CHEASBRO: Thanksgiving is about more than talking turkey

It is that wonderful time of year — Thanksgiving.

But it is a lot more than eating turkey and all the trimmings, which I like. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to our God for all the many blessings he has bestowed on us, like allowing us to draw breath every morning and giving us another day.

Psalm 50:14-15: “Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most high. And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me.”

That verse in Psalm commands us to offer up thanksgiving to the Lord for everything we receive from him. So I suspect we should be thanking him a lot; he has done so much for all of us.

Psalm 118:1: “O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good; because his mercy endureth forever. Let them now that fear the Lord say that his mercy endureth forever.”

Colossians 3:15-17: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord; and whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”

Colossians 4:2: “Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving”

Does that mean we have to be thankful for the way the economy is now? Yes. God’s economy is always good.

We not not understand it but we don’t necessarily have to. All we need is faith in God and he will see us through.

These are definitely the beginning of lean times for some. But we cannot trust in the things that we see or hear. We must instead trust in the things that we don’t see.

So, this Thanksgiving, don’t forget to give thanks and take heart in the fact that God is ever with us and will not leave us. Every day should be Thanksgiving day.

Enjoy your holiday with all the trimmings and your families. God is good, God is great.

Leonard Cheasbro is pastor of New Life in Christ Church, Ottawa.