2022.11.13 - A Reason To Be Thankful

Text: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Opening Statement: To harvest crops is to bring them in, out of the cold and storms. Harvesting is a sheltering, a keeping after growing is done and a celebration at year’s end. In the Old Testament, the harvest was observed by the feast of Succoth or the Feast of Booths. The feast was a reminder of God’s bountiful goodness and the blessing of God’s providence in the lives of his people. We celebrate Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving, as farmers and families are giving thanks for a bountiful yield, as in the days of old, we pause to ask ourselves: • What, in our lives, by divine grace, has been safely gathered in, sheltered from the storms of life? • What relationships have been restored? • What financial difficulties have been resolved? • What health problems have been cleared up? Now that is “A Reason to Be Thankful!” Let’s consider three reasons to be thankful today. I) A reason to be thankful is remembering God is the source of all good things. The ability to give thanks with a joyful heart begins with recognizing God as the source of all good things and that God is always faithful toward his children. James 1:17 Remembering what God has done, made possible, or mercifully prevented doesn’t just provide us with a sense of self-satisfied gratitude. Rather, the writer of Deuteronomy teaches to remember, which is the first step to thankfulness. We are to remember God is the one who is faithful and provides, not us. II) A reason to be thankful is sharing God’s gifts and blessings with others. Few farmers hoard what they harvest. Jesus tells us about one and it didn’t end well for him in Luke 12:16-21 They must part with their crops so that both they and their neighbor may eat. As Christians, we can’t hold on to what isn’t ours to start with. Psalm 24 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, and they that dwell therein.” Sharing God’s generosity with others is the very act of giving thanks. Giving thanks is sharing God’s blessings with others. III) A reason to be t