WORDS OF VICTORY
Lets Be Thankful
November 25, 2014

From the Pastor's Keyboard:
It’s that time of year again. Americans are being bombarded with advertisements for Christmas gifts long before the holiday season. The latest gadgets are pushed on Amazon.com. Stores have already announced their extended holiday shopping hours. Black Friday deals have been advertised, and people are feverishly making their tactical plans for getting to and from certain stores during the shopping madness they willingly fling themselves into. But in all of this, something has been forgotten, something very important. It’s the Thanksgiving Holiday. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving has taken a back seat to the Christmas shopping season, and has become little more than a bump in the road to Christmas. Though you may disagree, this forgetful attitude toward our Thanksgiving holiday is an indicator of our lack of thanks for the blessings of God upon ourselves and our Nation.
I remember celebrating Thanksgiving as a young child back in the hills of eastern Tennessee, both at home and in the public schools. We were told the traditional stories of the Pilgrims by our teachers and shared in a turkey and dressing meal in the lunch room. As a family we ate the traditional fare but were careful to return thanks unto God, in the best way we knew how, for his goodness another year. Then we’d eat and talk. And watch football. Yes, even then, our Thanksgiving celebration was eroding before my eyes, and I didn’t even know it. Sad to say, times certainly have changed but not for the better.
The Scriptures teach that being unthankful was one aspect that marked the downfall of mankind:

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Paul tells us that men clearly knew God in the beginning. The problem was that they did not give Him the glory due His name. As a result, their wisdom turned to foolishness, and they would give God’s glory unto gods of their own devising. Yet before their heart became dark enough to worship the creature over the Creator, Paul tells us that those men who knew the true God and His glory were not thankful. Get that: they knew Him; they knew His glory; yet they were not thankful. It sounds clear that mankind owed a debt to God for revealing Himself to them. God condescended to show Himself to men, but they refused to follow Him. Their thankless spirit was a result of the rebellion that was in their hearts.
Fast forward now to the first century A.D. where we find the Apostle Paul penning his last inspired letter. He warns Timothy of what is to come in the last days and has this to say:

2_Timothy 3:1, 2 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…

I’m certain you saw it. Paul said that one of the characteristics of men in these perilous, last days would be a thankless spirit. Thanklessness began man’s downward path away from the knowledge and glory of God, and now we see that it will also mark his end. Note how being unthankful is connected with men loving themselves, with pride, and with being blasphemers. It’s the same problem as at the beginning: man has heaped upon himself the glory that is due to God alone.
Our Lord connects man’s gratitude with the glory of God in his healing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). While on His way to Jerusalem, ten lepers cried out for Jesus to have mercy upon them. He then instructs them to show themselves to the priests, and as they went they were healed. While on their way, one, a Samaritan, discovered that he was healed, and turned back to thank Jesus, glorifying God with a loud voice. All ten were healed, but only one returned to thank Jesus for what He had done. Note carefully what Jesus said: only one “returned to give glory to God.” (Luke 17:18). Doubtless, Jesus was disappointed that only one cared enough to return thanks to God. But when the Samaritan did so, he rendered glory unto God for what He had done. Now here is where we learn a great truth: Jesus equates the giving of thanks with giving glory to God. That’s right; when we give thanks unto God for who He is and what He has done, we glorify him. Why is that? A thankful spirit removes any glory from self and places it back at the throne of God. Here Jesus corrects the problem of unthankfulness that has marked man since the Fall. The reason man’s thankless attitude is so wicked is that it steals what God rightfully deserves.
In conclusion, problem with being unthankful is that we rob God of His glory. I have no reservation in saying that man commits high treason against God when he refuses to give Him thanks for all that He has done. Man is his own god and refuses to submit to the Lordship of another. This Thanksgiving Day let us not fall into the trap of being unthankful. God has provided so much for us. He has given us the gift of His Son; He has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness; He has sealed us with the Holy Spirit until we reach heaven; He promised He would return and that we would be with Him forever (John 14:1-6; 1_Thessalonians 4:13-18). Yes we have much for which to return thanks unto God. This Thanksgiving Day – and every day for a child of God – let us give Him the glory due His name by offering unto Him our sincere prayer of thanksgiving for His blessing upon us.

Thankful for His Blessings,
Pastor John Nichols