Philippians 1:3-6 – I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

First off, Leesa and I want to thank everyone for their cards, gift cards, an appreciation dinner and the kind words of encouragement during Pastor Appreciation Month.  We are so blessed to have such a loving and caring church family.  And we are so thankful for your commitment to our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. As we head into a season of thanksgiving let me remind us all that we should always, no matter what the season, give thanks to God for His grace and mercy each day.

Thanksgiving is a season that we recognize in the month of November. And with that being said, on November 12^th following our worship service we will be having our annual Church Thanksgiving Dinner. What a great opportunity for our fellowship to love on each other as well as connecting and share our lives with each other. 

For you see, in this season of Thanksgiving, we tend to do some reflecting, and revealing gratefulness for all that we have been blessed with. When you look at the word, Thanksgiving, you notice that it is a compound word. Two words that can stand alone make up the one word thanks and the word giving. If you turn the word around, the word would be giving thanks. Again, Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks. The bible speaks of giving and thanks:

• Ephesians 5:20 – giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

• Psalm 136:26 – Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

• Philippians 4:6 – do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

• Psalm 100:4-5 – Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Without a heart of continual thanksgiving, the Christian walk is joyless and without true reward. Keeping our hearts grateful is a daily battle but a necessary one. Keeping our minds focused on the blessings (no matter how small or insignificant they seem) and remembering that God is the One who blesses, can help us keep our priorities in a more proper balance. Thanksgiving, for the Christian, is a moment by moment event.

Giving Thanks Daily To God,

Pastor James