What are you Thankful for?

What are you Thankful for?
Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrates being grateful. The pilgrims that came to this wonderful land but found their first winter very difficult and tragic. However, God provided for them in preparation for the next winter through the kindness and generosity of the Wampanoag Indians. The Indians taught the naive colonists about fishing, planting and hunting. With their help, the Pilgrims were ready for the winter cold. After a bountiful harvest, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag celebrated with a three day feast.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared a National Day of Thanksgiving. He hoped to help our country to heal after the tragic Civil War. So, he set apart the last Thursday in November, and declared, “We often forget the Source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come. … No human wisdom hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God. … 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.”
We in our world today face the same challenges that the Pilgrims faced so long ago. For their story carries the themes of our existence. We all face a struggle to survive, whether for ourselves, our families, even in our spiritual lives. We all need help to overcome the challenges that stand in our way. And just like then, God is there to provide for our needs.
The question is, “Will we respond to life’s challenges with the same noble resolve that they did?” They responded to the harshness of the their situation with hard work. They responded with cooperation. They treated each other with kindness and compassion. But the part of the story that we most often forget is that they responded with thankfulness.
What were the Pilgrims thankful for? There were so many things. They were thankful for the Wampanoag Indians, for the harvest, for their food, and for their survival. But they were not just grateful in general. They were thankful to God in specific. They were not afraid to admit that God is the source of all blessings. He had seen them across the great ocean. He had protected them through the first heart-rending winter. He taught them about new foods through the generous Wampanoag. It was God Who provided the bountiful harvest.
If we learn anything from the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, we should make sure that we are not just grateful, but that we are grateful to God. We need to recognize the Heavenly Father as the Giver of all good things.
We should thank God, but not just for the provision for our daily lives. More importantly, we need to acknowledge and rely on His provision for our spiritual lives. Being lost in tragedy and condemnation of our sin is worse than the horrible trials that the Pilgrims had to endure. For our sin has no remedy outside of the provision of God’s own Son Jesus Christ. However, just as God brought the Pilgrims help and salvation from harsh physical conditions, Jesus brings salvation from the absolute self destruction of man’s sin.
As the Pilgrims sat down in celebration with the Wampanoag, so Jesus wants to sit and commune with us spiritually. Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” He wants to come into your life and give you what you need most. He offers forgiveness from sin, adoption into the family of God, a home in Heaven, and escape from Hell. Most importantly, He will give you victory over sin, Satan, and your own selfish nature.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Why not call on the name of the Lord today and thank Him for all of His provision in you life? More importantly, thank God for His provision of salvation. If you want to have God’s salvation in your life, pray to God like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that I am a sinner and have disobeyed your laws. But I know that you love me and that Jesus died for me. Now, I ask you to come into my life and save me. Please, forgive me of all my sin. Please be the Lord of my life. In Jesus name, Amen.