Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

 

Dear Rev. Graham: Our family was reminiscing last Thanksgiving about how this day of blessing has changed through the generations. When I was a child back in the 1950s, we assembled around a bountiful table at my grandparents, and my uncle would lead us in the hymn “We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing.” Today, we gather around the television to eat and watch football. We decided this year to forgo football and gather around the table giving thanks to the Lord. I pray my grandchildren will see the value in setting this day apart from all the distractions the world offers. What would God want to hear us say on Thanksgiving? – B.T.

 

Dear B.T.: God delights in giving and He desires our praise and acknowledgment that everything good comes from Him. Everything. We may work hard for them, but God is the Provider and He gives them to remind us of His goodness and our constant dependence on God. The bread and the blessings are from Him.

God owns all we have, and it is our responsibility to manage everything in an acceptable way that brings glory to Him. But the most important thing we should remember is that we are God’s possession and that He wants to fill us with His truth. We should bless Him by living lives that point others to His goodness.

Whether in a season of need or plenty, we must keep our eyes on the Lord. All of God’s generosity should drive us to thanksgiving – it should be a daily part of life. Envy and greed starve on a steady diet of thanksgiving! The Bible tells us to give thanks always, in all circumstances, because it pleases Jesus Christ (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

————

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)