The Giving of Thanks
11/24/11
Well it is the day our nation calls Thanksgiving. We had our
family meal last night trying to schedule around everyone's individual get togethers. This afternoon we shall go spend time with
the extended family, while a couple of my sons spend time with their
girlfriend's families. I ate too much last evening, to the point that I
don't even desire to have breakfast this morning! Makes me think about how
fortunate I am, how fortunate we are to be living in the United States of
America. Don't get me wrong, for I realize that there is hunger even in
our great Nation. But we are so fat with blessings that we
waste enough each day in table scraps at home and restaurants to feed the
starving world.
We most assuredly have much to be thankful for. We are
truly a very blessed people here in the United States of America. I
know, I know we have very serious problems, but
through it all, we still have freedoms that most in this world can only dream
about. But as we see those freedoms quickly eroding away right before our
eyes, it behooves each of us to draw closer to the living Elohim as never
before. This world and yes, even our nation, is about to go through a
severe and shocking change to the point that from our present standpoint, the
system of freedoms that we now know and take for granted may very well be
unrecognizable then.
We, as members of the Assembly of Yahweh, do not take part in the
worldly religious holidays. We have proven them to be of pagan and heathen
origins and are antiMessiah, only disguised and cloaked in
scriptural stories and terminologies. But Thanksgiving is different and
unique among the holidays of man. It is as close as they come to actually
observing a day scripturally. I realize that they reject Yahweh's
appointed days that He commands for His people to observe. But most do so
out of ignorance due to their blindness of the ways of Yah. And although
Thanksgiving is not among the scriptural set apart days, it is scriptural to
give thanks. Do a quick search for key words such as
"thanks, thanksgiving, thankful, thankfullness,
giving, give, etc. and you will find that the term
"Thanksgiving" is of scriptural origins. There is some evidence that
the day of Thanksgiving may have its origins from the Feast of Tabernacles but
slowly gravitated away from its origins and down to only one day. See our
Sabbath Meditation article on Thanksgiving.
Have you noticed though how most people kind of trip over
Thanksgiving, kind of a blip on the radar or a bump in the road? They
know it is there, but it just doesn't have the flare compared to what comes
before and after. Caught between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving is
somewhat overlooked due to the fact that there is not much money making
involved in this day. This is seen by what goes on in all of the
department stores and shopping malls. Right after Halloween, we start seeing
store displays for Christmas, but very little for Thanksgiving. And what
do we have the day right after Thanksgiving Thursday, but what they call black Friday, the big kick off for their Christmas. So
even though Thanksgiving is as close as many ever come to a true scriptural set
apart day, it is but a quick fling and back to their observance of paganism
they will return. May Yahweh have mercy upon us, for we have forgotten
His ways.
Even now, but more so later on while in the midst of the beastly
change that is coming and even now is upon us, I tend to reflect back on what
once was. You know, a time when things were just not quite so
complicated. On my trip back through memory lane, I stop off when my
children were just little boys. I remember them watching me carve up the
turkey on Thanksgiving days past, each standing below me with mouths wide open
much as little baby birds awaiting a small morsel of meat to be dropped down
from my fingers. But now they have grown and are leaving our nest and
with much sadness my wife and I are forced to hold back tears as we
long for the days when they were our little boys. As I go farther back in
Thanksgiving days past, I suddenly see myself also as a little boy standing
below my own Dad awaiting for a morsel of
turkey to fall from his fingers. My Mom and Dad are now old, and with
age, their health has become an issue and they talk often about death and their
past life memories. They were also at one time as little boys and
girls. We don't have any choice, we grow up, live our lives and one day
we shall die. Life goes by so quickly. So
quickly............
Yes, as life becomes more complicated, I think that we all tend to
revert back to our memories, good memories of yesteryears, a simpler time in our lives. But you cannot save
time by watching the clock, and you cannot prolong your life by dwelling in the
past. If we dwell in the past, we will miss the moment of now and we will
not be prepared for the future. Our entire life is an accumulation of our
past experiences whether good or bad. But our future is going to be based
upon what we will do today, right now! We cannot change our past, it is
fixed in time and it is as water under the bridge. But we can affect and
change our future by what we are going to set our minds to do today.
Get close to Yahweh. Repent, be converted to His ways, begin living for Him, for we all will have an
appointment in time with the grave. Are you prepared to meet a living
Elohim? If you are already living in a covenant relationship with Him,
what are you doing today? How are you using the knowledge that He has
giving you? Are you ready by what you are doing today to face the future?
Troubled times are coming, is your relationship with Yahweh strong enough
to enable you to stand in the fiery furnace or in the lion's den? Yes,
life is going to become more complicated and much less simpler as we draw
closer and closer to the very end of the age. But be of good cheer, for
out of all that is going to come, we know who is going to be the victor in the
end. The Messiah will descend from the Heavens and He will save His
people dead or alive! We not only have much to be thankful for right here
and now and not just for the blessings that we presently receive, but for the
great and mighty blessings yet to come.
This Thanksgiving season, give thanks. We spend much time
asking Yahweh for things, but we need to spend more time giving Him thanks for
the great and awesome blessings that He has bestowed upon us and upon all of
mankind. He makes the sun to shine on both the wicked and the
righteous. Our Elohim is a giver and He desires that we do the
same. He gave up His life so that we might have salvation. We can
easily give up small portions of our life in order to serve others. Not
just today, but throughout the year and the years to come, try and find ways to
give up your life so that others might live better. There is an eternal
reward awaiting you if you do!
The Old Paths
Restoration Ministry
PO Box 247
Marengo, IN 47140