In reflecting upon the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving and the plentiful portions of traditional, yummy foods that most of us will consume, I am equally reminded that our Lord is not a God of skimpy portions! He loads blessing after blessing upon us, and not just once a year! A common concern when gathered together with friends and family during seasonal festivities is whether or not there will be enough provisions to go around, but never with the Lord! The Bible teaches there is PLENTY with God, and we ought to be thankful for it all…
PLENTY OF FOOD
Joel 2:26(KJV)
Ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord
your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never
be ashamed.
PLENTY OF WATER
Psalm 68:9 (KJV)
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine
inheritance, when it was weary.
PLENTY OF GOODS
Deuteronomy 28:11(KJV)
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body,
and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the
land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
PLENTY OF PRODUCTION
Deuteronomy 30:9(KJV)
And the Lord God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand…
PLENTY IN STORE
Proverbs 3:10(KJV)
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty…
PLENTY FOR ALL
Jeremiah 2:7 (KJV)
And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and
the goodness thereof…
PLENTY OF MERCY
Psalm 103:8(KJV)
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
PLENTY IN FAIRNESS
Job 37:23 (KJV)
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power,
and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
PLENTIFUL PARDON
Isaiah 55:7(KJV)
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and
to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
PLENTIFUL PEACE
Phillipians 4:7(KJV)
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
PLENTIFUL REDEMPTION
Psalm 130:7(KJV)
Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with
him is plenteous redemption.
PLENTIFUL GRACE
2 Corinthians 9:8(KJV)
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having
all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
PLENTIFUL RESOURCES
Ephesians 3:20(KJV)
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
PLENTY FOR THE FUTURE
1 Corinthians 2:9(KJV)
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
I don't know about you, but as I took the time to read down through those verses I couldn’t help but bow my head in thanks to our heavenly Father for all that He has made available to us! Let us give thanks for Someone to thank, amen? Yes, you can learn to give thanks even if you don’t feel particularly thankful. Ladies, if God gives a command, He expects obedience, whether you and I are in the mood or not! Thankfulness, like forgiveness, is not an emotion. It's an intelligent response of gratitude to God. If you cultivate a thankful spirit, it will be to you a continual feast. And while you're at it, cultivate a thankful spirit within your children as well!! Everyone has a good deal for which to praise the Lord, no matter what our age!
Psalm 92:1 (KJV)
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto
thy name, O most High:
As you pass the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the sweet potatoes, the stuffing, the pumpkin pie, etc. back and forth across your table to the guests you are gathered with this year, why not also pass around some of these verses above and share the bounty you have found with the Lord? There is always a feast found at the Father's banqueting table that God's children are free to eat from every day. May we always appear spiritually "fat" to those who do not know the Lord and are starving for spiritual nourishment! Ladies, the giving of thanks should be offered privately and publicly. Let's circulate the truth around our tables and feed the souls of the lost. Psalm 18:49 says, “Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.” Don’t just reserve your conversations about the Lord for Christian settings! We enjoy so much at the hand of God, and yet there are so few of us active in soul winning, serving our Creator out of thankful hearts! Believe it or not, there are still a vast number of people in this world who know little of the bounty of our Lord. Nothing would please our heavenly Father more than to have a plentiful number of laborers sharing His Word and work…
Matthew 9:37 (KJV)
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but
the labourers are few...
So much received, yet so little given back... By our Savior’s example in John 6:11, we learn that whatever Jesus received from His Father’s hand, He gave thanks for it prior to His use of it, and then employed it for God’s glory… “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” How much have you taken from God’s hand for your own personal benefit, without giving any type of conscious appreciation in return, verbally or otherwise? Do you ever employ what you have received for God’s glory? Ladies, I don't believe that Thanksgiving was ever meant to be shut up in one single day - it should become a part of every Christian's life on a moment-by-moment basis! Thanksgiving, to be truly thanksgiving, is first thanks, and then giving… Can the Lord count on you for both attitudes?
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 1999 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
