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Choosing to Give Thanks

 

Psalm 119:62 - At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. 

If you are in America on the fourth Thursday of November, there’s a good chance you’ll eat a big meal before the day is over. What began in 1621 as a conscience decision to give thanks to God was made a national day of thanksgiving in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. Today, Thanksgiving is a commercial and cultural institution in America.

Acts that are spontaneous and creative in the beginning often become formal and ritualistic. And it may be true of Thanksgiving in America. But it can also be true of thanksgiving in our personal lives. A quick way to determine whether your thanksgiving to God is creative and conscience, or rote and repetitious, is to examine when and where you give thanks to God. Is it only in church? Only during formal prayers? Only before you eat a meal? Or are there instances when you stop and give thanks to God at unplanned times?

Maybe we don’t rise at midnight to give thanks like the psalmist (119:62). But we should find ourselves giving thanks to God all during the day as events unfold. Ephesians 5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

The fourth Thursday in November is a great day to give thanks to God---just as are the other 364 days of the year!

From- “Holy Moments in the Presence of God” by David Jeremiah