HARVEST THANKSGIVING 2013 DEVOTIONS THANKFUL FOR THE PROVISION DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11 26 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the land the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us. 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labour. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, LORD, have given me. Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
Saying please and thank-you is something we drum into our children from a young age. (Just this past week in the Leader, there was a write-up (opinion column) that said it seems these basic manners a dying art in our society). We understand the power of these simple words, the importance of saying thank you. When we receive a gift, and we say thank you it acknowledges a few things: - It acknowledges that the one giving it, didn t have to. It s very much an act of kindness and generosity. - It acknowledges that the one receiving it, doesn t deserve it - It expresses an attitude of the heart. That which that gift has brought to the heart, that which it has caused on the inside, is expressed in the words thank-you. Of course, there are times when these words cannot fully express what is being felt inside, however, it s important that they are said. In our first text this morning the instruction is given to the Israelites, as to what one of the first things they are to do when they enter the promised land of Canaan and have settled.
They are to take the first-fruits of their crops, place it in a basket and present it to the priest as an offering to God. As they did this, there was an attitude of heart that accompanied it. They were to: - Remember where they have come from; what God had done for them in the past; - Acknowledge where they were now My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labour. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; As they acknowledged their struggling history as a people, as they see God s hand of deliverance, guidance and providence how he had carried them through and given them the land of Canaan, their natural response should be one of thanksgiving and praise. As they give of their first-fruits, they give back to God what was already His; what He had given to them in the first place. 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, LORD, have given me.
This morning we bring some produce/foodstuff a visible and small token of our attitude of gratitude. - We look back as a church we remember the struggles, how God with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm has brought us through - We look back as a Parish we remember where we have come from how God has graciously led us and kept us we are thankful! - We look back as families, and remember the challenges, we see God s provision we are thankful - We look back as individuals remembering how the road has not been an easy one, but God has kept us we are thankful! - Whether farmers or any other vocation this morning we look back over another year of productivity, and we come to say thank you. We acknowledge that that which we have, whether little or much, is undeserved, unmerited but yet given to us by our heavenly Father. We remember and we are thankful for the provision!
Philippians 4:4-9 THANKFUL DESPITE THE PAIN 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. An Attitude of gratitude can be had in every situation. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Elsewhere, Paul writes: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Friends, Paul had no reason to be thankful. Throughout his life he had known hardship for the sake of the Gospel: 2 Corinthians 11: 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own people, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Here we find he is sitting in chains in a Roman prison and he writes to the church in Philippi. - He s not writing to complain; - he s not writing to ask them to feel sorry for him or to fight his cause to get him out of there. Instead his message to them is: - Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! - He says be thankful in every circumstance! How could he say this? What was the secret?
While the soldiers stood outside his prison door, guarding Paul and his physical body, there was something far greater guarding his heart and his mind; that something was the peace of God. He says 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. You see, this peace transcended human understanding there was no reason to be peaceful; after all the Roman authorities were planning how they were going to kill him. However, Paul, though chained on the outside, was free on the inside. He would not have given advice to the Philippians without taking it himself. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God Dear friend, are you worried about something this morning? Are you anxious about something? May you and I learn the lesson that Paul learnt. Having an attitude of gratitude in any and every situation. - We don t thank God for the pain, that s difficult - but we thank Him in the pain! - We are not thankful for the tears, it s not pleasant - but we thank God through the tears! 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
John 6:25-35 THANKFUL FOR THE PROMISE 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, Rabbi, when did you get here? 26 Jesus answered, Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. 28 Then they asked him, What must we do to do the works God requires? 29 Jesus answered, The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. 30 So they asked him, What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Jesus said to them, Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 34 Sir, they said, always give us this bread. 35 Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Earlier in this chapter, we find Jesus had fed the multitudes. He then withdraws from the crowd. They look for him and they find him. He knows that they are seeking him for the wrong reasons. They were looking for more earthly blessing more earthly bread. He then charges them - to look beyond the here and now; - beyond this earthly life and its temporal food, to the bread that lasts forever! - The eternal life which He, the Son of Man has come to give them. Because they are earthly minded, they miss the point of what Jesus is saying. They say our ancestors were given manna in the wilderness what can you give us? Jesus points out that the bread in the wilderness was temporary, but the true bread from heaven Himself was eternal! They say give us this bread. Jesus declares I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
As we look around us this morning, and note these many good gifts that God has given us. When we look at our possessions, our health, our families and friends, we are certainly thankful for these many things. We are reminded again this morning that the greatest subject of our praise and thanksgiving. The gift that deserves our greatest thanks is the gift of eternal life that we have through our Lord Jesus Christ! Everything we have in the physical realm, is not certain. It can be here today and gone tomorrow. Even our physical life is fickle: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Psalm 27:1 But Friends, the riches we have in Christ, are eternal. The life we have through our Lord Jesus Christ, purchased for us through His own death and resurrection, is what we can hold onto. For that we can be thankful. Illustration: A newsboy, thinly clad and drenched by the soaking rain, stood shivering in a doorway one cold winter s day, selling the newspapers. First one bare foot and then the other was lifted for a moment and pressed against his leg to get a little warmth. Every few minutes his shrill cry could be heard, "Morning paper! Morning paper!" A man who was well protected by his coat and umbrella stopped to buy the early edition. Noting the boy's discomfort, he said, "This kind of weather is pretty hard on you, isn't it?" Looking up with a smile, the youngster replied, "I don't mind too much, Mister. The sun will shine again."
Friend, that s our blessed hope and assurance! The sun will shine again! even though the world may seem at times like it s crumbling all around us the promise we have, the hope we have, is that this is not the end. There is coming a time, when there will be no more suffering, no more pain, where Jesus Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Hallelujah! That s what we thank Him for anew today! Yes, we thank Him for the earthly bread that He provides for us from day to day! But even greater and louder is our song of thanksgiving for the true Bread from Heaven! Jesus said: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. This Thanksgiving Service, may we: - Thankful for the provision; - Thankful despite the pain; - Thankful for the promise.