Good morning. As we look at God’s word today, we are going to get away from the 3:16 series for this morning, and then we will hit 1 or 2 more in the weeks to come. But today, with Thanksgiving approaching, we are going to address the topic of thankfulness.
Before we get started, would you pray with me?
One of the most beautiful Psalms of thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and follow along as I read. Here in Psalm 100:1-5 it says, “1”
It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for New Years. But there is another list we often overlook, a Thanksgiving Day list of all we are thankful for.
Let me read a part of the list that several housewives compiled. They wrote that they were especially thankful:
"For automatic dishwashers because they make it possible for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back in for their after-dinner snacks.”
"For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house because they usually make them big enough to call in the professionals.”
"For children who put away their things & clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents.”
"For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.”
"For Smoke alarms because they let you know when the turkey’s done.”
Now our list might not be the same as theirs, but I’m convinced that if we began to make a list, we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful for than just our material possessions.
Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate a battle or anyone’s birthday or anniversary. It is simply a day set aside to express our Nation’s thanks to our Nation’s God.
Credit for establishing this day as a national holiday is usually given to Sarah J. Hale, editor and founder of the Ladies' Magazine (from 1828) in Boston. Her editorials in the magazine and letters to President Lincoln urging the formal establishment of a national holiday of thanksgiving resulted in Lincoln's proclamation in 1863, designating the last Thursday in November as the day. Succeeding presidents annually followed his example, except for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in 1939 proclaimed Thanksgiving Day a week earlier -- on the fourth but not the last Thursday -- to encourage holiday shopping. In 1941, Congress adopted a joint resolution setting the date on the fourth Thursday.
A traditional Thanksgiving dinner takes place yearly at the White House and in almost every American home. Roasted turkey and pumpkin pie has become the symbols of this festival. Schools and businesses close for this day of family reunion and national, giving of thanks.
In 1789, George Washington made this public proclamation. Here is part of what it said,
“By the President of the United States of America. A proclamation: Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor, - and Whereas, Both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”
“Now, Therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
This Thursday our nation pauses once again to give thanks. And one would assume that because of the example of our forefathers, and because we today have so much, that we would be an extremely thankful people.
But it is often just the opposite, isn’t it? The more we get, the less thankful we become, the less mindful of God we become, and the more we want. Many times people simply focus on the negative things of everything and never stop to notice or thank God for the good things.
The story is told of 2 farmers. One was a pessimist, the other an optimist. The optimist would say, “Wonderful sunshine.” The pessimist would respond, “Yes, but I’m afraid it’s going to scorch the crops.”
The optimist would say, “Fine rain.” The pessimist would respond, “Yes, but I’m afraid we’re going to have a flood.”
One day the optimist said to the pessimist, “Have you seen my new bird dog? He’s the finest money can buy.” The pessimist said, “You mean that mutt I saw penned up behind your house. It didn’t look like much to me.”
The 2 went hunting with the dog the next day. They shot some ducks. The ducks landed in the pond. The optimist ordered his dog to get the ducks. The dog obediently responded and instead of swimming in the water the dog walked on top of the water, retrieved the ducks, and walked back on top of the water with the ducks.
The optimist turned to his friend and said, “Now, what do you think of that?” The pessimist replied, “Hmm, he can’t swim can he?”
Only looking for negative things can keep us from being thankful. I think that the 100th Psalm was written to deal with that attitude, to remind us of our need to be thankful, and to maintain an attitude of gratitude.
The 100th Psalm was written for the people of Israel. God said to them, “When you come into the promise land, and settle down in your warm homes, and you have plenty to eat, don’t forget Me. I led you out of the wilderness and I brought you into a land flowing with milk and honey.”
It doesn’t take long to realize that the people of Israel needed a reminder, and we need it, too.
Maybe God had us in mind, too, when this Psalm was written. Did you notice to whom it is addressed? The first verse says that it is addressed to "all the earth," and the last verse says that it is includes "all generations."
This message of thanksgiving is so deep and wide that it applies to every person in every era in every stage of life. I think also that there is a real danger in this season of determining our thanksgiving on the basis of how much we have.
“Do I have enough turkey to feed myself sufficiently? Is my money in the bank secure? Am I healthy?” And we let these things determine whether we are or aren’t thankful.
The Psalmist says that all of these things may change at any time. They may drift away, or burn up, or someone may steal them. The only thing we have for sure is our relationship with the Lord.
And that is what the 100th Psalm emphasizes. In verse 1 you’ll find the name of the Lord. In verse 2 you’ll find the name of the Lord. In verse 3 you’ll find the name of the Lord. In verse 4 it says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving.” And in verse 5 you’ll find the name of the Lord. The basis of our thanksgiving is the Lord.
Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, “Why is that there?” Alex Haley answered, “Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words and think that they are wonderful, and begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post and remember that he didn’t get there on his own. He had help.”
That is the basis of thankfulness, to remember that we got here with the help of God.
Now, as we look more carefully at this Psalm, we find that there is a series of 5 commands given.
The first command is in verse 1, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.”
It means to shout with the force of a trumpet blast, a shout of joy to the Lord that comes from the very depths of your being.
Maybe He solved your problem. Maybe He has given you the direction to go. Maybe He has provided a blessing and you realize that it has come from God. So from the depths of your being you proclaim your praise.
Roland Allen tells about a veteran missionary who came up to him one day after he had delivered his sermon. The missionary introduced himself and said, “I was a medical missionary for many years in India. And I served in a region where there was progressive blindness. People were born with healthy vision, but there was something in that area that caused people to lose their sight as they matured.”
But this missionary had developed a process that would stop progressive blindness. So people came to him and he performed his operation, and they would leave realizing that they would have become blind, but now they were going to be able to see for the rest of their lives.
He said that they never said, “Thank you,” because that phrase was not in their language. Instead, they spoke a word that meant, “I will tell your name.” Wherever they went, they would tell the name of the missionary who had cured their blindness. They had received something so wonderful that they eagerly proclaimed it.
And that is what the Psalmist is saying. “Suddenly you realize that God has been so good to you that you can’t keep it inside any more. From the depths of your being you shout your joy unto the Lord.”
The second command is, “Worship the Lord with gladness.” Other versions say, “Serve the Lord with gladness.”
It doesn’t say “Serve the church.” It doesn’t say, “Serve the preacher, or the leaders, or the organization.” It says, “Serve the Lord.”
The Bible teaches that if we witness on behalf of the Lord, if we feed the hungry, if we clothe the naked, if we do the work of the Lord, whatever it might be, we are serving the Lord.
Jesus said, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.”
I’m not sure that we grasp that idea. Maybe we serve at times out of a feeling of obligation or a fear of guilt if we don’t serve. Or maybe we serve because we want to draw attention to ourselves.
It’s natural for us to desire appreciation when we do something that is worthwhile. But the Psalmist says, “In whatever you do, serve the Lord with gladness.”
The third command is, “Come before Him with joyful songs.” Another passage says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.”
Have you noticed, in these first 3 commands, God has said, “I want you to be happy, shout with joy, serve with gladness, and come with joyful songs.”
Now just take a moment and look at the people around you. Do they look happy? Do they look joyful?
The Psalmist says, “Come before Him and serve Him and sing His praise with joy in your heart.”
Command #4 is, “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”
First, God took every bone, every joint, and He welded them together with muscles and covered them with skin and gave us eyes that see, some of us where given brains that think, and fingers that can pick things up. God made us, inside and out. He made you the way He wanted you to be, and He made me the way He wanted me to be.
And He is still making us. That is important. He’s not satisfied with the unfinished product. He’s not satisfied with your temper. He’s not satisfied with the weak areas of your life where you are giving in to temptation. So He’s still making us. He’s still working on our lives.
God is your maker, and you are created in His image. Therefore give Him thanks for who you are.
Second, He says, “We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” Most of us want to be shepherds, not sheep. “It’s not any fun being sheep,” we say. But the problem is, we don’t know where the still waters and the green pastures are. And every time we go out searching for them, we end up lost.
He is saying, “You be the sheep. Let me be the shepherd, and I will lead you beside the still waters and the green pastures. Just let me lead.”
And finally, Command #5 is to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever. His faithfulness continues through all generations.”
In the Old Testament the temple symbolized the presence of God. So whenever the people came to the temple and entered the courtyards they knew that they had come into the presence of God.
Now that temple no longer exists. But now God is everywhere. He is with you as you drive on the highway. He is with you when you work. He is with you as you care for your children. He is with you at school. He is with you every moment of your life.
That is the source of our thanksgiving, isn’t it? But I’m worried. What if God began to treat us like we so often treat Him? What if God met our needs to the same extent that we give Him our lives?
What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain? What if God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others? What if God took away His message because we wouldn’t listen to His messenger?
What if He wouldn’t bless us today because we didn’t thank Him yesterday? What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call for service? What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we did not follow Him today?
We need to be thankful about Psalm 103:10 when it says, “you do not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”
In conclusion, Max Lucado tells about living as an American in Brazil. One day, as he was walking along the street on his way to the University to teach a class, he felt a tug on his pants leg. Turning around, he saw a little boy about 5 or 6 years old with dark beady eyes and a dirty little face. The little boy looked up at the big American and said, “Peo, Senor. Bread, Sir.” There was a little beggar boy, and Lucado said, “There are always little beggar boys in the streets of Brazil. Usually I turn away from them because there are so many, and you can’t feed them all.
But there was something so compelling about this little boy that I couldn’t turn away. So, taking his hand, I said, “Come with me,” and I took him into a coffee shop.”
He told the owner, “I’ll have a cup of coffee and give the boy a piece of pastry, whatever he wants.” Since the coffee counter was at the other end of the store, he walked on, and got a cup of coffee, forgetting about the little boy because beggar boys usually get the bread and then run back out into the street and disappear.
But this one didn’t. After he received his pastry, he went over to the big American and just stood there until Lucado felt his staring eyes. Lucado said, “I turned and looked at him. Standing up, his eyes just about hit my belt buckle. Then slowly his eyes came up until they met mine.” The little boy, holding his pastry in one hand, looked up and said, “Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.”
Lucado said, “I was so touched by the boy’s thanks that I would have bought him the store. I sat there for another 30 minutes, late for my class, just thinking about a little beggar boy who came back and said, “Thank you.””
Now I wonder if God feels the same way? I wonder if His heart bubbles inside when we, His children, all beggars, come to Him and say, “Thank you, Sir. Thank you very much.”
Let’s Pray
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned-- the dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became an infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all---would you pass the gravy, please! |
