It’s Not Natural

TITLE: It’s Not Natural
DATE: November 27, 2019
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Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed.

TEXT: Colossians 3:17 – ESV - And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Thanklessness has always been a part of humankind’s heart.

• Adam and Eve weren't thankful for the paradise of Eden, so they grabbed the one thing they shouldn't.
•  The Children of Israel weren't thankful when God delivered them from slavery, so they spent their time complaining and murmuring. Murmuring and complaining for 40 years of wilderness wanderings. Did they learn their lesson? They did not.
• When they entered into the promised land, they complained about God's rules and regulations, regularly resorting to rejecting Him and revering various idolatrous brick a brack.
• In Jesus' day the ten lepers had a hard time giving thanks. People in every generation feel they have nothing for which to be thankful.

It’s not our nature to maintain a spirit of thanksgiving.

Of course, you could reply, “How about those Pilgrim fathers and mothers? They were thankful." True, the early pilgrims who celebrated a good harvest in 1621 did acknowledge God's help. Those Christians had a thanksgiving day.

But did you know that the Indians who gave the Pilgrims grain to grow in their rocky soil; who brought food to the feast; those heathen Indians already had a heathen tradition of Thanksgiving? It's true. The Christian Pilgrims we’re so proud of setting aside one day for thanks.

The Indians had six special days in which they showed their gratitude to their god.

Were the Pilgrims thankful? Yes they were, that year. Unfortunately, their thanksgiving didn't last.

When the Pilgrim children grew up, they forgot their Indian friends, forgot their goodwill and goaded by greed, shot the life out of the Massasoit Indians. People in every generation feel they have nothing for which to be thankful.

And I suppose our generation is no different. Publicly our nation, the most blessed nation on earth has written God out of history and is doing its best to convince ourselves that we have done all this on our own.

We haven’t.

We didn’t put the rich natural resources on and under our land. We didn’t create the fertile soil or the clean rivers. In war, where the outcome could be measured in seconds, or by the narrowest of margins, we have often, almost always been given the advantage.

And why has God done this.

He has done it for the reason He always blesses a nation: so that they in,  ‘whatever they do, in word or deed,  everything will be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as we continuously give thanks to God the Father through him.’

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, it’s not normal for people to give thanks to You. May we, in our homes, in our land,  in our lives give thanks to You Who are the Giver of every good gift.  In Your holy Name I pray it. Amen.

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html