Make Thanksgiving an everyday event

We celebrate Thanksgiving in many different ways across our great nation. Pounds of turkey, tons of stuffing, pumpkin everything dawn our dinner tables. Community events occur and a spirit of benevolence seems to take hold of us. We pause for a moment and ask that common question, ?What am I thankful for?? For one day or maybe even a couple of days we get it. The greatest success in life and those things we are most thankful for are the small things. The lists are long; our health, our family, our friends, our fill in the blank with your answer. This is where my mind has kind of been set for the past several days. Why aren?t we giving thanks every single day for these small things?

Give thanks with a grateful heart is a command in scripture. In it?s context, it means that our heart should not take for granted the things that God has done for us. All those little things that we give thanks for sitting around a dinner table on Thanksgiving, come from God. From the first breath of your newborn to the job that you have, God gave you those things because of his great love for you. Our attitude needs to reflect that. We have a great God who is not bound by the margins that we put him in. He is worthy of thanks not just on Thanksgiving. The Psalmist David wrote: I will extol the Lord at all times and His praise will continually come from my mouth. A continual praise and thanks to God.

How would that change the thought processes of the world today? If I recognize that it is not about me and what I have done, I lose my ego and my focus is changed and placed on other people before myself. My thoughts are changed from what I do not have to what I do have. The constant struggle for so many today is to achieve more, make more, do more, earn more, be recognized more, more, more, more. It drives parents to allow others to raise and impact their children instead of themselves. Those desires create disgust for what you currently have. Yes, we should strive for more but not at the expense of losing what is really important. So, how do we make Thanksgiving an every day event?

First and foremost, recognize that God is the giver of all things good. When you place him at the center and recognize his faithfulness to you, it makes you more aware exactly how involved he is in your life. Second, do things that matter. Do those things that draw you closer to God. It may sound cliche but prayer, reading your Bible, and going to church (not just on Christmas and Easter) are great things to start with. Lastly, change your vocabulary. Tough times will come and try to take our focus off of what really matters. When those times come, let the words that come from your mouth be praises. You are not thanking God for the tragedy or the misfortune, but you are thanking him that he will help you come through that event. At every step then be quick to thank God for his help and his faithfulness to see that you are taken care of. You cannot give God enough thanks.

Make Thanksgiving an everyday event. The faithfulness of God is so amazing. If you are looking for a church, we would love for you to come check us out here at Washington First Assembly of God. We are located at 1602 E. Washington St across from the bowling alley. Our service times are Sundays at 10 AM and 6PM and Wednesday evenings at 7PM. There is something for the whole family. If you have any questions you can find us on Facebook or call us at 319 653-3749. May God Bless you and Happy Thanksgiving.