Thanksgiving is coming this week and our whole nation is preparing
to celebrate. How are you going to celebrate Thanksgiving? Will you have
a big turkey dinner with all the trimmings? Will you be visiting with
relatives and friends? May I ask you, “What are we celebrating?”
The Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving in America with a celebration
of food and feasting in the fall of 1621 as they rejoiced about their
survival from hunger and disease during their first three years in America.
In 1789 George Washington set aside Thursday, November 26 as "A
Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer." The decree appointed the
day "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many
and signal favors of Almighty God."
Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation: “The year that is drawing towards its
close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful
skies. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United
States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign
lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day
of Thanksgiving and Praise to our Father who dwells in the Heavens.” Signed
October 3, 1863.
I think we would agree that Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks to the
Lord for all that He has supplied for us with our health, wealth, and welfare!
The next question arises as to HOW SHOULD WE GIVE THANKS?
The first time someone responded in a positive manner to what God had
done for them is recorded in Genesis 8 … after Noah had gotten off of
the Ark and was back on dry land!
Gen 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal
and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Noah’s thanksgiving was an act of worship! He had preached for a hundred
years that it was time for mankind to repent and turn to God … without
results. He had just experienced an emotional experience unlike anything
that anyone has ever experienced as he had witnessed a storm, earthquake,
and flood that created devastation one hundred times worse than the Tsunami
in the Indian Ocean. Everyone on the face of the planet was destroyed
accept for Noah and his family. Now Noah and his family were safe … and
grateful.
As a result of his grateful heart he made a sacrifice consisting of
one of every clean animal and bird that was within his ability to sacrifice.
I am assuming that was a large number of animals. That probably would
have taken a couple of days or more!
Thankfully, we no longer sacrifice animals as an act of worship … but
we still are called upon to make a sacrifice of thanksgiving!
Heb 13:15
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise
to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Heartfelt worship is a result of a grateful heart. Our sacrifice is
to praise God for the protection, blessings, and good friends that He
has allowed as blessings in our life. These are not any less important
than the sacrifices which Noah gave to the Lord! Our sacrifices are words
of praise and adoration! The fruit of our lips! These are much easier
to give than the sacrifice of an animal, so let us give praise! PRAISE
THE LORD!
Another instance of thanksgiving was when God made a promise to Abraham.
Gen 12:7-8
7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants
I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD,
who had appeared to him.
8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched
his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an
altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
God had made a sovereign choice in calling Abram to be the Father of
a mighty nation of people. He promised to bless Abram and his descendents
and that they would be a blessing to the whole world! And Abram worshipped
by building an altar to the Lord.
If you follow Abram’s travels, he built several altars. Everywhere
he went he carried with him the knowledge of God’s presence and he wanted
to express his response by building an altar and making a sacrifice as
an act of worship to God. He was never far from an altar of the Lord!
Thanksgiving is an altar experience. It’s a time of letting God reveal
His heart to us and for us to respond to Him. Too often we get in a hurry
and forget that all of our blessings come from God. Jesus told us an
experience He had with healing ten lepers and nine of them forgot, but
one came back to worship ...
Luke 17
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with
a loud voice glorified God,
16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he
was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?
But where are the nine?
18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God
except this foreigner?"
19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith
has made you well."
We don’t know what the end result was for the other nine. They were
healed but did they enjoy the blessings of God in their life? They returned
home to be with their families but did they continue in faith toward
Jesus Christ? Did they grow in faith? The one Samaritan who returned
received a blessing and an encouragement from the Lord.
Do you need encouragement? Make an altar in the presence of the Lord
and begin giving Him thanks for all the things He has done for you. Make
a list and count each one! And before you finish your list their will
be another blessing for you!
Abraham was always making altars. Another altar experience that Abraham
had is found in Genesis 22:
Gen 22
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham
built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac
his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his
son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham,
Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."
12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do
anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not
withheld
your son, your only son, from Me."
As an act of obedience to the One who had blessed him, Abraham responded
by taking his own son to a designated location, built an altar, tied
his son Isaac to it, and was about to plunge a knife into him when God
stopped him. “Don’t harm your son. Now I know that you fear God and will
not withhold even your own son from me.” Abraham had passed a tremendous
test … and was reassured of great promises from God!
Worship around altars and making sacrifices … are both a great part
of Thanksgiving. Abraham’s life of building altars, worshipping, and
giving thanks brought him to the place of offering his most prized possession
to God: his own son, Isaac.
So this is how we give thanks! It’s about giving our most prized possessions
to God. Our words, our time, our money … or …?
At a time of Thanksgiving we can rejoice that Christ died on the cross
for us. But then as an act of worship and thanksgiving … ask yourself
… what can I give to Jesus? Can I commit to serving Him? Can I commit
to speaking and singing praise to His name? Can I commit to giving 10%
of my income or more as an act of worship? Is there anything I have which
is more important to me than Jesus? Can I give it to Him?
Isn’t it time for our Thanksgiving to begin?
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