanksgiving. Sadly,
though things happened, and it would not last.
Time
would go on and a magazine writer Sarah Josepha Hale would enter the story. She
would feel it was important for the nation to have a day to reflect and give
thanks. Hale would take up her pen and begin to write her leaders, governors,
and even the president. A day of thanksgiving was so important to her that she
would take this cause up for the next 40 years. Her perseverance would pay off
when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving October 3, 1863,
that the last Thursday of November would be a National Day of Thanksgiving.
Sense then we have celebrated Thanksgiving in November.[2]
Sarah
Hale wanted a day of Thanksgiving, and I believe we all need a day to just give
thanks, yet Christians need an added understanding of thanks. For Christians
being thankful should be a part of our lives every day. Did you know that it is
God’s will for you to be thankful? Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians, “to give
thanks in everything for it is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Many a
Christian have said, “what is God’s will?” Well, giving thanks is His will.
This
Thanksgiving I would like to encourage you, as believers in Christ, to take a
moment to rejoice in the Lord over what He has done. Rejoice is where
Thanksgiving begins. We are most thankful for the things we are joyful about.
Look at all God has done for you this past year and all your life and rejoice
in it. When we realize it is from God, it should lead us to prayer and many
prayers, and we rejoice in knowing all that is good and perfect comes from Him.
This will lead to us having a truly thankful hearts and it will be reflected in
your prayers which means we are doing God’s Will. Take time Thanksgiving Day to
reflect on your life and rejoice in all that is good and give the Lord the
Thanks He deserves. God Bless.
[1]
New American
Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation, 1995), 1 Th 5:16–18.
[2] www.
Christianity.com./devotionals. Kelly McFadden, November 21, 2024
