Issue 17 - November 2005
Thanksgiving
Michael A. Verdicchio

This month we have our national holiday called, "Thanksgiving". In Issue 5, November 2004, I put two of Abraham Lincoln's proclamations from 1863. You might want to read them.

For so many people in our country today, Thanksgiving simply means a long weekend, lots and lots of food, and lots of football. The heart of having a day set aside to thank Almighty God for His blessings has been pre-empted!

But for those who love God, every day is a day of thanksgiving to our loving and giving God!

I Thessalonians 5:18:
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

II Corinthians 9:11:
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Colossians 3:17:
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
There is always so much to be thankful for! How about eternal life? God has freely given us eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. Whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have eternal life! If that is all that God ever gave, eternal life, how thankful we should be! None of us deserve it and none of us could ever obtain it. But He made it freely available. We are going to live forever!

Two things I am most thankful for are eternal life and forgiveness. To know that I am going to live forever is really almost overwhelming! Billions of dollars are spent every year by people trying to stay younger looking. God gave eternal life! God so loved the world so that anyone could get saved and have eternal life! I am so thankful every single day for His gift of eternal life.

Secondly, I am thankful for forgiveness. What a pity it would be to live forever without being forgiven! That's a long time to spend in condemnation! But again, because of the completed work of Jesus Christ, God has lovingly made available His forgiveness.

And, if that were all God gave us - eternal life and forgiveness - how thankful we ought to be each and every day of our lives! But, there is so much more that our loving, abundant, and giving God has done for us!

The Bible is full of God's promises to us. The Bible is full of the things that we can receive from Him. God so desires to bless us! No wonder it says in Psalm 103, "Forget not all His benefits". We could never remember them all. God just asks that we don't forget them all.

So whether it is officially, "Thanksgiving Day" or not, every day we have so much to be thankful for. We ought to take a little time out of our busy, busy days and stop and just give thanks to our loving, giving, heavenly Father.

Thank you for visiting us on the web at http://www.christian-inspirational-gifts.com