It was the day of the big “After Thanksgiving Day” sale. Rumors of the sale (and some advertising in the local paper) were the main reason for the long line that formed by 5:30, for the store's 6:00 A.M. opening time, in front of the store. A small man pushed his way to the front of the line, only to be pushed back, amid loud and colorful curses. On the man's second attempt, he was punched square in the jaw, and knocked around a bit, and then thrown to the end of the line again. As he got up the second time, he said to the person at the end of the line..."That does it! If they hit me one more time, I won't open the store!" Funny isn’t it, that the most important person was almost turned away. It can happen though, especially this time of year. A time when we think of family, turkey dinner, Thanksgiving Day parades and of course those after Thanksgiving sales. It is also a time when if we are not careful, we can forget about what we truly have to be thankful for. We can get so caught up in the commercial part of the holiday that we forget about others, we forget about the less fortunate, and we forget about the blessings of God.
There is a beautiful picture that emerges in the book of Psalms chapter 103, and verses 1 to 5. Now listen to this, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” What is before us in these verses is first of all a call to Bless God. Like so many other “religious“ words we use in our everyday talk, we have lost the value and the meaning of the word “bless”. We tend to associate it with a mealtime prayer or what we say when someone sneezes. Folklore says, “always say bless you when someone sneezes, to keep the devil from flying down your throat.” But the scriptures teach of the word blessing. In Genesis 1:28 it says, “Then God blessed them….” I am sure that we have encountered the blessings of God time and again in our lives. God desires to bless his children. In Genesis 9:26 we hear Noah saying, “Blessed be the Lord….” George Sweeting suggests here that the blessing became a two way street. God blesses man and man in humble return blesses God. To bless God is to say good things about the Lord in an attitude of admiration, thankfulness and awe. So David extends a call to “Bless the Lord.” Then David goes on to tell us why we should and begins to list the benefits of the Lord. You see God’s benefits toward us are past, present and eternal. Let’s take a quick glance at these benefits. First of all we are reminded of His forgiveness. I don’t know of a thing that we can be more thankful for. And if you know this forgiveness today you know what I am saying. There is nothing like the joy it brings. David also mentions the Healing that comes from the Lord. There is Physical healing that only God can perform and there is also healing of the emotion and the spirit. I have heard it said that God is far more interested in doing something in us than for us.
The psalmist also talks about the benefit of Redemption. Without a redeemer we are doomed. Colossians 1:13-14 says, “who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Bless the Lord for his redemption! Let me ask you friend, are you in need of any of these benefits? David lists one more, and that is the satisfaction that only the Lord can give. “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;” Are you satisfied today? Years ago, Russell Conwell told of an ancient Persian, Ali Hafed, who "owned a very large farm that had orchards, grain fields, and gardens... and was a wealthy contented man." One day a wise man from the East told the farmer all about diamonds and how wealthy he would be if he owned a diamond mine. Ali Hafed went to bed that night a poor man--poor because he was discontented. Craving a mine of diamonds, he sold his farm to search for the rare stones. He traveled the world over, finally becoming so poor, broken, and defeated that he committed suicide. One day the man who purchased Ali Hafed's farm led his camel into the garden to drink. As his camel put its nose into the brook, the man saw a flash of light from the sands of the stream. He pulled out a stone that reflected all the hues of the rainbow. The man had discovered the diamond mine of Golcanda, the most magnificent mine in all history. Had Ali Hafed remained at home and dug in his own garden, and then instead of death in a strange land, he would have had acres of diamonds. Sometimes the greatest blessings are right before us and we don’t even see them.
This holiday season let us be faithful to recognize just how much God has blessed us and to bless him for his benefits to us. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
"Terri's Table this year" The reason I am twice the man I was when Terri and I met!
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