Living Thankfully with God's Presents

Tomorrow a fixed commercial ethic will be breached. Stores will be open early Thanksgiving Day morning to kick off the Christmas shopping frenzy! Whether you choose to participate or not, it's only a matter of time before you begin your pursuit of those perfect presents to give your loved ones.

 

And did you know that Giving is divine! The Bible declares that God gives good and perfect presents: everything we need for living a godly life (James 1:17; 2 Pet 1:3-4). Paul fills in the details: the gift of salvation, of eternal life, of grace, and of Jesus Himself. Moreover, Christ has given us gifts to serve and encourage one another.

And if that's not enough, Jesus considers us a gift. Yes, He will “present to Himself a glorious church,” and “present her faultless before God” (Jude 24). Consequently, God asks us to “present our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice,” and to “present ourselves approved to God” (Rom 12:1, 2 Tim 2:15). Considering this present-rich environment, is it any wonder the Psalmist happily declares, “In His Presence (or is it presents?) is fullness of joy!” (16:11) Live THANKFULLY!

Pork and Beans

In the early years of marriage and ministry, the Lord supported us through a handful of regular supporters and the contributions of those we counseled. Some call that a ‘faith’ ministry, implying that ‘salaried’ folks don’t live by faith. Moreover, there is a general perception that ‘faith’ ministers are deprived. 
 

Thus it was one Thanksgiving that one of our invited dinner guests was asked by some friends if she knew anyone who needed a food basket for Thanksgiving.  She spontaneously said “Yes,” and arrived at our home on Thanksgiving Day with food basket in hand. That day I had to swallow my pride before I could swallow any turkey.

Even though we had already prepared a great turkey meal, I looked to see what delicacies our donors had afforded us, when, to my surprise, instead of a turkey and trimmings, was a basket full of canned foods, including a gallon can of pork and beans. There are two things worth noting: 1) as a small family we could never have eaten a gallon of pork and beans; and 2) I don’t like canned pork and beans.
 
That said, I think there are many times in life when we think we’re getting a roasted turkey, but we get pork and beans. I tried so hard to be grateful that day, reminding myself “every good gift is from above” (James 1:17), even pork and beans, metaphorically speaking, of course!

Gratitude without God?

When Congress passed legislation making Thanksgiving an official holiday, was it an attempt to codify feelings, i.e., ‘you must be thankful?’ No. Congress was only affirming thankfulness as a national core value, an expression of America’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

Does that mean non-Christians can’t be thankful? Well, of course not. But last century’s paradigm shift from a God-centered worldview to a man-centered one has secularized Thanksgiving far beyond a Pilgrim’s paradigm. The Pilgrims who celebrated that first Thanksgiving believed everything they had came from God, a gratitude built on a foundation of belief in God's Providence.

Of course the ungodly can be thankful. But unlike them, hopefully, you and I are like the original pilgrims who knew they were on a journey to something/someplace far greater than the things of this world. Thus, while our gratitude is rooted in the eternal, the natural man knows only situation and luck. Jonathon Edwards says “true gratitude or thankfulness … arises from a foundation of love to God whereas a natural gratitude has no such antecedent foundation.” Let us be thankful for what we have. But let us be more grateful for what awaits us.