Verse of the Month
“Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully
about His glorious acts.” (Psalm
107:21-22 NLT)
Scripture Reading: Hebrews
13:16
Thanksgiving
Giving
Each year Christians in America set
apart one special day to give thanks to the Lord for the bounty of crops for
that season with a celebration that mainly focuses on the meal. However, that wasn’t the case for this yearly festival.
In the beginning days of
thanksgiving observed by the settlers, it was centered around prayer not a
dinner table. At the end of
the fall crops harvest the Pilgrims shared in their bounty of blessings with
those around them. They practiced the
act of giving graciously of their firstfruits as an offering unto God.
“Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the
firstfruits of
all thine increase.” (Proverbs 3:9 NKJV)
Scriptures were acted upon when
they “communicated” and did good by sharing what the Lord had provided. To communicate doesn’t mean they all sat down
and had a good chat. It means that they
gave of their material possessions, the increase of their successful harvest sacrificially.
“But to do good and to communicate forget not (to
share):
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews
13:16 NKJV)
What did God see in this group of
people who assembled and gave thanks for what the Lord had done that year? He saw obedience, kindness, goodness, mercy
and Christ in their thanksgiving gathering.
There
is something greater that God noticed than simple sharing of food. He saw that they honored Him with the firstfruits
by sowing them. God didn’t bless their
crops and work of labor so they could keep it for themselves. He blesses so that we can be a blessing
that reflects Christ in us.
As you come together to celebrate
a day of Thanksgiving, remember that a thankful giver pleases God. He is the one who
provided the harvest; to Him only offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. (cw)
November 22nd – 30th Daily Bible Reading
*Also be sure to read a Proverb a day.
Daily
Readings are designed to read through the entire Bible in one year.
An outreach ministry of Shield of Faith Family & Youth
Ministries®,Inc.
Copyright SOFFY Ministries/Pastor Cher. Do Not Copy. Photo credit by
SOFFY Ministries unless otherwise noted. This artwork is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
Scripture from the KJV/NKJV of the Bible unless noted. Scripture
from: Bible Gateway. Image
Bible, Bible in One Year Reading Schedule, Faith Moments, Faith
Moments Devotional, Inspirational Reading, Read through the Bible in One Year,
Shield of Faith Family and Youth Ministries
