By Pastor Jeff Wade, The Rock of Panama City Beach
When it comes to writing monthly articles, the month of November is a no brainer right?
THANKSGIVING!!
They go hand in hand and I find it impossible to not speak to it today. Thanksgiving, after all, is one of my favorite holidays. I know that many of you share the same sentiment. For all of us who love to eat, this is the crème de la crème. I have a medical condition called “elongated stomach” which basically means my stomach starts at my neck and goes all the way down to my feet. It takes a lot of food to fill an elongated stomach and the season of Thanksgiving helps lend a hand. I am of course kidding.
So what is the season of Thanksgiving? Some people would say that it’s not a biblical holiday and they would be correct, it’s not. Nowhere in the bible will you find anyone celebrating Thanksgiving as we know it today.
BUT….
While Thanksgiving may not be biblical, being thankful is!
One of the ways that we have benefited from the last two years of seeing what all of us have seen is that it has drawn our minds back to some of the simple things that we have that we should be thankful for. I’m thankful today that I have toilet paper because not too long ago, even that was iffy right? Friends, no matter what happens from here, no matter how bad it gets, no matter, no matter, no matter, we will ALWAYS have something to be thankful for and THAT should be our focus. I’m finding that as a Pastor, what I am thankful for is changing as I continue to mature in Christ. At one point in my life my thankfulness was centered around things like my home, my vehicle, things like that. It’s not that I’m not thankful for those anymore, it’s just that my thankfulness is changing and evolving into things that aren’t temporary but are eternal. My home doesn’t have the same value to me as much as the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
Another thing I find myself thankful for today isn’t things, but PEOPLE. I’m thankful for people whom God has brought into my life to be in ministry with. We do find this Thanksgiving concept in the scriptures.
Ephesians 1:15-16 says: “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”
Here we see the Apostle Paul, recognizing the gift of people along with his recognition of how they loved all God’s people. That is incredibly powerful friends! Consider this today. Not what do you have to be thankful for, but WHO do you have to be thankful for? Pause today, and give God thanks for them. Ask God to bless them even more abundantly than yourself. Seek out ways today to show your thankfulness for them. God will hear your prayer, and bless your heart abundantly for being obedient to this biblical concept. I thank God for you, and pray that you have a safe and friend filled holiday season.
