I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving Holiday. Several of you are traveling to see family and I hope you all have enjoyable visits. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday for a variety of reasons. Not only is it an opportunity to visit and catch up with family and friends, but there is always so much good food involved!
The principle of “giving thanks” is firmly rooted in Scripture. Notice Colossians 2:6-7 where it says: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus The Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” The Apostle Paul is talking about how as Christians we are truly “alive in thanksgiving.” He mentions such profound points as receiving Christ, abiding in Him, being rooted and built up in Him and being established in the faith. Then, at the end of verse 7 he concludes by saying we are to “abounding in thanksgiving.” There is a deliberate ongoing force to the statement. Basically, he says that we are to overflow with a heart of gratitude and KEEP ON being thankful! That means Thanksgiving Everyday!
We have so much to be thankful for to God. Let us truly have hearts of thanksgiving all the time. Let us be “abounding in thanksgiving” each moment of our lives. I believe that when we grow in our ability and capacity to recognize and appreciate God’s blessings more in our lives, then we are better quipped to serve Him. We want to be people of gratitude and we want to be a church that is filled to the brim with thanksgiving to God for his abundant blessings. So much so, that when outsiders come and visit we want them to be amazed at our joy and when they as us “Why?” we say: “Because I’ve been so blessed.”
We give thanks to God for His work in our lives. Let us work to give Him committed devotion in love and service each day. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.
-Paul Merideth preaches for the Watterson Trail Church of Christ in Jeffersontown, KY
