What Are You Thankful For?

Well it's here again. Got here before you knew it, huh? Are you ready for it? Have you already made your plans for this year?
Okay, okay, so tell me, what’s here? The holiday season! It seems to come around quicker and quicker each year, doesn’t it.
With Thanksgiving just barely behind us, and Christmas running a steady pace to catch us, not to mention New Year's Eve pushing a close third, have you stopped to think about what the holiday season should really represent?
During the mad rush at the shopping malls and outlet stores, the world is quite thankful, regardless of how it appears. For you see, they are thankful for the pre-Christmas sales which come after the gigantic mark-up, which are placed on the sale items which were already sky-high anyway, bringing the items to a price, that through the greedy schemes of pricing, no one really knows what it is worth, what it really costs, or how much is too much! STOP!
Will this be on your Rich's card? Ah, but of course, plastic. The thankfulness of that little plastic card. Oh I'm not worried, I can pay it off next year. I’ve just gotta get everyone something extremely nice. Furthermore, I am not gonna let my so-in-so, out give me this year!
It's time to party! Plenty of holiday reasons to throw a party. Um, let's see. The company Christmas party,ah yes. I'd better make arrangements for someone to drive me home, cause I doubt I'll be able to drive after that party.
Oh yeah! My buddy's annual Christmas party at his house, can’t miss that one. I’d better plan to spend the night there; maybe his cousin will be there......
Come on gang! Lets all go to downtown Atlanta to see the lighting of the Rich's Christmas tree. It is our family tradition, yall know we never miss it.
Finally, at last. Days and days of football to watch. I’ll just grab a couple of twelve packs, couple of bags of chips and I'll be all set.
Don't forget to stop by the package store honey. We must really go all out this season for our dear friends, they think so much of us, you know.
Get the picture? Everyone is thankful for something during the holidays. But sad as it is though, most of those type of people mentioned above, will have very little or no thankfulness at all for the one true reason in which we observe the holiday season. That reason is Jesus.
No, we don't know as to when Jesus Christ was born, but without his birth we would have no chance of ever receiving salvation, for we would not have the name of Jesus to call upon for that salvation. Acts 4:12-Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
The observance of December 25 as Christmas or Jesus' day of birth, has widely been accepted throughout the world. But to say that Jesus was born on December 25,does not coincide with scripture, speaking of the shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night, Luke 2:8.
During the month of December, Israel’s weather is cold and wet, which designates that shepherds would not be out in the fields wet and freezing to death. Possibly, Jesus was born in the spring or early summer.(The date of Jesus' birth is not the focus of this article).
We as Christians, should observe the holiday season with thankfulness. Not as worldly thankfulness or should I say, greediness, but as that of a genuine spirit of Christ likeness, humble and meek and with respect unto our savior.
During this season in which people set aside this time to give gifts, when throughout the year they normally would not, we Christians should set aside some special time alone with God in prayer, and express our thankfulness to Him. But let us not cease from those times alone with God, after the holiday season is over. We should continue in them throughout the year as normal.
Allow this holiday season, to be a time for reflecting back on your life before you became a child of God. Remember your past holiday seasons when you were perhaps, like the people mentioned earlier. Remember what God has delivered you from, and see where He has brought you to now, as you continue your relationship with Him.
Let's not allow ourselves to become so wrapped up in all of the "holiday hoopla,” that we completely annihilate the perfect "reason for the season."
Give gifts, get together with your families, enjoy each others' company. But let's not forget to invite and warmly welcome the most important and best gift, that God gave this world, and that is Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, John 1:29.
11-3-97