I have probably said this in a previous post but my aging brain can’t remember for sure and I wasn’t going to go back and read them all. I tell my kids in my classroom if I take the time to write something down on the whiteboard and I say the same thing more than once then you probably better pay attention and make sure you know it. If I write it down and say it three times then it is for sure information that will be vital to your grade in math.
As I was thinking about Thanksgiving and looking at some of the verses that I often read during this time two things happened. First I was kind of sad that it takes the third Thursday of November for us to focus on being thankful. I know I do a poor job the remainder of the year of making sure I am counting my blessings and being thankful for all the Lord has blessed me with, even the challenges and hardships he has brought me through.
The other thing that stood out to me was how often I read something very close to, Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever!” There are at least nine different instances where something very similar was said. Nine times, not two, not three, NINE! If it is told to us that many times then I think we darn well should be paying attention to what the verse says.
Lets start with “for He is good.” The word good here actually means, righteous. God always does what is right. It may not always be what we want or what we think is right but he always does what is right for us. I have been a Christian for over forty years and a pastor for over a decade and I struggle with accepting that fact many times, but it is true. When we can start to filter our life and especially the struggles of life through that filter it gives us a whole new perspective on the challenges we face.
The last part of the verse says, “His love endures forever!.” The first time I read that my mind automatically went to time. God never ends he is eternal and since God is love His love endures forever. However looking at the word endure and thinking about how God is also made me think about God’s love being unconditional. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior he loves us no matter what. He loved us while we were still sinners Romans tell us. He will love even those that reject Him but they will face separation from Him for eternity and that is the worst part of hell.
For Christians though we have a reason to be thankful everyday because the love of our Lord and Savior endures forever! There is nothing you can say or do to make God stop loving you. There is nothing that can break His bond of love with you. Scripture tells us in Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Once again I love Paul’s use of inclusive words. He pretty much covers every base when he says, “nor anything else in all creation.” There is nothing that ever has been, is or ever will be able to separate you from the Love of Christ. Now if that isn’t something to be thankful for all 365 days a year I don’t know what is!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING YOU ARE LOVED!
Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever!”