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During the holiday bustle, remember to give thanks
Life is always busy, but now that the holidays are upon us it is busier than ever. Preparing for Thanksgiving Day can be a real undertaking with all the cooking, cleaning, shopping, decorating and possibly traveling.
Usually we are glad that we have gone through the trouble, but those glad feelings are often joined with thoughts of doing things differently next year. After it is all over, while reflecting on the time and effort it takes to get you to that point, ask yourself these questions, "Did I honestly express my thankfulness for the good things in my life?" and, "Who was the focus of all this effort?"
In the fourth chapter of Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church, he explains that all his efforts were for the sake of others (2nd Corinthians 4:15). He saw himself as a servant and was willing to sacrifice his own self-interests because he was thankful that God had opened his eyes to the truth of Jesus Christ.
Paul endured various hardships and trials as he went about his work, but this was the price he was willing to pay for the good of others who could not help themselves. The ultimate goal of Paul's work was to spread the grace of God to all people, so that all people would give thanks to God and that God would be glorified through the thanksgiving.
True thanksgiving does not happen in one day, it cannot and we should not think it could. For example, consider the wedding ceremony; this ritual is only a symbolic expression of marriage. A true marriage consists of daily devoting yourself to the one you made a commitment to.
This is not to say that you feel like being devoted every day, those feelings come and go. True love and devotion are not shown by the feelings you have for someone at a particular time, these are shown by your everyday actions.
Let this Thanksgiving Day be the start of a new commitment to give true thanks for your blessings by selflessly serving others, not just one day but everyday, so that grace can spread to all for the glory God, who is the giver of all good things.
Rev. Jason P. Foster
Temple Baptist Church - Winnsboro |
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