8/13/2019

The CHRISTIAN'S THANKSGIVING . . . Our Tears are Special to HIM+



How We Christians Celebrate

our Day of GREAT Thanksgiving
  
 Have we thanked HIM+ for the times HE+ has NOT given us our heart’s desire . . . that later would have landed us into heart-ache and deep regrets for a life-time ? 

The CHRISTIAN’S Day of Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the American holiday of  turkey and pumpkin pie, not even of family get-togethers. It has nothing to do with cranberry sauce nor stuffing for the fowl, with gravy. 

Why is this ? It is because we are citizens of ANOTHER Country.  

We are simply SOJOURNERS passing through our temporary abode until we reach our FATHER’S LAND , our Heavenly home wherein Righteousness dwells. 

Currently, this nation is only where The FATHER placed us. 

If we do happen to be involved in this nation’s temporal public work force, we welcome the days off around any civil holiday, of course, but we do not focus our hearts upon holiday-keeping.


No , rather, we focus on WHO we give thanks unto: The LORD JESUS CHRIST Who+ has blessed us with spiritual blessings in Heavenly places.

Thanksgiving day is an excellent time to take an inventory of WHAT we have for which we give HIM+ thanks. 

·        Have we thanked HIM+ for the times HE+ has NOT given us our heart’s desire . . . that later would have landed us into heart-ache and deep regrets for a life-time ?

·        Have we thanked HIM+ for the many times HE+ has blocked our  goal . . . a goal that eventually would have led us out of His+ Will . . . for all Eternity ?

·        Have we thanked HIM+ for the people who shunned us, who would not accept us  . . . who would have torn us  away from our Heavenly FATHER ?

·        Have we thanked HIM+ for the painfully lonely times  . . . when we had only ONE TRUE+ FRIEND there in our darkest hours ?

·        Have we thanked HIM+ for capturing all our tears in His+ Bottle ? . . . Psalm 56:8

·        Have we thanked HIM+ for Sanctifying our hardships by His+ Blessed HOLY SPIRIT . . .  so that, when strengthened by HIM+, we may be used to strengthen others going through such hardships of heart and body and mind ?

·        Have we thanked The LORD JESUS for bringing us much needed correction  . . . when we were walking head-strong into danger ?

·        Have we thanked The LORD for knowing our every thought and every weakness . . . yet  continuing to call us to come CLOSER and closer to HIM+ ?

·        Have we ever thanked The LORD for the Lonely Existence HE+ assigns us . . . which makes us hunger and thirst for HIM+ ?

·        Have we thanked The LORD JESUS for revealing to us our underlying motives for the things we do  . . . so that we can repent of serving our ever-present, ever-noxious Self ?

·        Have we ever taken the time to thank HIM+ for delivering us from self-pity , bitterness, and resentment ?

·        Have we thought to thank HIM+ for the Calling Home of someone dear to us  . . . so that he could now experience the joyous LIFE in Heaven with no more grief and sorrow in his own earthly life ?

·        Have we thanked The LORD JESUS for the Cross HE+ is causing us to carry now, for His+ Name’s Sake, for our growth,  and for our eventual blessing ?

Our LORD is greater than all our burdens, all our handicaps, all our sorrows, and all our needs.  HE+ is greater than all our understanding.


In all His+ greatness, HE+ lacks only one thing: 
OUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.



 Will HE+ have our undivided attention when friends and family like us, when our income is rolling in, when we have no fears, no needs, no struggles ?

NO.

No, indeed.


Yes, we may toss up a quick “Thank You, LORD!”  . . . but we will be too distracted for deep prayer when all is going well; we will go on about our business of fulfilling Self. 


No quality time will be found for The LORD when all goes well


 So, let us cultivate --- work at  --- a heart of Thanksgiving when all does NOT go well, for be guaranteed: that is The  FATHER’S Will concerning us.


And, HIS Will is this: for us to become QUIETER AND DRAW CLOSER into the Bosom of HIS SON+ JESUS, and in so doing, becoming fit for The Kingdom of GOD.  



Let us pray: 


Thank YOU+, LORD JESUS , for not abandoning us when we deserved to be abandoned, when we sought our pleasure away from YOU+, when we pursued our happiness our way, instead of Yours+ . 


Thank YOU+, Precious SAVIOR+, for having patience with us when we went astray, for calling us back to Your+ side, and for that Swift Arm of Correction that we felt on our back-sides.



Thank YOU+ for keeping us.



Blessed be Your+ Holy NAME, LORD JESUS.  Thank YOU+ for being KING+ of kings and LORD+ of lords and for returning some day soon to reveal Your+ True Sovereignty  to all people upon this earth.



Glory be to The FATHER

and to HIS Holy SON+ JESUS CHRIST

and to the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.

Amen

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