We should always seek to be thankful to the Lord for all He provides, but Thanksgiving is a great time to remind ourselves to come together as a family and as a community, and as a nation to give thanks together to our Lord, YHWH. For those who follow Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus), we always have that most important gift of salvation through grace by faith for which to be thankful… no matter what else may be going on in our lives.
I have found it is very easy to lose focus on the Lord as we get busy with our holiday traditions and celebrations… even Thanksgiving. It seems the Lord dropped a surprise in my shopping bag on trip to the store several years ago. I want to share it with you. Lifeway Christian store put together a small booklet of scriptures into a “Thanksgiving Table Devotional”. We have it at our table and we read and share as we come together to eat our meals.
1Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
18in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
1I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
2I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
As we read these scriptures together we take time to go around the table and ask about examples of things that are specific to us for which we are grateful to our Father who provides. This is not particularly unique, but it sure is easy to overlook. I appreciate the Lord putting these scriptures where I would find them as I was looking for ways to make Thanksgiving more meaningful and focused on Him for my family. Praise the Lord He cares for each of us as His children!
What will you make the focus of this Thanksgiving season? Football, shopping, food, fellowship… or our Creator and Father and the right attitude towards Him? My suggestion is to focus on our Father with a healthy side of family fellowship.
Take some time to pray right now and give Him thanks in your own words. Ask Him to help you have wisdom on how to approach your family traditions such as those around Thanksgiving.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda
Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.