Thankful Deuteronomy 26:1-11 W
By David Setzer
e have a lot for which to be thankful. The clothes on our backs that keep us warm, the food in our cupboards that keeps us fed, and the houses we live in, as well as the homes that nurture and protect us.
We have a lot of reasons to be thankful! But too often we forget all these blessings in the midst of our worries. Instead of saying that the glass is half full, we worry that it is half empty. We worry about having new and nicer clothes or better food. We are distraught be- cause our economy is not doing as well as we would like. We focus on our physical pains and disabilities instead of seeing what we can do.
I think it is good that we set aside one day a year to intentionally give thanks. We need to periodically remind ourselves that we are blessed. remember the pilgrims as they were in a Strange Land with an unsure future. Famine and disease could strike at any time, but they decided to give thanks. In the midst of troubles, they took time to thank God for the food that would ward off famine for at least one year. And they celebrated with their newfound friends, the Indians. I give thanks that they did that because we, who are much more blessed than they, need this holiday to remember our blessings. We follow the example of the pilgrims, but they were simply following the example of Is- rael in the Bible. God had brought the children of Israel through hundreds of years of slavery, and they were about to embark on settling a new land. But God told them to always give the a day set aside to give thanks. The pilgrims realized that they also needed to set aside a day to give thanks, even in the face of their hard lives. And so we need to set aside time to give thanks to god. We have a lot to be thankful for, but if we stop there, we will miss the greater part of the
of 5,000. The disciples who had nothing were greatly blessed by it. They’re empty stomachs - vealing more to them in the breaking of the bread than just free food. he was revealing the source of eternal life.
So Jesus told them: “Do not waste your time on food which perishes.” When you eat
earthly bread, your stomach aches for more before long. It is a temporary satisfaction. Look up to heaven for the food which God’s son will give you. That food will nourish your soul for eternal life. We have a treasure of spiritual blessings. We call it “God’s Word,” but do we pay attention
to it?
And what about the gift of salvation, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only be- gotten son so that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life.” The god of the universe I know I cannot, because it is a free gift; all we need is to trust him, and we are forgiven. And then there is the gift of assurance, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a fore- taste of Glory.” What a blessing to know for sure in your heart that Jesus is yours and that you are his and that your Eternal destination is assured. I told us through Jesus that we can be certain. Jesus clearly said, “Whosoever believeth in me shall not perish but have eternal life.” God could have left us in the dark, always wondering, but instead, he sent his son to tell us clearly. What a blessing. Take time this Thanksgiving to give thanks for the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. Je- sus said, “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” God gives us Eternal life. God also gives us food and clothing and all the necessities of life. We should give thanks for these material blessings and use them to bless others, but let us not overlook the heavenly food that God gives. Take stock this Thanksgiving of all that God has given you. Do not let Thanksgiving be just a chance to eat a lot and watch football. But remember that we have the opportunity to feast every day on the blessings of eternal life. Because we know Christ, we shall never hun- ger or thirst for Heavenly bread. Thank God!
Photo by Kerstin Wrba on Unsplash November/December 2025
Reverend David Setzer is a retired minister in Catawba Presbytery. This was originally printed in the newsletter of Centennial ARP Church in 2013.
25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
