Thanksgiving Every Day!

It seems that the commercialization of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is more prominent today than ever before, with television ads displaying Christmas merchandise and Christmas carols being played on radio stations, even before Thanksgiving. I’m wondering, are we truly thankful for what God has given us?

When I was growing up on a country farm back in the 1940’s, we were truly thankful for what few things we had. I can vividly remember not having a pair of shoes until I was six years old because we could not afford them. My grandfather and grandmother did not have electricity on their farm until 1947. They used kerosene lamps to see during the evening hours and used wood to heat their pot belly stove to stay warm during the winter months. We had a cement cistern out in front of the old farm house to draw fresh water from.

What few clothes we had, my mother and grandmother made them by hand. There were no Walmart super centers to run to in those days. Living out in the country, seeing a doctor was difficult as the nearest town of Wellington, Texas was about thirty-five miles away. Instead of running to a doctor, my grandparents used home remedies such as epsom salt to get rid of the poison in my system when I would stick nails in my feet due to not having any shoes. They used castor oil for all other medicinal needs.

I have stated all of the above facts to make a point. The point is, we don’t have to have a lot of “things” to be thankful for what God has provided us — every day of our life — not just on Thanksgiving Day. The God who provides us with every good and perfect gift (James 1:17; cf. Acts 17:24-25), will sustain us, no matter what our circumstances may be (Philippians 4:11).

Dear reader, let us be truly thankful and faithful to God (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Matthew 6:25-33) — not only this Thanksgiving Day, but every day, and He will be faithful in continually providing our every need (Philippians 4:19).

Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

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