Christians and Thanksgiving

I found the following article on gotquestions.org last evening and it is worthy of posting it here for you. I think it is really good. 

Focus on Thanksgiving as a Christian

The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. At one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn apiece, but then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, swapping them beaver pelts for grain, providing for their severe need. The next summer’s crop brought hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621, be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show the gratitude of the colonists that they were still alive.

These Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom and opportunity in America, gave thanks to God for His provision for them in helping them find 20 acres of cleared land, for the fact that there were no hostile Native Americans in that area, for their newfound religious freedom, and for God’s provision of an interpreter to the Native Americans in Squanto. Along with the feasting and games involving the colonists and more than 80 Native Americans (who added to the feast by bringing wild turkeys and venison), prayers, sermons, and songs of praise were important in the celebration. Three days were spent in feasting and prayer.

From that time forward, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a day to give thanks to God for His gracious and sufficient provision. President Abraham Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November, in 1863, “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.” In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and be a legal holiday.

Scripturally, we find things related to the issue of thanksgiving nearly from cover to cover. Individuals offered up sacrifices out of gratitude in the book of Genesis. The Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving as they were delivered from Pharaoh’s army after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Later, the Mosaic Law set aside three times each year when the Israelites were to gather together. All three of these times [Unleavened Bread (also called the Feast of the Passover) (Exodus 12:15-20), Harvest or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-21), and the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36)] involved remembering God’s provision and grace. Harvest and Tabernacles took place specifically in relation to God’s provision in the harvest of various fruit trees and crops. The book of Psalms is packed full of songs of thanksgiving, both for God’s grace to the Israelite people as a whole through His mighty deeds, as well as for His individual graces to each of us

In the New Testament, there are repeated admonitions to give thanks to God. Thanksgiving is to always be a part of our prayers. Some of the most remembered passages on the giving of thanks are the following:

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NKJV).

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6, NKJV).

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Timothy 2:1, NKJV).

Of all of God’s gifts, the greatest one He has given is the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus paid our sin debt, so a holy and just Judge could forgive us our sins and give us eternal life as a free gift. This gift is available to those who will call on Christ to save them from their sin in simple but sincere faith (John 3:16; Romans 3:19-26; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:13; Ephesians 2:8-10). For this gift of His Son, the gift which meets our greatest need, the apostle Paul says, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).

We, like the Pilgrims, have a choice. In life there will always be those things that we can complain about (the Pilgrims had lost many loved ones), but there will also be much to be thankful for. As our society becomes increasingly secular, the actual “giving of thanks to God” during our annual Thanksgiving holiday is being overlooked, leaving only the feasting. May God grant that He may find us grateful every day for all of His gifts, spiritual and material. God is good, and every good gift comes from Him (James 1:17). For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good (Romans 8:28-30). May He find us to be His grateful children

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Friends, here in America we have been so blessed that years ago, people from another land came to this country to give us freedom to worship God as we see fit. I fear a lot of times, we have taken that freedom for granted.  And the thing is, there are forces not only seen but unseen as well that is trying hard to stop God and our worship of Him here. As time goes on before Jesus comes back, I don't think it will get any better and instead get worse as this freedom dissipates in thin air and we lose our rights. 

While we still can and even if it comes to that, we must remember and thank God for all He has done and given to us. 

The Bible says that one day, this world will pass away but Jesus words will never pass away. (Mathew 24:35) 

But when that happens, all the evil will go with it. I look forward to that day, and I am sure you do as well. 

As Thanksgiving approaches for another year and we look back to the good and bad of 2025, let's remember that God is good in all situations.

And also remember those that gave their lives for our freedom, not only in times past but also now as well. Because there are many that are still fighting the battles of evil in our society today. Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a wonderful day of blessing!

Daily Word

Today's word is Generation

Hebrew

GENERATION:

By: Emil G. Hirsch, J. Frederic McCurdy

This many-sided word, like its equivalents in the modern versions of the Bible, is used to translate the Hebrew "dor" and "toledah" (the latter found only in the plural). The primary meaning of "dor" is "period"; the secondary, the period bounded by the life of a man or of a single family. Thus "dor" signifies generations, or ages, of men in the past or future; it also designates the men who live in any special period or age (see especially Ps. cxlv. 4; Eccl. i. 4). From this idea of men regarded as a group bound together by relationship a transition is made to men of any particular time taken as a class connected only by contemporaneousness. Thus in "a generation that curseth its father" (Prov. xxx. 11) the class character is so strong that the persons described are spoken of throughout as a single unit.

In "toledot," on the other hand, the idea of descent by birth and family relationship gives its special force to the translating term. Thus "generations" in Gen. x. 32 means a genealogical succession of families; in Num. i. 20, genealogical divisions by parentage. A secondary and very important usage may be seen where "generations" means the history in the form of a genealogical account of any set of people along with their descendants (Gen. v. 1). All early history began with genealogical lists, and even the process of creation of heaven and earth is viewed in Gen. ii. 4 as a genealogical history. The word "toledot" is found mostly in the Hexateuch, and there only in the Priestly Code.

Greek

• 

  The word "generation" in Greek can be translated as: 

  Bible Hub+4

  γενιά (geniá)
• γενεά (geneá)
• παραγωγή (paragogí)

The Greek word for "generation" is "γενεά" (genea). It refers to:

• A begetting, birth, or nativity. 

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• A generation of mankind or a specific age. 

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• It can also imply an interval of time or the collective sense of a group of people born around the same time. 

  2

  
  This term has been used in various Greek writings and is significant in biblical contexts as well. 

  1
• 
  

Note: I tied to find out more about this word in the Greek language but had trouble and this is all I could really find. The above image is the Greek alphabet.

Since I could not find an image for the Greek Word of generation I want to say something about the top image that I have for posted today. The reason being that it is so true. How many people do you know that are actually doing this, That is speaking about faith to your children.  And moreover, how many people do we not know that aren't. All we have to do is look at the news to see what is going on with our youth. And adults as well.  America has gotten so far away from God and it's Christian values, that is it no wonder what is happening, is indeed what is happening. 

The following scripture says this: 

4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. Psalm 78:4

To make America Great Again, as President Trump and others want to do, is more than passing laws that do away with a evil system. It begins first with God's Word. And lots of prayer. And teaching our children what is truly right and wrong from the beginning. 

At any rate, I just wanted to add my 2 cents today, since I couldn't find more about the word generation in the Greek. 

Thanks for coming by, and God grant you blessings of peace today

Teaching Our Kids

 Hello, Friends. 

Today, I have something a bit different to share with you. 

It reminds me of a time when we were raising our kids. Back then we didn't have the internet. And it would have been nice in many ways to have had it.

Having it would have been a wonderful way to find things that I could have taught my children.

Oh, we did the best we could. We took them to church and had other activities with them.

But like with all parents, we made our share of mistakes. And despite those, God did give us 4 beautiful kids whom are so loved by me. Dad has passed on to be with Jesus, and one day I will too. But in the meantime, it is good to teach the children about Him and there are different ways to do that. 

I ran across the following devotion this morning, that perhaps you can do with your child or grandchild:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!" The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces. "Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's no wolf!" They went grumbling back down the hill. Later, the boy sang out again, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away. When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!" But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more. Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!" But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come. At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping. "There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, "Wolf!" Why didn't you come?" An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village. "We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!" ⭐⭐⭐

Many years ago, when my granddaughter Gracie was five, I told her the story of “The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf,” and she loved it. 

She'd ask me to tell it to her every time she visited, so I started telling it a little differently each time. It always included someone getting caught lying, but not always a little boy and a wolf. Gracie didn’t mind the changes. In fact, she liked them.

The message of the story is important, and it's one that even a child can understand. 

The little boy who cried wolf didn’t obey God's ninth commandment and didn't realize that liars eventually get found out.

Our God is the Father of truth (John 14:6). Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

The Bible is filled with examples of lies and liars, starting with Satan lying to Eve (Genesis 3:4). Yes, from the beginning of time, lies have been wreaking havoc in our world, distancing people from God's protection and love (Proverbs 12:22; Colossians 3:9).

Don't end up like the little boy who cried wolf. If there are areas of your life where you are lying to yourself or to others, come clean today. Ask God’s help—He is eager to give it.

(Source: Bible Love Notes)

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Wow, how true this is. And it's an important truth we need to teach our own kids. Without our guidance in God's Word, they may grow up to not understand those things they need to know.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

Have a blessed day!

Dailey Word

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not

The Hebrew definition follows: 

Faith By Jeff A. Benner

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אֱמוּנָה

emunah

Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4 - ASV)

What does it mean to have "faith" from an Hebraic perspective? In our western minds faith is a mental exercise in knowing that someone or something exists or will act. For instance, if we say "I have faith in God" we are saying "I know that God exists and that he will do what he says he will do".

The Hebrew word for faith is אמונה (emunah - Strong's #530) and is an action oriented word meaning "support". This is important because the Western concept of faith places the action on the one you have faith in, such as "faith in God". But, the Hebrew word אמונה places the action on the one who "supports God". It is not a knowing that God will act, but rather I will do what I can to support God. This idea of support for the word emunah can be seen in Exodus 17:12.

But Moses' hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady (emunah)until the going down of the sun.

It is the support/emunah of Aaron and Hur that held of Moses' arms, not the support/emunah of Moses. When we say "I have faith in God", we should be thinking "I will do what I can to support God".

Strong's: #530

Greek Definition for Faith

assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

From peitho; persuasion, i.e. Credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself -- assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

see GREEK peitho

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Good morning, friends.

as we have learned in Church, Without Faith it is impossible to please God.

Hebrews 11:6

Thank God that when we pray, it doesn't take big faith for God to answer our prayers. 

All it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed.

Mathew 17:20

And that is our word for today!

Thanks for coming by. Have a blessed day!

Jewish Thanksgiving?

If we pay attention to the news these days, we hear a lot about some of the things going on over in Israel. It prompts me to wonder though if the Jewish People there celebrate Thanksgiving.

We know they have various festivals that have been going on there, but what about Thanksgiving as we know it here in America?

And so I looked it up to see what I could find, and what follows is one site that speaks on it.

For many American Jews, the fourth Thursday in November is a chance to gather with family, eat copious quantities of turkey and stuffing, and perhaps pass out during an afternoon football game.

Most American Jews regard Thanksgiving as more akin to the Fourth of July than Christmas, devoid of religious associations and offering an opportunity to fully embrace a distinctly American tradition. The holiday’s focus on gratitude — hardly a concept foreign to Jewish thought — also provides a comfortable overlap between Jewish and American values.

Yet for a minority of Jews, the embrace of any non-Jewish holiday ritual poses challenges. In the last century, Jewish religious law authorities were called upon to determine whether it was acceptable for observant Jews to partake of Thanksgiving observances. The main issue hinges on a general prohibition in Jewish law, based on a verse in Leviticus, that is generally understood to bar copying “the ways of the Gentiles.” (It’s this principle that leads some Orthodox authorities to take issue with certain types of body piercings.)

Whether this principle applies to Thanksgiving turns entirely on whether it’s considered a “Gentile” holiday or a secular American one. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, two leading 20th century Orthodox legal authorities, both agreed that Thanksgiving was not a religious holiday, though their views are not universally accepted within the Orthodox world. One notable dissenter was Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner, who considered Thanksgiving innately Christian and forbidden to Jews.

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So, there you have it. But as usual this question makes me ask other questions about this subject as well. I will cover them along during the month of Thanksgiving.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. 

I wanted to let you know that I am not going to be putting Thanksgiving content and Bible Words together in one post.

So please be aware, that on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will include content as this today.

And then on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays I will include a Bible Word.

The above will be posted at least through the month of November, Lord willing, and then we look at December and see what it brings.

Again, thanks for coming by, and have a blessed rest of your day, wherever you are reading this

Bible Word Meanings

Good evening, Friends. Have you ever wondered what a Bible word written in the English language means in Hebrew? What about Greek? As I was reading the Bible last evening, the thought came to me that it would be interesting that along with my regular post every day, I would pick a word to look up in both the Hebrew and Greek to see what they actually mean in those languages and see how they differ from our own. 

So today I will just be doing that and not try to do a regular post as I said today in my earlier post that it would be a very busy day and I may not get to one. 

Instead, I will give this a try and just see how it goes. And then tomorrow plan to go back to a regular post and do a word as well. 

So, for today's word, I am going to start with a name That name being God. What does the name God mean in Hebrew and Greek?

אלהים Hebrew:

Elohim is a Hebrew word that denotes “God” or “god.” It is one of the most common names for God in the Old Testament, starting in the very first verse: “In the beginning [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The name Elohim occurs over 2,500 times in the Tanakh. (source: gotquestions.org)

Greek:

the supreme Divinity, God, godly.

Of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with ho) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very -- X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward).

see GREEK ho (source: biblehub.com Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)

So, there you go, Friends. I think this will be a interesting study for us and hope you do too. If you want more info about any of the above information, please go to those websites.

I hope you had a day of blessing. Take care and peace be unto you.

Good Morning Friends

 

I hope this post finds you all well and blessed. It is a beautiful day here but starting to et a bit chilly. Winter is sure on it way.

Anyway, I think I will be doing a content for today. But it may be posted later than usual, and I just wanted you to know its not posted by 10 pm EST there probably won't be one.

I have a number of things that I absolutely must get done today. However, I have a new endeavor that I am going to let you in on in the next post, as it will be a part of the posts that I am already doing. I just have to get working on it today to research some things and then decide how best to proceed. 

If nothing else, I may do a post later this evening just for that reason but will do what I can as time and getting these other things done permits. 

That being said, please keep our country and its problems in your prayers today. God can advert these things going on to His and our good, if we pray and believe that He can. 

Until later my Friends, have a wonderful, blessed day!