Notice - the title is separated. In other words, Giving Thanks -this Thanksgiving, is more important than Thanksgiving itself. When we think of Thanksgiving, we quickly conjure up a picture of a big, fat turkey, with dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans, potato salad, pumpkin and sweet potato pies that make your mouth water, and anything else the imagination can come up with. Makes me hungry just thinking!

But, this season there is so much to give thanks for besides that Thanksgiving meal. The first thing I can think of is that God had allowed us to live to see the day once more. Only by His mercy and grace are we able to rise each morning, be able to say, "Thank you, Lord, for the day", and go on our way. Admit it; not too many get beyond that phase in the morning. People are too busy with school kids getting off to school, making it to work on time, reading the morning paper, or sleeping!

The next thing I can think of is our families. He has given each of us a family - if you are on earth, you have or have had a family. It took a Mother and Father to bring you into the world. Most of us have siblings. We may not be as close as we would like, whether we are close in miles or far away. But, we know we are family. And, daily, I give thanks to God above for . . .

Notice - the title is separated. In other words, Giving Thanks -this Thanksgiving, is more important than Thanksgiving itself. When we think of Thanksgiving, we quickly conjure up a picture of a big, fat turkey, with dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans, potato salad, pumpkin and sweet potato pies that make your mouth water, and anything else the imagination can come up with. Makes me hungry just thinking!

But, this season there is so much to give thanks for besides that Thanksgiving meal. The first thing I can think of is that God had allowed us to live to see the day once more. Only by His mercy and grace are we able to rise each morning, be able to say, "Thank you, Lord, for the day", and go on our way. Admit it; not too many get beyond that phase in the morning. People are too busy with school kids getting off to school, making it to work on time, reading the morning paper, or sleeping!

The next thing I can think of is our families. He has given each of us a family - if you are on earth, you have or have had a family. It took a Mother and Father to bring you into the world. Most of us have siblings. We may not be as close as we would like, whether we are close in miles or far away. But, we know we are family. And, daily, I give thanks to God above for watching over my family, my children, grandchildren, and my Mother, who is the only parent that is living among my husband and me.

Then, there is the freedom we share here in America. Not all people over the world are as free as we are to express their love of God, or to be able to worship in whatever way we please. Some Christians have to hide, go ?underground?, in order to worship their Lord and Saviour. We should be praying for those souls this Thanksgiving, that God would give them the ability to be as free in worship as we are.

But, most of all, we need to be thanking God for sending His Only Begotten Son to the world, to save us, when we were sinners, lost in a dying world, without a reason to live - yet, He saw fit to send His Son for us, to die for our sins, to be resurrected, in order that, some day, we will be able to live eternally with the Him.

Copyright 2005 by Barbara Sanders, Empire, AL. Used by permission.
For more devotionals, visit The Master's Table Archives at:
http://www.entourages.com/barbs/Masterarchives.html
Created at Barbara's Entourage: http://www.entourages.com/barbs, "my humble abode".

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