Happy X-giving!

Psalm 107 (New International Version)

 ¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever........

 ¹⁰ Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
   prisoners suffering in iron chains, ¹¹ because they rebelled against God’s commands
   and despised the plans of the Most High. ¹² So he subjected them to bitter labor;
   they stumbled, and there was no one to help. ¹³ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he saved them from their distress. ¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
   and broke away their chains. ¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind, ¹⁶ for he breaks down gates of bronze
   and cuts through bars of iron.

This is Thanksgiving week. I love Thanksgiving. It is the best holiday of the year. I know Christmas gets all the press. It has been over run by the secular world to such an extent it's hard to recognize it. Easter is wonderful and holds such a wonderful place in the heart of all Christians. But, it too has been over run by secular society. Of course, WE all know the true purpose and regardless of how precious the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus, we know the reason for the season. 
But, Thanksgiving. There's no name issues. Have you ever heard anyone say "Happy X-giving" This great holiday doesn't get lost in how much we spend or trying to decide the perfect gift. We don't have to fight battles over innocent manger scenes, or try to explain the significance of an egg as a christian symbol.


Thanksgiving is...........well........... about being Thankful! 


We can list so many things to be thankful for. As Christians we should be so overwhelmed with thankfulness that we could never list them all. God should be the center of all our Thankfulness. God loves us so much that even when we cause our own suffering, he is there to rescue us. These verses say it all. We have put ourselves in a prison because of rebelling against God and fighting his plans for us. We try as hard as we can to take God out of everything we do. We try to take God out of Christmas. We try to take God out of Easter. We try to take God out of our daily lives. Finally, when we get tired of the suffering, we fall back to him for help. How many times have I done that? Too many to count. Yet, our amazing God, loves us. His love ENDURES forever. Why use the word ENDURE? It endures because we do everything we can to fight against that love. We go from one selfish act to another. God just keeps on loving! 


I am so thankful for a God who loves me even when I don't show him that same love. I am so thankful for a God who loves me so much that he sacrificed his only son to rescue me from my own sin. I am Thankful for a God who has blessed me so abundantly I am embarrassed by it. Thank You Lord! I will be thankful, always!