Psalm 50:14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and pay your vows to the Most High.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. With no distractions like exchanging gifts or hunting Easter eggs, the focus is truly on the family. There is nothing better than gathering with the ones I love the most, sharing a festive meal, and being thankful to God for all His many blessings.
Traditionally, my parents have always hosted the Thanksgiving feast. Now that they are getting up in years, my husband and I thought it was high time for us to take up the gauntlet.
Mom's only responsibilities this year will be to bake and bring her incomparable apple pies (I am drooling already!) and to simply enjoy herself. And, for once, my parents will be the ones going home with the leftovers!
To mark this change of venue, I've decided to introduce what I hope will become a new family custom. Each person will be asked to share one thing in the past year for which they are most grateful.
Yes, I will be fair and warn everyone of this change beforehand.
It's easy to begin listing all the things for which we are thankful, but it takes time and thought to choose only one which takes precedence over the others. I know I need time to ponder this myself!
I'm also planning, for the entire month of November, to post something I am thankful for that day at the end of my blog. Setting aside one special day to give thanks to the Lord who provides is all well and good. But, it is something we should be doing faithfully every single day.
God desires and deserves our praise and thanksgiving.
When you say your prayers today, remember to praise Him. Remember to thank Him.
"Give thanks to God for all He has done;
Our hearts overrun with praise.
Give thanks to God for His love will last
From age to endless age." ~ Kathy Hill
Readings
Psalms 50 or (59,60), 103
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Revelation 5:11-6:11
Matthew 13:18-23
Gratitude is a quality I've quite recently learn to make a part of me. It works miracles. I always remember a phrase I read some place 'the more you give thanks, the more you will have to give thanks for'. I think it's a lovely idea to think of one thing to be grateful for every day of the month! Thanks for the inspiration, Martha and God bless you.
ReplyDeleteThat is an easy question for me to answer. I am thankful for my health and that of my wife and friends. With health, one has every blessing of God within reach. But first comes health. Thank you, Lord, for health.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, Martha, for the reminder to give thanks.
Giving thanks and saying the same to others have been ingrained to us from the time we were young.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we do tend to forget to express gratitude and thanksgiving is a great way to express it.
I am trying to think of what I am most grateful for this year. It's been a tough one for me.
ReplyDeletei think it is giving for all to be giving to him our thanks for his giving god bless
ReplyDeleteGratitude is something that is over looked. It is something that is thought of on a few days of the year. I like the idea of being grateful for one thing a day...
ReplyDeleteThank You
So often we forget to thank god for all that he has given us. We tend to remember him only during bad and trying times. I have so much to thank god for and I do in my ow little way.
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm really blessed to have read this today. You have caused me to look at Thanksgiving through new eyes. It's usually all about getting dates set for the holidays to suit all sides of the families for us. But not now, now I see it as the holiday of choice. As you said "no distractions of gifts or easter eggs". It is a time to reflect on that "one" thing we are thankful for. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, everyone, I am overwhelmed by these beautiful comments!
ReplyDelete@Corinne - I agree! A gratitude attitude works wonders!
@Hank - Too often, we take our health for granted; so glad you mentioned it as something we should be grateful for.
@Janu - Thanksgiving is such a special reminder of how we should practice more thankfulness.
@Ann - Sorry to hear this year has been hard for you. Praying things will look up!
@Roy - always and everywhere, we should be thankful to God.
@Savira - so glad you liked the idea of being thankful for one thing each day. Can't wait to share these and read everyone's input.
@Rimly - So true! We tend to go our merry way when all is sweetness and light, forgetting who guides our steps. Being thankful for His love everyday is so important!
@Lily - So glad today's post blessed you! I'm happy to hear Thanksgiving has become your holiday of choice. :)
Today, I'm thankful for all of you!!!
Blessings!
"Thank you, God!" is my constant prayer. In fact, when my son was little, if I started praying it with particular passion, saying, "Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God," under my breath, then M.T. would ask, "What's wrong, Mama?" haha! Meaning that he had figured out that I would up the affirmation of gratitude when times were tough ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi, Linda!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and sharing this great story. :) I love how your little guy figured this out!
Yes, in everything, give thanks!
Blessings!
Wonderful post Martha, and I have no doubt that God's presence will be well received at your home that day.
ReplyDeleteEarlier this year, I decided to make each Thursday post at PhatherPhil.org "Thankful Thursday". On those posts, I list out 15 things that I've been thankful for over the course of the previous week. It's been a wonderful exercise to focus on the amazing gifts in my life, and serves to refocus me on God's grace when things are seeming more bleak.
Great post!
Have a Blessed Day!
Thanks, Phather Phil, for stopping by today!
ReplyDeleteYes! I have truly enjoyed your Thursday posts as they make me ever mindful of all the things in our lives we should be grateful for. We should, as Christians, give thanks, always and everywhere and in every situation.
Blessings!
I agree with everything except one word. I do not think that God "desires" our praise; or maybe it is because my mind jumps to the word desire equates to the word need.
ReplyDeleteHi, David! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, I used the word desire because He does want our love. No, He certainly doesn't need it to be who He is. But, since He loved us first and gave His only Son that we might be reconciled to Him, I will stand on the word "desire". :)
Blessings to you!
I'm thankful for my health and my husband. I'm also so thankful knowing both my parents are with God. They were true believers and that is such a comfort to me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mariscamera.blogspot.com/
Well the article was wonderful and I'm in agreement that words have multiple meanings. Bless you for your commitment to this site.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mari, and hi, again, David!
ReplyDeletePlease forgive me for not getting back to you sooner - sometimes, I forget to go back to former posts after the day has passed.
@Mari - So great to see you here! You are thankful for exactly the right things. I will be sure to check out your blog!
@David - Thanks for being such a loyal supporter; it means so much!
Blessings!
Hello.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post...that turkey looks mighty delicious & apple pie is high on the list of my all-time favorite desserts.
I am thankful to be alive another day to share in the beauty of life, love and friendship.
Thanks for sharing & visiting. I appreciate it.
The Beautiful Winds Of India
I think one of the greatest lessons my father taught me was to be thankful and to express that thanksgiving to others and I am very thankful for his example. I truly believe that having a thankful heart opens the door to favor with God and others.
ReplyDelete