The holiday of Thanksgiving is approaching, there will be many blogs along with mine that will be provided about this annual day and there will be many sermons spoken before or after this national holiday. However, it is my sincere hope that as I write about this annual celebration that we all will forget the misconception of the pilgrims and Native Americans and the comradery of family and friends giving praise to the food and the sacrificial bird. I want to try and provide us all with a better focus on this keyword which is found in the Word of GOD and apply it to our lives not just once or twice a year but daily.
In the third book of the Law written by Moses, he wrote that we should offer, maybe we need to reacquaint ourselves with this word first. Offer: the original definition is of sacrifice; the presentation in action of devotion and worship. This definition has become archaic, outdated, and passe’ but should be put into use by everyone again especially the body of CHRIST. The second definition is to offer prayers of thanksgiving. We all need to self evaluate ourselves by asking of ourselves the question; do we daily offer our sacrifice of thanksgiving to the FATHER in the name of the SON/JESUS for all that HE has done, is doing, and will do in our lives?
Our flesh nor the flesh of any animal can satisfy the FATHER better than the flesh of HIS Only Begotten SON/JESUS who is our Peace in the flesh. JESUS said that HE is the Bread of Life. Here is another self-examination that we all must ask of ourselves; Do we eat the flesh of Peace who is the Bread of Life as often as we think of HIM?
Our offering of thanksgiving to the FATHER in the name of our LORD/JESUS is to be done not out of the celebration of holidays, legalism and rituals but rather from our own daily free will. Remove all the customary practice of legality, rituals, and rules and we will find that our offering of sacrifice to the FATHER in the name of JESUS will be most wonderful.
When our hearts have been turned back to the FATHER we will come to recognize that we are to offer to HIM our sacrifice of thanksgiving as well as telling others what or why we have so much to give thanksgiving for.
I found in the book of Nehemiah that we can also offer to the LORD our sacrifice of thanksgiving in song. We do not need to find a song that has already been recorded or sing the songs of thanksgiving (that is if it is done at all) by the choirs of our local assembly where we gather to worship the FATHER and the SON/JESUS. We can simply make the words up from the joy that bubbles up in our hearts when we begin to think of all that JESUS means to us. If we keep a journal, why not write a poem dedicated to the LORD?
In the book of Psalms, we have over thirteen reminders to provide us with a kickstart if we are finding it difficult to bring to our own remembrance as to what we are to give thanksgiving to the FATHER for.
Prior to our believing in CHRIST JESUS, we were much like Mount Sinai, hopeless, prideful, a wasteland, just plain sinful were we in our heart. Now, for those of us who do believe in CHRIST JESUS and HIS Finished Works we are much like Mount Zion, comforted, our hearts are like Eden where the LORD has planted gladness and joy so that we can open up our mouths and rejoice in thanksgiving to HIM.
Be and give up our offering with our sacrifice of thanksgiving. We have a merry heart, so allow our voices to sing from that. Our FATHER is multiplying us and we are the more, we must take our focus off of those who are in and of this world and place our focus on CHRIST JESUS because with every soul who has and is escaping captivity the sinners are diminishing. We outnumber them we are not small in number. We are the congregation of the LORD not of whatever denomination we call ourselves.
Sacrifice, we have seen this throughout this blog because it is found among the scriptures that are being used. But just as I provided the definition to the word offer let us take a proper look at this word as well. Sacrifice: the action of our offering to our GOD and LORD the FATHER and to the SON CHRIST JESUS. Our willingness to surrender who we are and what we have. Not in observances to rituals and rules but in our remembrance of what CHRIST JESUS has done is doing and will do. CHRIST JESUS has paid in full the cost for us, nothing is owed due to borrowing, credit or loan, out debt and punishment is paid in full. Our Salvation is CHRIST JESUS.
Everything that I shared above is found in the Old Contract/Testament/Will. Now, let us take a look at how in the New Contract/Testament/Will we can continue to have and operate in our spirit of thanksgiving.
In our bodies of actions, we are to show the resurrected life of CHRIST JESUS. Regardless of our being mistreated by others, remember that our flesh is temporary and that our flesh is to die and we are to willingly starve it from all its desires that we in our sinfulness happily gave into. Our flesh which is dying daily is constantly screaming “ I want or give me” but we are to deny its worldly and lustful cravings and show the active life which is at work within us through CHRIST JESUS. Operate in the spirit of faith of CHRIST JESUS knowing with assurance that the FATHER raised CHRIST JESUS up from the dead so that HE can bring with HIM HIS bride which is the church (us). What is going on is for us to experience HIS grace and we too will offer HIS grace to people through our life which is our thanksgiving that increases not decreases in our glory of GOD.
We are enriched in all things from the FATHER through CHRIST JESUS and because we know this it is possible for us to be generous and in our generosity will be thanksgiving to GOD. GOD is the provider of the overflowing, not the GOD of the broke, busted, disgusted and not enough.
We have no cause to be concerned about the unknown because the FATHER has made all that we have need to know, known to us. We worry because we do not speak to the FATHER, we do not share with HIM the desires of our heart, we do not ask HIM for those things that we either have need of or want. If we did these things than we would offer up to GOD our sacrifice of thanksgiving in the name of CHRIST JESUS.
Instead of remaining rooted and grounded in ourselves, employment or others become grounded and rooted in GOD our FATHER. We should have established faith in HIM because we have been or are being taught about HIS great plenty/increase which will encourage us to give to HIM our great plenty/increase of thanksgiving. Have a vigilance of thanksgiving.
Stop pushing your abstaining from certain foods onto others. In other words, if you desire for your own personal dietary reasons not to indulge in eating certain foods, you should do so voluntarily. Not because of the faith in your denomination, and not because of your misinterpretation of the Bible. Abstain because it is your personal choice. GOD made every type of meat to be received and to be eaten with thanksgiving to HIM. Every animal, beast, and insect with flesh is made by GOD which means that it is good and good for human consumption. It is either our wrong beliefs, our misunderstanding of the Word of GOD, or our dislike for certain meats that we refrain from consuming.
Now, to wrap up all that has been shared with you so that you can participate in your annual celebration with family and friends, recall to remembrance the following.
Blessing, Glory, Honor, Might, Power, Wisdom and most affectionately Thanksgiving. Be to our GOD, the FATHER, the SON/CHRIST JESUS and HIS Holy Spirit, forever eternally. Amen.
Leviticus 7:12-15, 22:29; 1 Chronicles 16:8; Nehemiah 12:8, 27, 31, 38, 40, 46; Psalms 9:1, 26:7, 50:14, 69:30, 75:1, 95:2, 100:4, 107:1, 22, 116:1, 17, 136:1, 147:7; Isaiah 51:3; Jeremiah 30:19; Jonah 2:9, 2 Corinthians 4:15, 9:11-12; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 2:7, 4:12; 1 Timothy 4:3-4; Revelation 7:12
AMFBeM TM