But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord be exalted!” Psalm 40:16
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I really love turkey and pie and all the traditional food that makes up Thanksgiving, fellowship with family, a few days off, and did I mention pie? Significant things happen over pie!
On July 4 we celebrate our independence as a nation but on Thanksgiving we recognize that we are totally dependent on the Lord. Without Him we can do nothing. That is a good place to be…totally dependent on the Lord. When we are in that place of total dependence it is easier to give praise. When we are trusting in ourselves and our abilities we often lose that praise focus.
We should praise the Lord even if we face obstacles to our faith which we all do. If we are not careful our circumstances will rob us of our joy in Christ and we will forget to praise Him. Some of our obstacles may appear in our relationships, our health, our pride, our finances, or some besetting sin. It is easy to drift away from the Lord.
I heard a speaker say this week that we never drift toward holiness! I have found that to be very true in my own life. If we are not careful we will drift away from holiness and our relationship with the Lord. It will be subtle and slow… forgetting to have our quiet times, failing to open God’s Word, missing out on fellowshipping with other believers, slacking in our church attendance, but it will happen.
All of us have issues we need to take to the Lord in prayer.
Regardless of what we may be facing this Thanksgiving 2011, let Psalm 40:16 remind you to love your salvation. What a wonderful non-returnable gift God has given us. Salvation! Also don’t forget to always say, “The Lord be exalted!” He alone is worthy of our praise and thanks.
Put on your “praise garments” and exalt the Lord not only during the Thanksgiving season but every day. Make Thanksgiving a regular feature of your life and let it translate into Thanks-living as we exalt our King. Now let’s all sing count your blessings name them one by one and pass the pie please.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Keep the Son in your eyes,
Mike James
