From the Pastor |
Colossians 3:12-17
What comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving? Food, Family, Football? Maybe it is a Long Weekend, or fabulous sales and shopping. Thanksgiving is much more than any of this. Thanksgiving is a day to look at all you have and be thankful. It is a day that reminds us to give thanks to God!! Now… that is the problem with Thanksgiving. For God’s people, everyday should be Thanksgiving Day! It seems strange that we should NEED a special day each year to remind us to Give thanks, doesn’t it? It’s kind of like when parents need to remind children to say thank you… so why do we adults… why do WE Christians (of all people)… need to be reminded to give thanks to God? The Bible is chock full of reminders already. Such as: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever… give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus… Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God… There is such an emphasis on giving thanks to God that it must be extremely important. Think about it… We all like to be thanked. When we give a gift to someone, when we help another person, when we perform an act of kindness for a fellow human being, we might not be doing these things in order to get recognition, but we usually expect some expression of appreciation. Even when our actions are prompted by our love, or our compassion, or our genuine concern for the other person, if there is little or no evidence of gratitude, we are often hurt and offended. Our human desire for thanks is an echo from the heart of God. God wants to know we are grateful for all His wonderful goodness to us. I mean, all we have and all we are comes from God. How can we, as believers, NOT be thankful? We should always “give thanks in all circumstances.” The truth is, thanksgiving would be a lot easier if only we realized just how blessed we really are – even when circumstances aren’t necessarily to our liking. There was a woman who lived in a Suburban neighborhood. One day two young boys came around selling Christmas cards. They were a bit disheveled, and their clothes were clean, but pretty old and worn. She invited the boys inside to get warm and offered them some cookies and hot chocolate. As they gobbled the cookies and sipped from the cups, they looked around. One of them blurted out the way children do, “Lady, are you rich?” She chuckled and thought to herself, “Rich? Just last night my husband and I were talking about the bills we can’t pay, and these kids think we’re rich.” But before she could reply the other one said, “Ma’am, we know you’re rich, because your cups and plates all match.” It’s easy to lose perspective, isn’t it? Not only is it easy to forget that we are among the wealthiest in the world, but it’s easy to overlook our many blessings and focus instead on what we lack. So, how do we put our lives into perspective… how do we express our gratitude to God? Obviously, we praise God with our lips. Through prayers, worship and songs… we thank God. However, we all know that words can be cheap, and the gratitude that contents itself with simply saying “Thank You” to God, is not evidence of a grateful heart. We tend to forget that God’s great purpose for us is not merely to save us. God’s ultimate goal is to mold us into the image of His Son, to make us Christ-like. Real Christian thankfulness is a life-transforming dynamic. In order to be all that God intends us to be we need to develop the heart of a follower of Christ… We are to live, set apart, as God’s chosen people. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, tells us what we need to do to succeed in this: “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another… Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” AND BE THANKFUL! You see, if we do not remember to give thanks to God… if we do not develop a truly grateful heart… it is virtually impossible to live our lives the way God intended… Because, that’s where our thanksgiving takes place first, in our hearts. A grateful heart helps to keep things in perspective, relieves the anxiety of thinking that the world will fall apart if we take our hands off the steering wheel and celebrates the fact that each day is a precious gift from God. Paul tell us plainly and clearly that whatever we do, we are to do it with all our hearts offering thanksgiving to God at all times… in good times AND in bad. Even when it seems we have hit rock bottom… God is there to help lift us up if we just let him. God is always there to offer love and light in the darkness. If we are truly grateful for all that God has done for us… for all we have (a home, family and friends, food on the table)… for always being with us… and especially for our salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection, our gratitude will bring the determination to live a life worthy of a Disciple of Christ… a life filled with the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. But thanksgiving doesn’t remain in our hearts. It turns into “thanks-living” and brings about a life marked by service to God, a compassionate heart, a generous hand, and a spirit of contentment. As Paul tells you and me. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” We can give thanks to God through our words and our worship, but also through our actions. We thank God... · In every act of kindness to a stranger · in every word of encouragement to a suffering friend · in doing work that needs to be done without being asked · in forgiving the person who mistreated us · in helping those in need · in sharing God’s love and light with those around us · in giving with a cheerful heart So give thanks to the Lord. Give thanks with a grateful heart and always remember: Sing or speak: “Because you are God's chosen ones, because you are kept in his care: Clothe yourselves with mercy and kindness, humility, meekness and prayer. Bear with one another, forgive one another, forgive as the Lord forgives you. Over all these put on garments of love which will make your life over anew. By wisdom made perfect, instruct one another; Sing hymns to the Lord from your hearts. In all speech and action give thanks unto God, who to you all His blessings impart.” Amen.
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Yeon Shin
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