A PURIFIED THANKS-GIVING

Distancing themselves from the frivolousness of the day, persons who wear the Christian habit make it a habit to feast on sobriety and seriousness before The LORD JESUS on Thanksgiving Day.

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We recognize how easy it is for the cultural church to thank The LORD for temporal comforts... blessings which most have demanded from HIM+ for a good long while, like spoiled children.

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What happens when temporal comforts are absent  ... when health issues arise and will not be cured ... when the home and family are stricken  ... when necessities raise their ugly heads ?

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When temporal comforts are removed from us, do we ABIDE in thanksgiving? Are we as confidant of GOD'S abiding LOVE when we land in dire straights as we are when life is moving along fairly smoothly ?

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Listen to a frightening Scripture, found in Hebrews 5:7-8:

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Who+ in the days of His+ flesh, 

when HE+ had offered up prayers and

supplications with strong crying 

and tears unto HIM WHO 

was able to save HIM+ from death, 

and was heard in that HE+ feared;

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Though HE+ were a SON+,

yet learned HE+ obedience 

by the things which HE+ suffered;

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When we suffer calamities, injuries, stresses, and deaths of our loved ones, we react in fear, hurt, and anger that GOD, our GOD, did not keep us from harm. We accuse HIM+ of not loving us or we accuse HIM+ of neglecting to keep HIS Word to us.

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Our hearts cry: 

How can GOD do this to me  ?  

Why did GOD allow this to happen to us  ?

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These are our first, anguished human reactions from our Adamic nature. Our Adamic nature is always, always focused on the temporal as though it was permanent and forever.  Our Adamic nature always agrees with the satan.

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But, we are NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST now.  Brethren, we must practice  giving thanks in all things, for this is the Will of GOD concerning us... whatever befalls us.

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Our LORD JESUS learned obedience by the things which HE+ suffered... an amazing statement.

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Is our flesh better trained than HIS+ ?

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No, we must wrestle daily to bring our fleshly man into submission to The Word.

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Is our Adamic nature better submitted to Our Heavenly Father than Our LORD was ?  I think not !

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Yet, if Our LORD JESUS CHRIST had to "learn obedience by the things which HE+ Himself+ suffered,"  then is it not reasonable that we too must learn obedience by the things which we suffer?

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Then, if that be the case, we are beholden to return thanksgiving to HIM+ Who+ orders our lives in accordance with His+ great good Will... a will that ALWAYS chooses our best good for now and for Eternity ... no matter how hard that Will looks like to us today. 

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We learn, in obedience, to give heart-felt thanks for His+ walking the Valley of the Shadow of Death before us, to enable us to walk it and to fear no evil. 

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We learn that calamities and injuries are indeed our best seasons of sanctification , drawing us closer to The LORD JESUS than we would have ever come, without the impetus of grief.

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We learn that suffering produces greater fruit than joy and exceedingly greater rewards than a life lived of temporal ease, earthly joys, and pleasant comforts.

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Few of us who wear the Christian habit would choose FASTING over FEASTING on Thanksgiving Day.

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Even fewer of us would choose suffering over non-suffering in this world.

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  Therefore, 

HE+ chooses it for us, 

in His+ Divine Will 

and foreknowledge. 

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His+ foreknowledge is great. HE+ has His+ eye on Eternity. 

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If our eyes are synchronized with JESUS and fixed on Eternity, our  thanksgivings will resound in times of calamities and we will rebound... no matter what anguish of heart we are called upon to endure here upon earth.  

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Hebrews 5:9

And being made perfect, 

HE+ 

became the Author+ of eternal salvation 

unto all them that obey HIM+;

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I Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written, 

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 

neither have entered into the heart of man, 

the things which GOD hath prepared 

for them that love HIM+.

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Let us pray...

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Dear LORD JESUS CHRIST, we repent for murmuring and grumbling at the endurance trials THOU+  hast brought our way.

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Help us to look unto THEE+ at all times and stay focused --- with THEE+ --- on Eternity and Thy+ Eternal purposes.

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And for this, like the martyrs of old, we give THEE+ thanks for we know and are convinced that every hair of our heads are counted and nothing can by any means hurt us, as THOU+ has told us.

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We humble our hearts to THEE+, O CHRIST, in the joy that is set before us by Thy+ Hand. We offer praise and thanksgiving and with all that is within us, we bless Thy+ Holy Name.

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Amen and amen.