After The
How about a Thanksgiving devotional after the fact? Looking back, what is our response to what is my favorite holiday. I say my favorite because Thanksgiving still has the purity and the traditions of the past. It really has not changed all that much through the years. Maybe we should talk about Christmas another day!
I can only trust your Thanksgiving was with family and full of good memories.
One thing is probably for sure, we were all full of good food.
Our thanks to God for what we have is much more than saying thanks, though
I’m sure He likes hearing it once in a while.
It is only when our thanks is put into action…when we give to God and
to others…that we fully respond to God’s goodness.
Giving of our time, sharing in a relationship, reaching out to someone
in need…that is showing thanks to God.
Jesus healed ten lepers once…after a while one came back to worship Him.
Jesus obviously noticed because He said, “Does only one return to
give thanks to God? Where are the
other nine?” His response
implies He had an expectation of those men whose lives had been changed
forever. In the midst of their joy
and celebration, one would think their thoughts would eventually turn to
seeking out and serving the one who had made it all possible.
How much we are like them…happy beyond measure with what we have been
given, but spending so little time in serving and worshiping the giver.
God expects a response to His love. He
seeks to see a difference in the way we live our lives.
It’s so easy to say “thanks” without ever really realizing what
God has done for us. We are all
blessed beyond comprehension. It
ought to make a difference in the way we act…every day.
Each day is filled with opportunities to give to others…to meet a
need…to share a smile…to say, “I love you.”
All in the name of Jesus, who has given us everything…who has filled
our hearts with joy…who has given us strength in the face of diversity…who
gives us direction when we are lost…who give us companionship in the midst
of loneliness. As He has given to
us, may we now give to others. May
“Thanksgiving” be everyday in service to Him.