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"What’s In Your Thanksgiving?
What are you thankful for this year? With the U.S. holiday upon us, it’s beneficial to stop and collect your thoughts on this most wonderful of American traditions. It has been a long year with a lot of bad news and continued fallout from COVID-19. Turning our mind and heart to God in grateful thanksgiving for what we do have is about the best we could do to calibrate a positive orientation.
I am thankful to know God has a purpose for this life we share on earth. That knowledge grounds me, anchors me in a reality that is unshakeable.
I am thankful for a family I love and who have shaped my adult life in every positive way—a wife, children and grandchildren with whom I share every important, rich experience.
I am thankful I live in the United States of America. Here I have guaranteed religious liberty to worship according to my conscience. That is the reason the pilgrims came in 1620 seeking a refuge to worship God without compulsion from another authority—whether civil or religious.
That point is long forgotten today when we come to this great national day of Thanksgiving. Religious liberty was at the heart of the foundation of America. The nation may not have always lived up to its ideals as it dealt with the native Indian tribes or the imposition of slavery into the culture. But the founding principles of America were personal freedom and religious liberty.
At a time when the nation’s history is being rewritten by a false narrative, and a culture war is upending gender identity and race relations, it is vital to reset our minds on the liberty embedded in the American ideal.
God’s hand is behind the founding of America. From the incredible geographic features of a resource-laden land situated behind two great oceans for protection, to a history replete with miraculous events—which in retrospect point to God’s involvement, America is a unique story in history.
We chronicle this amazing story in our Bible study guide, The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. There is a chapter that talks about God’s promise to Abraham and how He has kept that promise into our modern age. These are facts of history and the Bible, which impact the headlines affecting us today. You cannot understand the reason for our present turmoil without knowing the divine plan that impacts America.
I encourage you to take time to read this chapter from the study guide: “Two Nations that Changed the World.” It will stimulate you to read more in this booklet.
Thanksgiving is a great time to pause and consider the purpose of God in this world. Part of giving thanks is to acknowledge He is the God of history. Be thankful for what is provided for all of us in this blessed nation." From: https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?e=72c729d811&u=1d04480cefc2e7c4492fe4a04&id=6d0c0b1cf6
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“Imagine that you woke up today, and everything was gone. EVERYTHING!
Everything except; that which you expressed gratitude for yesterday.
What would you have?
Your house? Your family? Your pets? Running water? Food? Community?”
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Thankful for God’s Goodness and Mercy
1 Chronicles 16:34
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
On the joyous day that David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, he “delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD” (1 Chronicles 16:7). This theme of thankfulness for God’s goodness and mercy is found throughout the Psalms (see Psalms 106:1 and 107:1, for example).
Psalm 107 goes on to give examples of how God displays His mercy to sinners who cry out to Him: “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:13-15)." From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/thankful-for-gods-goodness-and-mercy/?
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Unthankful to Our Creator
Romans 1:21
“Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
In the early chapters of Romans, Paul shows the sinfulness of all men, gentiles and Jews. This verse follows the powerful statement that “His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (verse 20). God’s creation itself is proof that God exists, so even those without any biblical background are without excuse.
But the gentiles of Paul’s day put God out of their minds and didn’t give Him glory or show Him thanks. Many people today follow this same poor example. Ingratitude is a hallmark of human nature and especially of this end-time perilous age (as Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 3:2; see our article “Unthankfulness: A Sign of Perilous Times).”
Psalm 100, “a Psalm of Thanksgiving,” provides the cure for this common ailment. “Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. … Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:3-4).”
For more about gratitude, see “In Everything Give Thanks” and our magazine article “‘In Everything Give Thanks’ (Really?).” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/unthankful-to-our-creator/?
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"Health Food" vs. Healthy Food -- How to read labels
“Do you know how to read food labels? Maybe you THOUGHT you did. Truth is, you probably don't. But Jeff Novick, MS, RD -- of the McDougall program -- does. And in his full talk he shows the 3 easy steps you MUST know if you ever buy foods at any supermarket or "health" food store.
In this online excerpt, Novick -- who used to be a food service manager at Kraft Foods -- exposes one of the dirty secrets major food corporations use to deceive consumers. It's no accident labels are so confusing! High-protein/low-carb diet proponents claim that the US started eating "low-fat" foods 20 years ago and yet still gained weight, "proving" that the low-fat diet wasn't effective.
But that's nonsense, as Novick demonstrates in his talk. The foods weren't/aren't low-fat at all. Food companies use sleight of hand to make them appear that way. Novick shows how to cut through the nonsense of food labeling to see what you need to see, and understand what you're really getting. This is an excerpt from Novick's 80-minute talk at the VegSource 2007 Healthy Lifestyle Expo, and part of a 12-part series of top health expert presentations.
In his full fascinating and entertaining presentation, Novick teachers the "three easy rules" for cutting through the b.s. and quickly understanding food labels, to know exactly what you're getting. After watching his talk, you'll never look at packaged food the same!” YouTube: https://youtu.be/yd9XnyNGXGs
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