Can you believe it. it’s right upon us – tomorrow is Blackfridayeen – you know, the day before Black Friday. Hopefully with all of this excitement around the day, you still find a few moments of time to be grateful for all the blessings that you have been bestowed with.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, Psalm 103:2 ESV
Let’s get the Thanksgiving week going with this video about the Thanksgiving chair:
What a great reminder and example of a great attitude towards thankfulness, not just this week, but all the time. Let’s use this week to help transform our thinking and approach to thanksgiving!
18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 New Living Translation (NLT)
It’s the day of thanks! Make sure you spend a few minutes to look past the turkey, the Detroit Lions and the pumpkin pie to remember the things you are thankful for! And to remember where those blessings come from!
Psalm 100 (New International Version, ©2010)
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Its Black Friday, and I am up writing emails, not hitting the stores for the deals! There is something about waiting in line outside of a store in the middle of the night, in the cold weather, waiting to go in to shop that’s appealing, however, some of the deals out there are pretty impressive. Of course tweets like this from WRCB show some of the madness of this day:
WRCB
NEWSROOM: Just learned Starbucks on Hamilton Place opened at 2:30 on this Black Friday morning.
Anyway, I hope no matter what shopping events you get into today, that you remember that you are of Christ, and to continue bath this Thanksgiving weekend in praise for the One who provided it all.
Psalm 63:1-8 (New International Version)
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Its Thanksgiving. I hope you take some time today in between walks, runs, turkey, the Lions, turkey, family, turkey, movies, turkey and naps to consider the blessings you have in this wonderful world that God has given us. And most importantly, remember the free gift of salvation you have been given!
My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace (Chris Tomlin Amazing Grace)
Our chains are gone! That’s something to be thankful for. Live free, and enjoy the day, enjoying the harvest you have been blessed with!
22-25 “Do you have any idea how powerful God is?
Have you ever heard of a teacher like him?
Has anyone ever had to tell him what to do,
or correct him, saying, ‘You did that all wrong!’?
Remember, then, to praise his workmanship,
which is so often celebrated in song.
Everybody sees it;
nobody is too far away to see it. 26 “Take a long, hard look. See how great he is—infinite,
greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out! (Job 36:22-26, The Message)
Happy Thanksgiving!