Thanksgiving

   There are times in my life that I just do not give God any thought at all. I go blithely on my way, accepting His good gifts and blessings without a single moment of acknowledgment of where these might come from, and Who it is that sends them my way.

   As I have mentioned before, my usual procedure each morning is to first of all read a Psalm and then go to a Gospel passage to reflect on. This morning I had to stop after the Psalm 50 reading because a couple of parts caught my eye.

   Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving (verse 14)


   The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me (verse 23)

   Thanksgiving as a sacrifice, now that seems an oxymoron. Where is the sacrifice in this?

   Occasionally, we sing The Doxology in church. Those simple words in the first line "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow" stop me short, often not even allowing me to sing the rest, as I think of all I have to be thankful for. Not just the "stuff" that He sends my way, but the people, the relationships, the opportunities and just the life He allows me to live.

   Thanksgiving is a way of saying, "I would have nothing except for You, and I would be nothing either".

   It is also saying, "I did not do any of this on my own".

   Thanksgiving is not just a day on the calendar in November each year, it is a lifestyle that glorifies God, and puts me in my rightful place.

   Thanks be to God