Thanksgiving Blessings

As we come into Thanksgiving week, what is it we are truly thankful for.  Being thankful is a doorway to Joy, and God's blessings realized in our lives.  

To be sure "Thanksgiving" is not just a day, but something that is part of our lives because we truly understand what God has done is doing and is going to do throughout our lives into eternity.  

Thanksgiving is essential for Worship.

Psalm 69:30
30  I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 100:4 

4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Philippians 4:4-6
4  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

One more for all of us who feel guilty about all the food we'll eat on Thanksgiving Day:

1 Timothy 4:4
4  For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

Years ago I came across an Old Testament passage that transformed my concept of Thanksgiving as Blessings and Worship.  It is in Moses' speech to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, and it makes a point:  The Heart of Thanksgiving is Remembering...Not Forgetting...

Deuteronomy 8:7-18
⁷  For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; ⁸  a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹  a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. ¹⁰  When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹  Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. ¹²  Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³  and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴  then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹⁵  He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. ¹⁶  He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. ¹⁷  You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” ¹⁸  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

It's not an easy thing to do.  We are prone to self-sufficiency and a self-orientation that makes us believe we did it on our own.  It is part of our American spirit to believe that "We did it the old fashioned way...we rolled up our sleeves and worked hard".  While we all have done this, we forget we could have accomplished nothing without God's blessings.  That's why Thanksgiving is "remembering" and "not forgetting".

One of my most favorite stories is of a professor in a classroom who made a point to his students about seeing people and being thankful

The Cleaning Lady. 

During my second month of college, our professor
Gave us a pop quiz.   I was a conscientious student
And had breezed through the questions until I read
The last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke.   I had seen the
Cleaning woman several times.   She was tall,
Dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely, " said the professor . .   "In your careers,
You will meet many people.   All are significant . .   They
Deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
Is smile and say "hello . . . "
I've never forgotten that lesson . . I also learned that her
Name was Dorothy.

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving is the basis for the power of blessing…

Numbers 6:24-26
²⁴  "The LORD bless you and keep you;
²⁵  the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

²⁶  the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."'.