The Attitude of Gratitude

“Oh give thanks to the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy endures forever.

Oh give thanks to the God of gods; for His mercy endures forever.

Oh give thanks to the Lord of lords; for His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-3, 26

Oh give thanks to the LORD! Part of the Jewish heritage is to give thanksgiving offerings; a sacrifice of thanksgiving with specific ingredients. “If he offered it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked.”
(Lev 7:12)

The tradition introduced by European Americans of Thanksgiving as a time to focus on God and His blessings dates back over four centuries. But it is primarily from the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving celebration of 1621 that we derive the tradition of Thanksgiving Day.
The Pilgrims set sail for America on Sept. 6, 1620, and for two months braved the harsh elements of a storm-tossed sea. Upon disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they held a prayer service and then hastily began building shelters; however, unprepared for such a harsh New England winter, nearly half of them died before spring. Emerging from that grueling winter, the Pilgrims were surprised when an Indian named Samoset approached them and greeted them in their own language, explaining to them he had learned English from fishermen and traders.

A week later, Samoset returned with a friend named Squanto, who lived with the Pilgrims and accepted their Christian faith. Squanto taught the Pilgrims much about how to live in the New World. That summer, the Pilgrims reaped a bountiful harvest and declared a three-day feast in December 1621 to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends — America’s first Thanksgiving Festival. Ninety Wampanoag Indians joined the 50 Pilgrims for three days of feasting.

The Pilgrim practice of designating a time of Thanksgiving spread into neighboring colonies and became an annual tradition. America’s first national Thanksgiving occurred in 1789. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began celebrating Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of each November, and in 1941, Congress permanently established that day as the national Thanksgiving holiday.

First description of thanksgiving is found in Gen. 4:3-4. Cain, a farmer, gives his offering of the ground. Abel, a herdsman, offers of the first born, choice cuts of meats. For us here in the USA we celebrate Thanksgiving because of the Lord’s goodness and provision for us as He did for our Pilgrim forefathers’.
I encourage you to make time to sit down, reflect on this past year. Write out what you are thankful for, and why. Allow this attitude of gratitude to well up in your spirit from fresh Living Water. Now you have the power to walk in the Spirit with the attitude of gratitude.

May you have a triumphant day in Jesus!

Happy Thanksgiving!
April