Well, you can tell it is the holiday season.  Because of snow?  No.  Cold weather?  No because people are in an uproar about Jesus (the true reason for the season) being excluded in our societal celebrations of the holiday.  We are so upset that a particular coffee shop has taken Christmas greetings off of their cups, and not allow their employees to say  Merry Christmas.  Even though, it is not the main point of this article, here are a few of my thoughts.  First, there are more serious attacks against our faith that we should focus on instead of no Christmas on coffee cups.  Second, why is Starbucks singled out, how about the other companies that don’t say Merry Christmas?  Should we boycott them?  Lastly, do we who profess to be followers of the way, do we always share out faith through our words and actions with those that we come into contact with?

OK, let me get off my soap box, and get back on track.  I want to talk about the holiday of Thanksgiving.  Have you noticed how society for the most part skips over Thanksgiving.  Some stores start selling Christmas ornaments in the summer.  Some stores have Halloween displays and items, and then on November 1^st, they put all of their Christmas items up.  Do you remember, when Black Friday actually started on Friday?  Not any more, Black Friday starts on Thanksgiving Day.

What happened to Thanksgiving?  Well first Thanksgiving should be a lifestyle not one day out of the year.  God has done so much for us, that we should always be thankful, but unfortunately we are like little kids.  Instead of being happy and appreciative for what we do we have, we focus on what we “need” next or on things that we don’t have.

Instead of being trying to be like Dr. Phil, and tell you how I think we can change this, just let me wish you Happy Thanksgiving, and give you some Bible verses to meditate and focus on dealing with Thanksgiving.

Ezra 3:11With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

Psalm 69:30 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Psalm 100:4Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name

Isaiah 51:3The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Jeremiah 30:19From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.

1 Corinthians 10:16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 14:16Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?

2 Corinthians 4:15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 9:11You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Ephesians 5:4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.