Deuteronomy 8 7 14 7 For the Lord

Deuteronomy 8: 7 -14 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land – a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills;

Deuteronomy 8: 7 -14 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

Deuteronomy 8: 7 -14 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Deuteronomy 8: 7 -14 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,

Deuteronomy 8: 7 -14 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Come On In, Bring Your Gratitude With You!

Our “Declaration of Independence” proclaims “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. . . ”

“. . . with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. ”

Thanksgiving is a distinctive holiday…. . . no battle, birthday or anniversary. It is simply a day set aside to express our nation’s thanks to our nation’s God.

Very first Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation by George Washington in 1789.

By the President of the United States of America a proclamation: WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;

and whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLIC THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God. . .

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. . . ” So read the very first Presidential Thanksgiving

I. Be Careful To Give Thanks! Psalm 100 was written to the people of Israel. . . God had warned them When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 8: 1014)

failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

God knew others would need the same message! u u Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The basis of our thanksgiving is the Lord!

II. Five Thanksgiving Commands u Command #1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. (v 1 -NIV) u It means to “shout with the force of a trumpet blast”. u

Roland Allen tells of a medical missionary to India who served in a region where. . . u They never said “Thank you” u “I tell your name”

Command #2 u Serve the LORD with gladness (v 2 a-NASB) u “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. ’” (Matthew 25: 40)

Serve the Lord with gladness Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. (Colossians 3: 23 -24)

Command #3 Come before Him with joyful singing. (2 b-NASB) u Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. u (Psalms 98: 4)

Did you notice God’s focus in the first 3 commands? u Be happy! u Shout with joy! u Serve with gladness! u Come with joyful songs!

Command #4 Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture, (v 3 -NASB) You have a Maker!

Did you not. . . clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit. “But this is what you concealed in your heart, and I know that this was in your mind: If I sinned, you would be watching me and would not let my offense go unpunished. (Job 10: 10 -14)

Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. (Psalms 139: 12 -14)

God is our maker & we are created in His image.

We have a Shepherd. u u Most of us want to be shepherds not sheep. The problem with that is we don’t know where the green pastures and still waters are.

We need to be sheep and just let Him lead.

Command #5 u u Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. (v 4 -5) In the Old Testament the temple symbolized the presence of God. Come to the temple = Come in His presence.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; (I Corinthians 6: 19)

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. (Psalms 103: 10)

Come on in bring your gratitude with you!