Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night. Psalm 92:1-2
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 1Chronicles 16:34
And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will. Leviticus 22:29
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Psalm 105:1
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments. Psalm 119:62
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; – 1 Timothy 4:4
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! – 2 Corinthians 9:15
The cold, wet weather along with the dark skies of November can sometimes be difficult to navigate, especially after leaving behind the glorious days of color and hiking/camping/fishing in September and October. But I have found something which helps me a lot. It is being intentionally thankful for the memories of good things in the past, including holidays, and for the expectations of ones on the horizon.
I am more aware than ever just how fortunate I am to have such good memories of holidays that are in the rearview mirror. So many people have never had one, let alone many.
I hope at least one of these above Scripture passages will have special meaning for you.
If you’d like to see a rather interesting picture of four displaying (fanned-out) turkeys, and read just a little about the history of them during Thanksgiving, please see Thanksgiving II. I also wrote a short story there about what I do to help myself be thankful even when it is not such an easy thing to do.
To see a photo of three old, rogue turkeys that once visited our home, and to learn a bit about turkeys themselves, see Thanksgiving V.
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Here are a few quotes about being thankful from some folks you may have heard of:
– “It’s a troublesome world.
All the people who are in it
are troubled with troubles almost every minute.
You ought to be thankful a whole heaping lot,
for the places and people you’re lucky you’re not.” – Dr. Seuss
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– “Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart,
it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.”- A.A. Milne
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– “Some years ago, I visited a man who was wealthy and successful. He was the envy of all his friends and business associates. But as we talked, he broke down in tears, confessing that he was miserable inside. Wealth had not been able to fill the empty place in his heart.
“A few hours later I visited another man only a short distance away. His cottage was humble, and he had almost nothing in the way of this world’s possessions. And yet his face was radiant as he told me about the work he was doing for Christ and how Christ had filled his life with meaning and purpose.
“I am convinced that the second man was really the rich man. Although he didn’t have much, he had learned to be thankful for everything that God had given him. Paul declared, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12, NIV). A spirit of thankfulness makes all the difference.” – Billy Graham
A life filled with meaning and purpose. I like that.
A lot.
God’s love for you is greater than I could ever express. Human language simply falls short. Or as Paul states in the final Scripture noted above, God is to be thanked for His gift that is so great, it is indescribable! If you don’t know what, or rather, Who that is, I encourage you to check out Got God?
Hope you have a thankful Thanksgiving wherever you are.