Enter With Thanksgiving!!! 

    One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. It says: "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, & we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. "Enter His gates with thanksgiving & His courts with praise; give thanks to Him & praise His name. For the Lord is good & His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."
    With all my heart I believe we are a people & a nation that God has truly blessed. Of all those who "give thanks to Him & praise His name" we should be at the top! Compiling a wish list at Christmas is common, and to draw up a list of resolutions for New Years is normal. However, there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all that we are thankful for.
    Let me give you a small part of a list that several housewives compiled. They wrote that they were especially thankful:

- "For automatic dishwashers because they make it possible for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back in for their after-dinner snacks.
- "For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house because they usually make them big enough to call in the professionals.
- "For children who put away their things & clean up after themselves.  They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents
- "For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.
- "For Smoke alarms because they let you know when the turkey’s done.

    Now our list might not be the same as theirs, and I’m sure that it would include more that just our material possessions. Like you, I know that my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, & the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. Yet even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation & the mercy that God showers upon us each day. With Jesus we have so much to celebrate on Thanksgiving!

Have a great Thanksgiving Day every day of your life!!!!


Pastor John J. Dodd