Pronouns seem to be all the PC rage these days. But for Thanksgiving, I think prepositions are important. They are short words, but they focus our thoughts with precision. So let me encourage you this year to use 3 prepositions as you celebrate in this time of giving thanks.
Thankful TO Is As Important as Thankful FOR
For the last several days, I have heard people talk about the many things for which they are thankful but fail to mention the One who is the giver of those thank-worthy things. Though lamentable, we might expect today’s secularist to leave God out of his celebration, but for the Christian to be thankful for things without thanking the Giver of those things comes dangerously close to idolatry. We can easily begin to worship the created things rather than the One who created them and forget that we are desperately dependent on Him for everything in our lives.
Psalm 100 is one of the most often read Bible chapters this time of year. David mentions the Lord in every line of the Psalm either directly by name or by pronoun referring to Him. This serves as a stark reminder that giving thanks is useless unless one gives thanks to the sources of those blessings.
Thanksgiving should be an occasion to praise the Giver of the blessings rather than worship the gifts themselves.
It is good to give thanks, but rather than merely giving thanks for the blessings you’ve received make a bigger deal of the One from whom you’ve received them. Worship HIM this thanksgiving rather than the things He has given you. Recognize God as the source of your blessings.
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise!
Give thanks to Him; bless His name!
For the Lord is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations.
Make Your Waiting Times Productive Times
I witnessed a funny sight the other day as I made hospital rounds. When I arrived at the elevators, a woman stood there waiting ahead of me. Since the up arrow light was on, I knew she had mashed the button at least once. While we waited for what must have been about 60 seconds, she mashed the button again four times – as if the more she mashed the button the faster the elevator would descend. Finally, just as she mashed it the fourth time, the doors opened. She probably still thinks the door opened when it did because she mashed the button for that fourth time.
We spend a lot of time waiting, doctors even have a room specifically for waiting. I guess that’s why they call us patients, because the we have to wait patiently for our appointment. We wait in checkout lines, we wait at traffic lights, we wait for customer service, we wait for the preacher to get through (and wait, and wait, and wait). We despise waiting, but since it is inevitable, why not learn to make waiting work for us. After all, the Bible speaks highly of waiting.
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