Happy Thanksgiving All!

Dear Blogettes, many of you may be traveling or out and about this Thanksgiving weekend... I wanted to give you a few excerpts from some Thanksgiving devotionals ....together they are a bit lengthy but worth the read.. I hope they will resonate with your ThanksGiving to God :)

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* Thanksgiving: Celebrating Divine Goodness
by Deborah Wuehler
We cannot go through the month of November without thinking, “I have so much to be thankful for!” But, instead of thinking the same old thanksgiving thoughts, I want to encourage you to look at Thanksgiving in a slightly different way this year.
Noah Webster was a man who knew his own history. In his 1828 dictionary, he defined Thanksgiving as: “The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies. 2. A public celebration of divine goodness; also a day set aside for religious services, specially to acknowledge the goodness of God, either in any remarkable deliverance from calamities or danger, or in the ordinary dispensation of his bounties.”

A celebration of divine goodness and remarkable deliverance. These concepts were probably at the root of the feelings of gratitude in the pilgrims. I believe they were more than simply thankful for their families, friends and their feast. I believe it touched those things but also went much deeper than that. I believe they were thankful for the God of their feast. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it. Of course they were thankful for their God – aren’t we all? But just how are we thankful for our God today? I would guess that most of our thankfulness has to do with His provision and not necessarily His Person. The pilgrims knew that His provision was because of His character.
From my historical readings, the first Pilgrims knew their God! They knew Him to not only be a Provider, but a God of Mercy; their Creator; Redeemer; Life-giver; Deliverer; Rescuer. They knew Him to be all these things and were filled with Thanksgiving that He would even acknowledge mortal men!
How about us? Do we know Him in this way? At this time of year especially, we tend to give thanks for what God does for us, more than for who He is.
So, my recommendation is not to simply celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday – but celebrate the God behind the holiday and give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

Psalm 136
v.1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!

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Thanksgiving's Unexpected Blessings
- by Rebecca B. Jordan
For the last year, my husband and I have been systematically sorting through every closet, every drawer, and every space in our home. Why? I have been trying to fulfill a long-time promise to him to de-clutter and organize our home more efficiently. And that’s a hard task for a sentimental collector like myself. Inwardly, I objected as usual: “It’s a waste of good, creative time.” “I’m not skilled at organizing.” “It’s too hard to decide what stays and what goes.” “I just don’t have time to do it.” “When would I write?” But love has a way of breaking down your defenses, and God has a way of reminding you of your promises. So I put other things on hold and began the task. When we decided to redecorate in the process that sparked a creative surge. Still, there were times when I wanted to give up. The task seemed endless. We finally struck a compromise: I would weed out, if my husband would reorganize what was left. Ouila! This time our garage sale was so huge, our neighbor left a message on our phone saying, “You’re not moving, are you?” After staring at those merchandise-filled tables for two days, I wondered why I ever kept that baggage in the first place. The house is almost finished -- both the redecorating and the organizing. And through this process God taught me something--many things, in fact. What started out as a huge, dreaded burden ended up a fantastic blessing. I can find things in record time. I have a new admiration for my husband, and he thinks he got a new wife! The house has a fresh look--and God gave me a new confidence. Not to mention all the stories that evolved during that time!

God's blessings come in all shapes and sizes. He loves to bless His people! But after a closer look in the Bible, I discovered many blessings I had never thought about -- like getting rid of “stuff” -- excess baggage that interferes with our intimacy with Him
and His peaceful presence in our lives. In fact, I found that knowing God more intimately is one of the best blessings of all.

At Thanksgiving, what better time to think through and appreciate the "unexpected" blessings God shows us. Here are just a few:

-If you've ever experienced God's hand of discipline, and you were allowed to see His reasons for doing so, you can never say, "I don't deserve that kind of treatment." Instead, you would thank your Father God for His protection and wisdom.
-If you have struggled with an unchangeable defect or a menacing weakness, and felt God's power in the midst of it, you understand the blessing of God's overcoming strength being made perfect through you.
-If you've come near to losing someone who is precious to you, you will thank God for His mercy, for second chances and the gift of time. You will treasure each day and each memory -- and you will love more deeply.
-If you've ever observed the awesome handiwork of God in nature and basked in the beauty and wonder of His creation, you cannot help but praise Him profusely.
-If you have lost a loved one, experienced deep grief or experienced the pain of loneliness, and felt God's arms around you, then you understand the pain and the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice for you -- and you will thank God for His tender and compassionate comfort.
-If you have ever broken God's heart through sin (and we all have), then you can never say to God, "I deserve more." Instead, you will thank God for His infinite love -- and for the hunger to know Him deeply, and cry out to Him, "God, You deserve more!"
-If you have survived a near accident, pulled through a crushing blow, or felt His peace in the midst of a storm, you are eternally grateful for your Master Potter, and for the Blessed Controller who is shaping you into His image and who values you as His child.
-If you have ever asked God for something, and received God's "No," but then He answered with something far better than you could ever have hoped or imagined, then you will thank God that He works all things out for your good -- and that His ways are not your ways.

That's only the beginning, but you get the idea. And it really doesn't matter if you live in another country where Thanksgiving is not a national holiday like it is in America. We all forget. That why I love to remind others -- and myself -- that we are indeed a most blessed people. That's why my heart wells up with gratitude daily, yes, thanking God for His blessings, but with a pleading, "Oh God. Please! How can I bless you?" I pray that instead of offering a word of thanks this year, we will give Him more. Instead of thanksgiving, may we pledge to Him our "thanksliving."
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with Thankfulness and blessings :)