Come Let Us Give Thanks

“Give thanks in all circumstances,¹ for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (I Thessalonians 5:18 NIV).

Thanksgiving is a wonderful tradition celebrated in the United States. It’s a time of reflection and thanksgiving for all of the great things God has done in our lives. The commercialization of this great day has eroded a lot of its original meaning. However, it is still one of the most powerful traditions in American culture.

Thanksgiving, or giving of thanks, is a recurring theme in the Bible. One of the first mentions of thanksgiving is recorded in Genesis chapter 14. There, priest-king Melchizedek brought an abundant supply of food and wine to Abram (later renamed Abraham), along with Abram’s 318-member team of warriors to express their extraordinary victory against the king of Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboyim, and the king of Bela.

“Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:18-19).

Centuries later, after liberating the Hebrew people from 400 years of slavery, the Lord instituted two yearly thanksgiving holidays that celebrated the two harvest seasons.

While it is easy to celebrate thanksgiving when everything is going right in our lives, it is not so spontaneous or easy when we’re fighting a hardship, legal battle, prolonged sickness or even the loss of a loved one. It is hard to do but it can be done.

Horatio G. Spafford was a successful lawyer and businessman in Chicago with a lovely family — a wife, Anna, and five children. Their young son died from pneumonia in 1871, and in that same year, much of their business was lost in the great Chicago fire. Yet, God, in His mercy and kindness allowed the business to flourish once again.

On Nov. 21, 1873, the French oceanliner, Ville du Havre, was crossing the Atlantic from the U.S. to Europe with 313 passengers on board. Among the passengers were Mrs. Spafford and their four daughters. Although Mr. Spafford had planned to go with his family, he found it necessary to stay in Chicago to help solve an unexpected business problem. He told his wife he would join her and their children in Europe a few days later.

About four days into the crossing of the Atlantic, the Ville du Harve collided with a Scottish ship, the Loch Earn. Within 12 minutes, the Ville du Harve slipped beneath the dark waters of the Atlantic, carrying with it 226 of the passengers including the four Spafford children.

A sailor, rowing a small boat over the spot rescued Mrs. Spafford. Upon her safe arrival in Wales, Anna wired her husband a message saying, “Saved alone, what shall I do?” Mr. Spafford booked passage on the next available ship and left to join his grieving wife. With the ship about four days out, the captain called Spafford to his cabin and told him they were over the place where his children went down. Overwhelmed and in great distress, Mr. Spafford penned the words to a timeless hymn:

It is Well with My Soul

When peace like a river attendeth my way | When sorrows like sea billows roll | Whatever my lot | Thou hast taught me to say I It is well, it is well with my soul |

Friend, if grieving Spafford can write such a powerful song of gratitude in such great distress, we all can find something to thank God for. Here’s the key: Don’t let something that was once a miracle become ordinary.

The more we talk about God’s goodness in the past, the more we draw in His blessings in the future! There are three areas you can always find something to thank God for. First, celebrate what God has done in the past. Second, be grateful for what God is doing in your life right now. Third, thank God for what He is about to do and the glorious future we have with Him in eternity. Remember the time you found love in your life. Thank God for the day your children were born. Thank Him for healing you from that dreaded disease. Remember, the many incidences of how God saved your life from accidents and calamities. Once you start counting your blessings there’s no stopping. This Thanksgiving, let us not only make it about food, fun, and family but let us give thanks unto our Lord who has done great things! Happy Thanksgiving!

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Remeber the Good

Life has a way of draining us. If we’re not proactive, negative thoughts dictate our lives. When we actively seek to remember the good, the positive experiences of life will override the negatives.

Brain science tells us that our negative experiences occupy more of our brain space than our positive ones. Knowing this, we have to make a conscious effort to remember the good things and start vocalizing them. When we speak our positive experiences out loud, we reinforce our brain to keep positive memories in the forefront of our minds. This is extremely important because our lives follow our thoughts.

I heard of a young couple who was having trouble in their relationship. The counselor asked them to write down their negatives of each other. The wife was very excited for an opportunity to share her frustrations. She made a long list of complaints about her husband. On the day of disclosure, the wife went through her long list of grievances about her husband. She felt good to let her husband know. When it came time for her husband to share, she was blown away by his one line statement. It said “I love and like you just the way you are!” Truth is, human beings have more in common than we tend to realize. None of us have it 100%. Let’s focus on the 80% that’s good and overlook the 20% that’s not so good. Let’s magnify what’s good in each other.

When we remember the good, we attract more of God’s blessings in our lives. This is what the children of Israel did. Every time God did a miracle for them, they established a memorial stone unto God. They were nomadic back then. Every time they passed that way again, they were reminded of God’s mighty miracles in their lives. They understood the principle that if they were not proactive about remembering the good, life’s negatives would override their perceptions automatically.

Many people have a difficult time remembering the good that was once a miracle in their lives. Let me help you remember how God brought that beautiful women into your life. Remember when your children were born. Let us remember how God gave you that dream job. Do you remember the day you walked into your first home? Do you remember how God healed you of that dreaded disease? Remember the day you got saved. Friend, let us remember God’s mighty works in our lives!

Getting started on remembering the good is the hardest part. Once you shift your mindset, it’s not so hard to produce a long list of things to be grateful about. In my daily prayer walks, I regularly remind God of the 20-30 major things He has done in my life. I start with the day I was born. I remind God how He gave me an upbringing at the orphanage. I remind God of the day I graduated from high school and college. You may think these are ordinary things but for most of us, what is ordinary today was once a miracle. Let us not forget and take time to remind God of His mighty deeds. While you’re remembering the good, don’t forget to express your gratitude to your loved ones, co-workers, clients, neighbors, and others who have enriched your life. When we magnify the good, our differences will minimize automatically.

When we remember God’s mighty works in the past, we fuel our faith to believe God for the current impossible in our lives. Before young David defeated Goliath, he first recalled and verbally recited all the previous victories. He remembered how God empowered him to kill a lion and a bear. In the book of Psalms, he reminded God how He brought water out of a rock and how He parted the red seas. Is it any wonder that David’s life was highlighted by God’s favor!

If you’re facing a difficult situation in your life today, be like David. Remind God of the things He has already done for you. Don’t focus on how big your problem is, focus on how big your God is. If God helped you once, He will do it again. Don’t nag. Instead, brag about what He has done in the past. It’s not so much our circumstances but our attitude in how we respond to them that will change our situation. Today in America, we remember God’s goodness in our lives. Let us not just stop there; give thanks to God as a lifestyle. When we do, we’ll see more of His goodness and favor unleashed upon our lives. I love you and thank God for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…” (Psalm 103:2 ESV).

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The Power of Thanksgiving

Today America celebrates Thanksgiving – one of the most powerful forces in the universe. When we live with an attitude of gratitude we unleash hidden power to change and impact everything and everyone around us.

Everyone knows the Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving feast in the newly discovered America. What many people don’t know is just why they were so thankful. It’s because God brought them about so many miracles to keep them alive. Today, we can all be thankful for the life God has given us and learn from the Pilgrims that built America. Let’s discuss how the Settlers can be relevant to our lives today.  

The Pilgrims had a vision. The New World gave them a place to live out their faith unfettered and free of persecution. They were dedicated to the belief that every person could communicate one on one with God and that He would answer and lead them. It took that leading and divine intervention over and over again for them to survive their first, harsh winter of 1620 - 1921 in what would later become Massachusetts. Today, it will serve us well to have a vision for our own personal growth, family, community and country. Without a vision we perish. Where there is a vision, there will be a provision.

The Pilgrims knew how to sacrifice. Nearly out of food, they were living on a ration of just five kernels of corn a day. Of the eighteen married women, fourteen died that first winter, sacrificing themselves for the next generation. Desperate Capt. Jones said, “I’m going back to England. I want you all back on my ship. I can’t leave you here.” Not one Pilgrim went back. How easily we give up on ourselves, our marriages and our family today! Instead of having an entitlement mentality, we should learn to make sacrifices like the Pilgrims. Anything worth having will eventually require a fight. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. What you sacrifice and fight for will eventually fall in the hands of your decedents.  

Squanto saved the Pilgrims. One of the natives named Squanto was captured and taken to England. There he learned to read and write English. When Squanto returned to America, he was immense help to the Pilgrims. He taught them how to grow the native maize, or corn. He also taught them how to use the plentiful fish in the river as fertilizer to make the corn grow well. Squanto was the providential instrument used by God. Likewise, God has the right people, right connection and the right doors ready to be opened for you and your destiny. If you put you hope and trust in God, He will bring it all together. There’s a healing waiting for you. There’s provision waiting for you. There’s companionship waiting for you. Will you trust God for your Squanto?

Celebrate the goodness of God. The first Thanksgiving went on for three days as English settlers and natives feasted and celebrated side by side. They brought much bounty to the feast, like venison and wild turkey. In the Old Testament the children of Israel built memorial by piling up rocks to remember the goodness of God. Today, we will do good to roundup our family and take some time to vocalize the goodness of God. Thanksgiving is not thanksgiving until we give thanks audibly.

The secret of miracle is to give thanks. The size of our Thanksgiving will determine the size of our miracle. Gov. Bradford put five kernels of corn on everybody’s plate and asked everyone there to share five things they were thankful for that first year. Gratefulness was deeply ingrained value of the Pilgrims. They believed that God was the Provider of everything. We owe everything to our Creator and our Redeemer Jesus Christ. The biggest miracle of Thanksgiving is to remember how a small hardy band of Christians set the stage for what would become the freest, most prosperous and only nation on earth founded on biblical principles. How we live our life, our attitude and our faith in God will determine what world our children and grandchildren will live in. Let us give thanks for this is the will of God.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1 NIV).

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10 Ways to Eliminate Holiday Stress

Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of the most joyous times of the year. Holidays are a lot of fun but they’re also very stressful in modern times. Many people endure the holidays instead of enjoying them.

We live in a fast-track society. If we’re not careful we let busy-ness run over most savoring moments of our lives. Instead of enjoying each other, we feel drained and dread our times together. Today, let’s discuss how to keep peace in a stressful time.

1. Keep the right perspective. Holidays are about making memories. It’s not the time to display perfect housekeeping or how late you can work to provide for your family. Better is a little where there is joy, love and laughter than a house full of strife. Celebrate what you have and each other.

2. Be like Santa. Make a list. When we take time to write down and prioritize the zillion things we’ve to do, it makes it easier for us to accomplish certain tasks within a certain time. Make a list of gifts to buy, people to invite and chores to do. A “To Do” list provides direction and reduces stress.

3. Delegate the jobs. Don’t try to be a superman or a super woman trying to do everything yourself. Be secure. When we engage others, we allow them to create memories together. Communicate clearly who does what and by when. Post your job list in a prominent place such as your fridge or water dispenser in the office.

4. Have a relaxed, easy going attitude. People will make mistake. Things will go wrong. When we jump on each other over spilled milk, we’re destroying the memory of our times together. It’s easier to replace broken things than to repair broken people. People are the most important thing to celebrate.

5. Overlook offense. Holidays are emotionally charged times. Somebody will say or do something offensive. Forgive quickly. Don't hold a grudge. Make up your mind not to fall in the trap of getting into an argument. Unite not divide! Now is not the time to voice your opinion on who should be the next President or who should be the next player in our favorite NFL team.

6. Keep a positive environment. I’ve had to ask people to change the subject when they get into a negative conversation with me. Great people discuss plans, visions, ideas and accomplishments of others. Small people talk about themselves and the faults of others. If you join in the gossip, eventually they’ll talk about you.

7. Spend time not money. Money and expensive gifts don’t buy happiness. Have a budget for gifts. Love is not expressed in price tag. Time spent together making and building a family tradition is cherished for a lifetime. Put up the Christmas tree, bake and make special food together. Jump in the family wagon and drive around the neighborhoods to rate their lighting decorations. The internet is full of ideas.

8. Take time for yourself. Only you are responsible for your own happiness. Don’t sacrifice yourself at the altar of responsibility. When you’re fulfilled, you serve better.

9. Give thanks. Recognize and vocalize that all of the blessings in our lives are a gift from God. When we gather together and acknowledge Him, we make God proud. Thanksgiving ensures that the blessings will continue to flow and sets Godly tradition.

10. Reach out to others. Holidays are most depressing times for some. Make sure to include people you know who are less fortunate. Get in a group together and pick people to make them your “Christmas Project.” You can also consider partnering with Build International Ministries and bring the message of Hope to men, women and children in Asia who have never heard the name of Jesus.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1 NIV).

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