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Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope your potatoes are peeled, floors are washed, your turkey is defrosted and stuffed, and hopefully you and your family will be together soon. 


But what is Thanksgiving is really about? 

Many answer this question with one of the three “F’s” - Food, Family, or Football. When pressed for a deeper answer, some might even refer to the first Thanksgiving and talk about the Pilgrims and Indians. However, I am afraid we often forget to add another "F," the most important part of the first and every thanksgiving – Faith! 

In Psalm 100:1,4 we are instructed to come before God with Thanksgiving. The Psalmist writes,  “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. - Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Yet, far too often when Thanksgiving is taught, talked about, and even celebrated faith is left out completely! 

This is not only is sad, it is a departure from the origins of thanksgiving. Dr. Alex McFarland said, 
“America’s founding fathers believed that individuals and nations should give thanks to their Creator. Public praises and petitions—specifically to the biblical God—have long been part of our culture. But in our lifetimes, that foundation has eroded.”
"it is announced in the Holy Scriptures & proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, by the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. . . . I therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States . . . to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” 
Nearly 150 years later these words still ring true. 

Have you forgotten the most important element of thanksgiving? If so, there is still time to heed the words of Psalm 100. Stop, reflect, and give thanks to the Lord today. I believe Katherine K Davis in her hymn “Let All Things Now Living” captures the sentiment best… she writes
Let all things now living A song of thanksgiving To God the creator triumphantly raise, Who fashioned and made us, Protected and stayed us, Who still guides us on to the end of our days. God’s banners are o’er us, His light goes before us, A pillar of fire shining forth in the night, Till shadows have vanished And darkness is banished, As forward we travel from light into light. 
His law He enforces, The stars in their courses And sun in its orbit obediently shine; The hills and the mountains, The rivers and fountains, The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him divine. We too should be voicing Our love and rejoicing; with glad adoration a song let us raise Till all things now living Unite in thanksgiving: “To God in the highest, hosanna and praise.”
Join me in giving thanks to our Great God for all the amazing things He has done!


As we face the start of this week, I’m sure many of you, just like me, have much to get done in order to be ready for Thanksgiving this Thursday. For some, it requires packing and traveling some distance to spend time with family, while others are expecting a house filled with family and friends. 

As a result, there is plenty to be accomplished in order to ensure your house is ready for your guests. Floors need to be washed and linens cleaned, enough food must be bought, thawed, and cooked at the right time, adequate sitting and tableware for everyone must be secured and sleeping arrangements finalized. As the “Must Do” list grows and appears impossible to finish, it becomes increasingly difficult to be thankful for anything, let alone find quiet time to spend with God. Yes, as I reflect on the busyness of the season, I am reminded of Luke 10:38-42, where Jesus and his disciples drop in on their friends Mary and Martha. Luke says, 

 "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!""

Undoubtedly this was a large task to be completed. An entire meal for at least 15 people. Even with our modern kitchens and appliances, this would not be an easy or quick thing to accomplish. And here, Martha was left all alone in the kitchen to make all the preparations by herself while her sister lazily sat and visited with the guests. How could she do such a thing? As Martha worked in the kitchen, her frustration grew, and emotions boiled over until she burst into the room where Jesus was and demanded Him to instruct her sister to leave and help her with the preparations. 

However, Christ lovingly looks back and correct her. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." 

Martha was so wrapped up in the tyranny of the urgent - she forgot that the Son of God, Jesus Christ Himself, was at her house. She was so focused on her tasks she neglected to spend time with Christ. 

Here Jesus doesn’t admonish her for preparing a meal, but reminds her there is something much more important than the feast she was preparing; that there is only one thing in life that really, truly matters, and it can never be taken away: time with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For it is more important to feed the soul than to feed the body. 

See, it is easy to become overwhelmed and distracted by all work and pressures of life, especially during the holidays. Despite all there is to do, there is only one important thing that must never be left undone; time spent in prayer and reading God’s Word. 

This week, would you place time with Jesus on the top of your MUST DO list? Would you put down the mop and broom for a few moments each day this week and spend time in God’s Word and in prayer? Ask Him to realign your priorities, and help to restore an attitude of thanksgiving this season. 

May you take time each day for the Best: Jesus Christ.

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