16Rejoice always,17pray without ceasing,18in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Having a thankful heart can produce some incredible fruit for the glory of God - the Bible directs us to bring praise to Him. He promises to inhabit the praises of His people - so if we want to experience the presence of God and grow in our awareness of Him, our praise can cause that to happen. And, our attitude is shaped by the thankfulness we display...if we give honor to the One who is the maker and sustainer of all things, the One who controls our lives, and if we are careful to acknowledge Him for all the benefits that He brings into our lives, we can find that we are living in a state of constant humility or dependence on Him.
We think together on this day before Thanksgiving on the goodness of God, who has brought us into a relationship with Himself. In Psalm 140, we read:
6I said to the Lord: "You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.7O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.
And, later in the chapter, we are reminded that:12I know that the Lord will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor.13Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
I was reading Jerry Newcombe's excellent piece at WorldNetDaily earlier today as he shared about early Thanksgiving celebrations - we of course think about the 1621 Thanksgiving celebration at Plymouth, but he points out that two years earlier, in Jamestown, Virginia, Capt. John Woodlief declared on Dec. 4, 1619: “We ordain that the day of our ship’s arrival at the place assigned for plantation in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God.”
Newcombe points out that even though a number of its residents had died, eventually, providentially, Jamestown survived, and because of its permanency, the Pilgrims, a small group of Christian separatists, decided to settle in what they called “the northern parts of Virginia.” Hence, the voyage of the Mayflower in 1620, which they said was “for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith”.
Providentially, they were blown off course and were hindered from going south of Cape Cod.
The circumstances leading up to that Compact were rather dubious - there apparently was great unrest on the ship as it had encountered difficulty during its journey from England, and as Mark Ammerman points out at Christianity.com:
Shortly after these mutinous murmurings, a strategic meeting of the voyage's leaders took place in the captain's quarters. After prayer and much lively talk, Elder William Brewster dipped a quill in ink and began to write. The words he penned are now famous; at the time, they were simply the best reasoned efforts of a small group of English Separatists to stave off a mutiny while ensuring the common good...
Elder Brewster wrote: In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, having undertaken--for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith--a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.The entire ship's company was called together to hear it read aloud. Every man who signed the compact promised to obey the laws that would soon be made for their life together.
This Compact became the foundation for a system of government that has stood the test of time. Ammerman points out that "Once landed, the Pilgrims would need a sure form of government or there could be rebellion. If everyone didn't pull together for the common good, they might all starve in the wilderness. And so they came together in the captain's cabin, where (in the words of Winston Churchill) they 'drew up a solemn compact that is one of the most remarkable documents in history.'...
Forged in the fire of necessity, the Mayflower Compact was more a declaration of solidarity among the Pilgrims than it was a document of democracy. But in this brief charter, we have America's first written covenant for a society ruled by common assent and laws of its own making.
So, on this Thanksgiving Day, we can remember to Whom we show appreciation. We aren't paying homage to human effort and not celebrating how the Pilgrims thanked the Indians. In our study of history, we see people who were dedicated to God, who followed a cause greater than themselves, pursuing a course of religious freedom - we celebrate values that are uniquely grounded in the Scriptures. They had a vision for a system of laws that were centered on the Lord's principles and developed with sense of humility to Him and to one another. Affirming God's sovereignty and human dignity, these early Pilgrims recognized that submission to Him and to each other was a powerful basis for living together effectively.
As you go into this Thanksgiving celebration, I would encourage you to think about a few things based on this visit to a powerful historical time:
First of all, take a few moments to thank the One who has made you, sustained you, and blessed you. We would do well to do that individually, and maybe even collectively, as you reflect upon how God has shown up and shown Himself faithful in your life. Indeed, God desires for us to come before Him with grateful hearts.
And, realize that humility is a powerful force, and we could all stand to be a little more humble. As the Pilgrims approached land, disunity was setting in - they had been blown off course, and there were some that thought that the law of Virginia, where they were originally heading, did not apply to them any more. There had to be a solution to bind the hearts of the people together - they recalibrated and humbled themselves before God and each other. Perhaps, even in your Thanksgiving gatherings, where there might be some potential for tension, a surrendering to God and the demonstration of a gracious spirit may work to bring harmony.
Finally, we recognize that thanksgiving is way more than a once-a-year holiday or the occasional pronouncement of a blessing or two - it is a Biblical attitude of the heart, as we are called to be people of praise and worship to God. If we exhibit appreciation to Him, it will greatly affect our spiritual growth, our outlook on life, and the way we relate to other people. May we be challenged to be people of thankfulness.
No comments:
Post a Comment