A Recipe for Thanksgiving Joy

A Recipe for Thanksgiving Joy
John R. Petrilli

Don’t you just love the harvest season? So do I! There’s nothing quite like the foliage flurry of a thousand hues. Add to this the growing anticipation of the holidays when we revisit the annual tradition of gathering together with family and friends. A large part of that tradition is the delicious and plentiful foods that tantalize and delight our palates. Attentive household gourmets search high and low for just the right new recipe that will add a flavorful and festive tone to their celebrations. There are recipes for mouth-watering roasts, nutritious vegetable dishes, healthy salads, and, of course, we can’t leave out those scrumptious holiday pies!

While enjoying a bountiful meal with loved ones is a wonderful centuries-old holiday tradition, true and lasting joy is found at a much deeper level. The level of the spirit. Hard economic times notwithstanding, the believer in Jesus Christ doesn’t have to look far for ways to count their many blessings. The apostle Paul’s writings are chock-full of thanksgiving for the people he knew and the profound spiritual blessings he enjoyed as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Surprisingly, most of his blessings were non-material in nature. I really think it will do us a world of good to reflect on some of these oft-overlooked ingredients of life that will make every day a ‘Thanksgiving Day.’

GOD’S RECIPE FOR THANKSGIVING JOY INCLUDES THE INGREDIENT OF FAITHFUL FRIENDS. Phil. 1:3-5

“Every time I think of you, I THANK my God. And whenever I mention you in my prayers it makes me very happy.” (CEV)

Some people have mistakenly characterized Paul as a spiritual “Lone Ranger”. But if you look closely at his correspondence, it becomes very clear that Paul highly valued and greatly appreciated the people God brought
into his life. One church in particular stands out in this regard, the believers in the city of Philippi. Every time Paul thought of them, his heart warmed with thanksgiving for their exemplary faith and shining witness for Christ. So deep was his gratitude to God for these co-laborers that he included a personal thank you note to them at the close of his letter. He appreciated the ongoing support they gave him in prayer as well as practical assistance. They didn’t forget Paul after he left their midst, but stayed abreast and informed of his whereabouts and needs. Then, as true friends, they took steps to meet those needs in a generous and consistent manner. Who wouldn’t be thankful for such friends? Who has God brought into your life as a supporting, caring friend? Be thankful for them!

GOD’S RECIPE FOR THANKSGIVING JOY CALLS FOR THE INGREDIENT OF GOD’S DAILY PROVISION. 1 Tim. 4:3-4

“God created these foods to be eaten with THANKFUL hearts by His followers who know the truth. Everything God created is good. And if you give THANKS, you may eat anything. What God has said and your prayer make it fit to eat.” (CEV)

I fear that we who have little to do with the raising of crops and the milking of cows often take them for granted. It’s hard for us to see the connection between the product and the great efforts that were expended to get it to our tables. We just cruise through the grocery store aisles nearly oblivious to all that was involved in getting everything on the shelves to market. We simply buy them, bag them, and then consume them. I wonder how different our gratitude level might be if we spent a month or two investing sweat and toil into a farm. I’d venture to guess that we’d see things a whole lot differently. The grain farmer KNOWS that God sent the rain he prayed for. The dairy farmer understands that all his efforts are in vain apart from God keeping his herd healthy. We can and should be genuinely grateful for something as simple as food because, at the end of the day, it is a gift from the hand of our loving and generous Creator. Paul appreciated his daily meals, thanked God for them, and encouraged all believers to adopt an attitude of gratitude for their daily bread. In so doing he was only practicing what His Lord did as He broke bread with is disciples (1 Cor. 11:24). And somehow, in some way, such a prayer sanctifies, blesses, and makes special the meal that we partake of.

GOD’S RECIPE FOR THANKSGIVING JOY REQUIRES THE INGREDIENT OF SALVATION. 2 Cor. 9:15

“THANK God for His gift that is too wonderful for words!” (CEV)

A list of blessings that doesn’t include our salvation needs to be rewritten. Gratitude to God for His saving grace through the cross and blood of Jesus Christ merits a song of everlasting thanksgiving. We should be engaged in this hymn of joyful gratitude THIS side of heaven because, it’s for certain, we’ll be doing so on the OTHER side for all eternity (Rev. 7:9-12 ; 5:9,12). Here’s an ingredient of thanksgiving that knows no boundaries. If the stock market crashes, we still have our salvation. If a pink slip comes across our desk, we still have our salvation. When sickness saps our health and strength, we can still rejoice in our salvation. When death takes one of our loved ones, we still have our salvation. No degree of adversity or loss can ever rob us of this supreme joy of salvation. Habakkuk knew this secret (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Paul describes the precious gift of our salvation as “unspeakable”, “indescribable”, “and inexpressible”. Its value escapes mere words, it defies description, its inestimable treasure can never be adequately verbalized.

GOD’S RECIPE FOR THANKSGIVING JOY LISTS THE INGREDIENT OF USEFULNESS TO GOD. 2 Cor. 2:14

“But THANKS be to God, Who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread His knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” (Everyday Bible)

Nothing aggravates us more than when we’ve discovered that someone has used us. We feel cheated, devalued, taken for granted. But what a different result when we’ve been used by God! Instead of anger we experience supreme joy! Paul uses powerful imagery to describe what being used by God looks and feels like. He says it’s a lot like a perfumed fragrance that permeates a room with its refreshing, delightful aromatic bouquet (cf. John 12:3). Paul borrows an illustration from a Roman victory parade where incense was burned profusely to celebrate a successful military campaign against enemy armies. The smell of that incense signaled to all viewing the parade that a great victory had been won on the battlefield. Paul transfers that image to the spiritual victory over death which Christ won at the cross. He thanked God for the privilege he had to further spread the fragrance of that monster victory to the whole world. Paul was glad he was being used by God to permeate his generation and culture with the gospel. How has God used you this past year? Count the ways, and thank Him for each and every privilege He’s granted you!

GOD’S RECIPE FOR THANKSGIVING JOY ADDS A TOUCH OF HEAVEN-SENT TRIALS. James 1:2-4

“When all kinds of trials crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but WELCOME them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is filly developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence.” (Phillips)

Thank God for difficulties? This must be some kind of typo, right? Not at all! Like a book, we must be careful not to judge a trial by its cover. On the cover trials appear ugly, painful, miserable, a useless waste of time, something to be avoided at all costs. But they are the very things God uses to build solid character in our lives…if we let Him. J Think for a moment. When have you experienced the greatest spurts of personal and spiritual growth? Was it when everything was rosy and calm? I’ll venture to guess that it was when your life was being turned-inside out and upside-down. It’s usually then that we recognize our complete dependence on God for wisdom and successful resolution. We can’t possibly steer our way through such times. We lack the foresight, ability and patience to pull it off on our own. Yes, we actually can and should be most thankful for the trials that invade our well-ordered lives, because they create the setting for God to move in and do for and in us what we could never do for ourselves. Our gratitude is not some “pie-in-the-sky” reaction, but a response firmly grounded in the incredible truth that God will take that trial and work it out into something that will be a blessing to us and those around us. We’ll exit the tunnel of trial stronger, wiser, and far more mature. Whatever you plunk into your Thanksgiving recipe, don’t leave out this indispensible ingredient. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Good News Paper to all of you! J J