Giving Thanks
Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
We have a tradition each year in deer camp and although most of it missed it this year, we generally all gather together and watch Jeremiah Johnson. If you have never seen it, it would be good to watch it and if you have seen it, you will understand this.
The movie is filled with great characters, Jeremiah Johnson, Del Gue, the Crazy Woman and last and certainly not least was Bear Claw Chris Lapp. Bear Claw in my opinion was my favorite character in the entire movie. He looks at life with a sense of skepticism and guarded optimism.
At one point in the movie Jeremiah and Bear Claw are sleeping around a fire and they had prepared the ground with hot coals to keep warm overnight. In the middle of the night Jeremiah's "hot-coal" bed sets fire to his blankets, Bear Claw looks up from his own bed and with a soft chuckle he says, “Didn't put enough dirt down. Saw it right off.” Bear Claw looks at everything with a refreshing view. He finds a twist of joy even in the smallest or worst of things… He seems thankful for all of it… even a life of solitude with no one else to hold him up day to day.
I would hope to have that same sense of thankfulness in every situation. We have so much and so many things to be thankful for and yet we take so much for granted. Why is it that those of us that have been so blessed so often look at the hard things and get down. I know that there are those that would argue that it is hard to be thankful… These people may have faced tough times and hard lives, but still there is much to be thankful for.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica he instructs them to be joyful and thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
How do we do this? How can we, when in the midst of a emotional or spiritual storm remain thankful and joyful? By taking our eyes off of our struggles and putting them on God. Surrounding ourselves with Christians that care about us, keeping in close contact with God through prayer and time in His Word.
King David was being hunted down by Saul, his son died, his best friend was killed in battle, he faced a son that wanted to kill him… Yet as hard has things were he praised God. Read the Psalms and see how down David was at times… Yet he praised Him in all things.
The first thanksgiving was a time that the pilgrims gathered to give thanks. They had so much to be down about. Many of their family had died in the first winter. They faced sickness and hardships that most Americans will never face. Yet, they gathered to that God for all He had done for them… that’s true thankfulness.
It’s thanksgiving… what are you thankful for today? What is that God has done to make you joyful? Lift up thanks to God for all that He has done for you. He gave His very own Son to die on your behalf and mine! What one of us could do that? Yet He was willing.
Today isn’t just a day called thanksgiving… It is a day for giving thanks! Praise God.
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