Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise?

Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!

Psalms 106:1-3, ESV

Today is Thanksgiving in America. I love this holiday, for it began as a day to offer thanksgiving and prayer to God, as decreed by no less a man than George Washington by proclamation in 1789. It had its roots in a thanksgiving feast in 1620 between the Pilgrims and their Indian friends who had helped the first settlers acclimate to this new and strange land. This thanksgiving has been going on for a long time in our nation, but its roots go back much farther than what we might think. 

The practice of offering thanksgiving has been practiced by God's people from the earliest of times.We find six times in the Old Testament the exact phrase, "Give thanks to the LORD for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever". But thanksgiving to God should not be taken lightly. We have many examples throughout Scripture of warnings to people not to approach God in an improper manner. Time and time again, God's people would attempt to approach Him to seek His favor, only to find out that they were not permitted to do so because of sin.

Why bring this up now? I believe it is obvious that America is no longer the same nation it was when the people sought out God's favor and earnestly desired to give Him thanks on a regular basis. I further believe that this is primarily because so many of the people, often led by wicked and insincere leaders, have abandoned God's principles yet still have the audacity to seek His blessings and offer Him their praise. But notice in the passage above who could rightfully declare all His praise: It was those who were righteous at all times.

I believe if you are taking the time to read a religious article, then it is likely that you fall in that category. But, if we cannot accurately be described as a righteous people, there is something we can do. We can repent and come back to God on His terms. Then, and only then, is it possible to take the right of going into His holy presence and offer thanksgiving and praise to His holy name.

And we should do this because we are thankful, for we serve a wonderful and loving God!

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, Philemon 1:4, ESV

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, Philippians 1:3-4, ESV

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. Romans 1:8, ESV

I love these passages! Starting off with Philemon, a brother in Christ, Paul tells him that he expresses his thanksgiving every time he remembers him in prayer. On a larger scale, (the church at Philippi) Paul lets all of his brothers and sisters in Christ know that he thanks God in prayer for them. On a larger scale, still, Paul lets his fellow Christians scattered throughout the Roman empire know that he is thankful to God, through Jesus Christ, for their faith.

We should be the same way! During this time of thanksgiving, we should take the time to offer thanks for our brothers and sisters in Christ - the church! We read in Acts 2:42 that they church devoted themselves to each other in fellowship. They were together and they rejoiced in that bond.

I'm afraid that we have lost much of that closeness with our Christian family in modern times. Perhaps it's because we live so much in isolation. We like to relax - nothing wrong with that - but we often do so at the cost of fellowship. There was a time in my life when the gathering of the church meant something. We got together for Sunday school and worship (twice) on Sundays, and then again for mid-week prayer and Bible study. That was not enough for many, for they would have each other in their homes for meals and games and all sorts of fellowship. Now, too many bristle at the idea of even worshipping one time a week with the church. In many ways "church" is something they do, rather than who they are.

How can we get back to enjoying the beautiful fellowship that God designed the church to have? Well, one way is by following the example of Paul. Whether we are talking about one brother or sister or many, we can be thankful for this precious body that Jesus gave His very life for. We can have them on or hearts and in our minds. We can get back to opening up our homes to enjoy one another. We can "put the brakes" on our worldly life for a moment and slow down long enough to take advantage of our sweet relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

It's a big task, this reshuffling of our patterns of life, but it is worth it. In fact, since we are going to be spending eternity with the body of Christ (you are, aren't you?) why not start that relationship on this side of the Judgment? But how do we go about this seemingly monumental task of getting our life's focus back to the church from the world?

Maybe the best way to start... is a thanksgiving prayer! I am thankful to God for you, my brothers and sisters! I am privileged to have you in my life! I fail all to often to remember the Christ's church in prayer, but I am determined to do better. Won't you join me?

Our youngest grandchild is 11 months old. She is a "smiler". She has a full-faced grin for anyone and everyone she sees - she seems to genuinely love people. She will crawl up to them on Sundays after the worship and just sit there and smile up at them. I don't know whether she knows that she is irresistible, but she does seem to realize that everyone she meets is quick to reach down and pick her up. Her name is Katherine, and she is a cuddly ball of tonic for the soul.

But she is by no means the only such "tonic" that we have experienced of late. At the small church that we are blessed to be part of we have had three brand new baby girls in the past year. We also are blessed with another five children under the age of four. Our cup overflows, and how we know it!

We are in many ways the typical congregation in small town America. In the last few decades we have just seemed to get older and older, while all of our kids have grown up and headed for the big city. But in recent years we have started to burst at the seems with toddlers and babies. We have revamped our nurseries and have had to add new classes with new teachers. It has been a lot of work! At times it has been inconvenient. But, in all ways, it has been an injection of life into a local church that was more than ready for this new shot of energy and vitality.

In additional to the human smiley face Carolyn and I call our granddaughter, we have four other grandchildren to go along with our three kids and two in-laws whom are so good that we include them with our own. That's a total of ten descendants and counting. We have been blessed!

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalms 127:3, ESV

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, Proverbs 17:6, ESV

The word of God states that children are a reward. How vastly different from the way that modern, wicked men describe them. I have heard people in high positions refer to children as if they were some sort of a punishment. I see hateful men and women demanding the right to kill them before they can escape the womb, because they are too self-absorbed to see children as they really are: A heritage, a reward, and the crown of the aged!

This week is a great week in America. We actually have a day in which we pause to give thanks to the One from whom all of our blessings flow. How different life would be for us if we didn't have "the smiler", or our other four precious grands who have indeed crowned our later years. How empty would our lives be without our three beautiful children who continue to be our heritage and our reward. How can we do anything less than thank our holy Father for these incredible blessings?

God is so good, and we are so thankful!

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31:10-12, NIV

You men who have married well will understand. A righteous woman completes us. The same is true when a woman finds a righteous husband, but since I am blessed with a virtuous woman, I will be making my observations from that perspective.

At the outset, I want to make it clear that not all have been so blessed. For you men who have yet to find that righteous woman, do not settle. You might imagine that there is nothing worse than not being happily married, but you would be wrong for there is something far worse in life: Being unhappily married! So, I say again, do not settle.

When I thank my Father in prayer for all of my blessings, only Christ and what He and God have done for me come before my thankfulness for my wife. An ancient expression describes my situation quite well: I married above my station. For that I am truly thankful. A righteous woman truly is a gift from the Lord and we husbands need to recognize this great blessing. A wife who is righteous spends time in the study of God's Word and in prayer. A righteous woman seeks first to please God, and is therefore blessed. This blessing extends to her husband, and the blessings that flow from such a relationship with God create quite a pleasant life for the husband.

Because of this, unless the man is a complete idiot, he will be motivated towards a righteous relationship of his own with God. This will in turn create a very pleasant circumstance for the wife, and this virtuous circle will continue to allow God to produce blessing upon blessing for the marriage, for the family, and for all those who come in contact with these two blessed people who have become one.

If you don't have this type of relationship with your spouse, I am sorry. The cure, however, may not be what you might think. The first thought when anyone finds themselves in a unpleasant marriage is that the fault lies with their spouse. While this could be true, the husband and the wife typically share the blame for a subpar marriage. So what is the solution? Devote yourself to God! Remove that beam from your own eye and pursue righteousness for yourself. It will almost certainly motivate your spouse to do the same, but even if it does not, you will be doing your part.

But let's get back to the blessing of a good marriage. People are spending this week of Thanksgiving making big plans for big meals and big games. That's alright, for God wants us to enjoy the blessings of this life He has given us. As enjoyable as these things are, may I suggest this? Before you get too focused on your big plans, why not take a moment or two to express your thankfulness to God for the blessing of your righteous wife or husband?

After the great gifts of God's grace and Christ's sacrifice, there is really no greater thing to be thankful for than a spouse who loves the Lord and who loves you. And, aren't we thankful?