“I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Corinthians 1:4
I enjoy Thanksgiving; digging into the dark meat of the bird, enjoying jellied rather than berried cranberry sauce, plopping a large wad of mashed taters with turkey gravy on my plate and we cannot forget the stuffing. We look forward to time off from work and uninterrupted time with our families. We see siblings, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, grandparents, friends … the doors are open for whosoever will enter. The desserts are always over the top. Dieters beware for there will be no weight loss on a day such as this; and football on the tellie. Pro games, college games, basketball games … sports of all kinds for the day. We cannot forget the traditional high school rivalry football game, which seems indigenous only to certain areas of the country; New Jersey being one. All these things are fun and there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of it (as if you needed my approval, right?).
On Thanksgiving some folks recount the first meal between Pilgrims and Indians, a part of our national heritage. Some are grateful for our country. Many are thankful to God for the bounty He has bestowed upon them during the past year. It is true that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the many blessings we have in our lives. In most cases patriarchs speak of the blessing of family, financial gains, comfortable living accommodations and good health and thank God for them; but what of the blessing of God’s grace. There is no doubt that many mention this in their Thanksgiving Day speeches before opulent tables filled with a feast fit for a king. Frankly, everyday should be thanksgiving for the Christian, for it is on each day of the year we experience the result of God’s undeserved favor; His grace.
Unmerited favor; being given something we scarcely deserve and neglect to fully appreciate. Without the grace of God we would not have found Christ or had sins forgiven thus permitting us a blanket pardon for all our misdeeds. Without the grace of God we would be lost and while we would have celebrated Thanksgiving nonetheless, something within us would have been missing. I believe Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are times of deep inner contemplation for the Christian. We ponder the greatness of God, the wonder of His mercy and seemingly unlimited patience with us, and His grace. God knows us better than we could ever know ourselves. He knows we will eat too much and fall asleep on the couch or in the recliner with the football game on the TV. He also knows our propensity to forget the most obvious things. May God cause us to pause and reflect on His goodness, mercy and grace toward us during this time of year in particular and throughout the year as well.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing!!
