Thanksgiving in Perspective

Tomorrow our church will hold a Thanksgiving service at 10:00 AM.  My sermon text will be Proverbs 15:13-17.  In preparation I came across a helpful article by R.C. Sproul Jr.  Here are his concluding paragraphs:

Gratitude, however, isn’t the fruit of happiness, but its root. When we give thanks, when we look at the world and our place in it realistically, remembering what we are due in ourselves, what we have, and all that we have been promised in Christ, we are astonished, overwhelmed. And therefore overjoyed.

I have with me four daughters who love me, and their Lord. I have three sons who love me, and their Lord. I have friends who love me, and their Lord. I have work that I love, that serves the Lord. I have a church where our Lord and His Word are preached. Most important of all, I am beloved of the Father. How could I ever even begin to think “It isn’t enough”? And, when I fail, my Father forgives me, His Spirit works in me, and I get better. Saint, thanksgiving isn’t a holiday to be observed, but a lifestyle to be practiced. Give thanks. And when you are done, do it again.

To put it all in perspective you should know that this comes from a man who lost his wife to cancer last December and a teen-aged daughter just a few weeks ago.

Proverbs 15:15 "All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast."