…foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who
believe and know the truth. For
everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. 1Timothy
4:3b-5
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Glory be to Jesus.
On the last
Thursday of this month we will once again gather together with friends and
family to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving by partaking of the divine
blessings of food and fellowship with our loved ones. As we do gather, let us be reminded of the
fact that all we have in this life is a gracious gift from the Giver of Life
Himself, the One True God, Father, X
Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us remember to
thank God for the abundance of food He places before us and as we do, let us
lift in prayer all around the world who have little or nothing to eat and ask
the Lord of the Church to bless them
this Thanksgiving as well. May we,
at the same time, ask the Lord to open up doors of opportunity in the future
for us to do something concrete to help the hungry be fed.
Let us remember to
thank God for family and friends who gather with us, asking for His eternal
blessing on their lives, while at the same time praying for all who stand alone
on that day, asking the Lord to bless them with His presence, either directly
or through the presence of others.
Finally, and most
importantly, let us, this coming Thanksgiving Day, remember to thank God for
His Son Jesus Christ, who gave His life so that we might have forgiveness and
eternal life as well as an abundant life in this world. Let us “choose life” as Moses calls the
Israelites to do as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land as we,
through Christ, already have the “promised land” of spending eternity with Him. Let us “choose life”, not in an effort to
earn life, but as a thankful response to the abundant blessings our Lord
continues to give to us, just like the Israelites are called by Moses to choose
life for the very same reason.
“Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise
your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. The Lord your God
will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who
persecuted you. And you shall again obey the Lord, and observe all His
commandments which I command you today. Then the Lord your God will prosper you
abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in
the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord
will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if
you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are
written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your
heart and soul.
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it....I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it....I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Deuteronomy 30:6-16, 17-20
This Thanksgiving,
let us remember that we did not choose God, but He chose us and freely gave to
us His Son Jesus Christ. Let us “choose
life”, the life that is ours in Christ Jesus and let us then choose to actively
share that free gift of life eternal with anyone who does not yet know the
blessings of being a chosen, redeemed, forgiven child of God. Let is truly enjoy, with all praise and
thanksgiving to God, this Thanksgiving Day and every day, lifting all God’s
people in prayer.
God’s richest blessings to you all.
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