Take Time to Give Thanks!
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: The X-Files
Take Time to Give Thanks!
by Mitchell Skelton
Psalm 103:1–22
The observance of Thanksgiving is a tradition that
we hold near to our heart as Americans. The
tradition of gathering together with friends and
family for Thanksgiving began almost 400 years ago
at Plymouth Colony.
The Pilgrims uprooted themselves and sailed for
America on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom
and a new way of life for their families. Through
what they endured, it is amazing that we ever came
to have this holiday at all. Instead of landing in
Virginia where others from England had already
established settlements, the Mayflower was blown
off course and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts,
just in time for winter to set in. What ensued
next was enough to break the will of even the
strongest of people, terrible storms and sickness
ravaged the settlers.
Gov. William Bradford described this first winter
as, "That which was most sad and lamentable." He
went on to describe how that, sometimes, two, even
three, people died each day. Shelter from the
harsh winter was scant as the Pilgrims spent their
time digging seven times as many graves for their
dead as they built homes for the living. The very
fact that the tradition of Thanksgiving originated
from this band of beaten brothers is amazing
indeed!
Wanting never to forget how God delivered them
from their want, the Pilgrims and their ancestors
developed a tradition to remember the hard times
from which they had been delivered. Whenever the
Pilgrims gathered for a dinner of "thanksgiving,"
they had a custom of placing five kernels of corn
upon an empty plate before the meal was served.
Each member of the family would pick up a kernel
and tell that for which they were thankful. This
was a reminder to them how during that first
winter at Plymouth food was so scarce that each
individual was rationed only five kernels of corn
each day.
As Christians, we should always remember, even in
the direst circumstances, to place our reliance
upon God. Today, as we look forward to
Thanksgiving, let us take five kernels from Psalm
103 for which we can be thankful toward God.
"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being,
praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits who forgives all
your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems
your life from the pit and crowns you with love
and compassion, who satisfies your desires with
good things so that your youth is renewed like the
eagle's" (Psalm 103:1–5)
The Kernel of Forgiveness (Psalm 103:3a)
God's forgiveness is something we can never earn.
"He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay
us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10).
Because of the mercy he has shown us, we should be
continually thankful. God's forgiveness is
something we as sinful man can never fully
understand. God's forgiveness is complete
forgiveness. "As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us"
(Psalm 103:12)
The Kernel of Healing (Psalm 103:3b)
All healing is divine healing and the direct
result of God's work. The healing properties God
built into our bodies are part of his process of
divine healing. Modern medicines and the knowledge
of Doctors are extensions of God's healing. God
does not promise to heal everyone's diseases, but
that he has the power to heal all diseases. Most
importantly, God is the only one who can cure our
spiritual diseases.
The Kernel of Redemption (Psalm 103:4a)
God is totally responsible for our redemption from
sin. That is what it means when we read in
Scripture, "We are saved by grace." By the grace
of God he sent his Son to die in our place. "For
you know that it was not with perishable things
such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from
the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter
1:18–19). We could not pay for our sin, but Christ
could and he did.
The Kernel of Love and Compassion (Psalm 103:4b)
God's compassion for us is like a father to his
child. "As a father has compassion on his
children, so the LORD has compassion on those who
fear him" (Psalm 103:13). God's love is unmatched
in heaven or on earth. "You see, at just the right
time, when we were still powerless, Christ died
for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a
righteous man, though for a good man someone might
possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own
love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6–8).
The Kernel of Blessing (Psalm 103:5)
God's blessings are given to those who obey him.
"But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD'S
love is with those who fear him, and his
righteousness with their children's children with
those who keep his covenant and remember to obey
his precepts" (Psalm 103:17–18). God knows how to
bless his children. "Ask and it will be given to
you; seek and you will find; knock and the door
will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if
his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or
if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If
you, then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who
ask him" (Matt. 7:7–11).
This Thanksgiving, take the time to give thanks!
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