Have you noticed how as a nation we have departed from the purpose of our Thanksgiving holiday—to say thanks!
Thanksgiving day comes at the end of the year. As we reflect back, it provides us with a wonderful opportunity to focus on God’s goodness. In my Life Essentials Study Bible, I share a Bible principle from the life of David: “We should always honor God by thanking Him for His blessings and goodness.” Here is the setting! David was finally able to bring the ark to Jerusalem. Consequently he compiled a psalm from some of his previous poetry and wove various expressions of thanksgiving and praise into this beautiful hymn (1 Chronicles 16:7-36; see also Psalm 97:1-13; 105:1-15; 106:1, 47-48). The focus is clearly on God and what He had done for His people. The following verse encapsulates David’s deepest feelings: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34). All Israel joined David in thanking God and praising Him for allowing them to worship in Jerusalem. Paul may have had this psalm in mind when he wrote to the Ephesians: . . . be filled with the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:18b-20). What then is our most common sin? It’s ingratitude! We fail to say thanks for all of our blessings. So let’s not forget why we celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to express gratitude for all those who helped create our new website, especially our friends over at 2 8 9 Design. This new site will help us reach
others much more effectively with the Word of God. And, of course, our greatest praise and thanks goes to our heavenly Father.