I finished reading a devotional book called "31 Days of Praise" that has inspired me to write on a very related and inter-connected topic: Thanksgiving. As this coming week unfolds leading up to our Canadian Thanksgiving celebration, my inspiration will be poured into blogging what God helps me discover through His Word. I hope God brings you, dear Reader, along on this journey of discovery, as well.
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Genesis 4:3 & 4 "In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering..."
Parents often teach their children the polite terms "please" and "thank you" in Vocabulary 101. Initially it is an instruction for proper social behaviour.
As we get older, one of our first responses to receiving something is to give back. An offering. An action to show gratitude for the thing given.
So whether from a natural heart attitude or a family's teaching, we learn to "give thanks" at a very early age. We learn to say it verbally, and later to give in return.
The first biblical account of thanksgiving is the story of Cain and Abel. Although tragic in its outcome for the brothers, this is what I see in the passage for us today.
Thanksgiving is about "giving". Without going into the theology behind why Cain's offering was rejected and Abel's was accepted by the Lord God, I see they both gave something. They gave out of what God had provided for them. Cain offered from his crops; Abel offered from his flocks.
In Psalm 136 the writer expresses thankfulness for twenty-six verses!
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."
Expressing thanks to the Lord is both an action and an attitude, as well. Knowing what I know about my Lord, He desires the heart of thanksgiving first and foremost, and longs for us to give back to Him and to others out of a heart of appreciation and generosity and love. Not out of duty or obligation, nor out of guilt or manipulation.
I knew someone who, as a teenager and brand new Christian, saw an advertisement for child sponsorship in a third world country. Moved by the need, he gave. It cost most of his allowance. Not consciously thinking the action through, it was purely a response to Jesus having touched his life and giving him so much. His gratitude took the form of a physical and emotional offering.
Day 1 ~ What am I "giving" this Thanksgiving? What can I offer to the Lord?
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