Get Ready for Thanksgiving by Remembering the Giver of All Good Gifts

Hello, everyone. I'm Dr. James Spencer, and on this episode of Thinking Christian, I thought it'd be a good idea to just take a moment to give thanks to God. You know, as we come up on Thanksgiving, it always seems appropriate time to remember that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. That's Deuteronomy 8.3. Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility, and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian-owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. 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Rather, God reminds Israel that trusting in his wisdom is the means by which those who walk with God navigate the challenges of the physical world. But even after the 40 years in the wilderness, God recognizes the human tendency to focus on the gift and to forget the giver. And so he says in Deuteronomy 8, 11 through 18, Take care, lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes which I command you today, lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you to do good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, my power and my might have gotten me all this wealth. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers as it is this day. You know, unlike many of those around us who don't know Christ, we have God's peace and that peace is beyond our understanding. We have his hope, which is not grounded in health or prosperity. It's grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we have his joy, which is not fleeting, but endures as we come to know God more deeply. You know, I love this quote that D.L. Moody says. He says, I am so thankful that I have a joy that the world cannot rob me of, a treasure that the world cannot take from me. You know, we have all of these things in Christ. We have all of these things that God has given us, regardless of what is going on in our lives. And our job is to realize that no matter what we face, we have God with us. Our job is to remember that no matter what we face, obedience is always the correct response. Following God's wisdom is not just one strategy, you know, among others. It is the strategy that we're supposed to follow. So several years ago, I wrote a prayer. And as I read it, I just encourage you to and ask you to pray with me that whether we're going through a challenging time or enjoying the comforts that God is often gracious to provide, that we will find in ourselves to have hearts of gratitude. So let's take a minute and just pray with me. As I read this prayer, just pray with me. Lords, we participate in the all too consuming activities that require our attention today. We pray that we would not lose sight of you. Give us this day a heart of gratitude. Give us a heart of gratitude, which looks beyond our appreciation for things, for comfort, for peace, for prosperity. Give us a heart of gratitude, which is ever and always thankful for the giver, thankful for the one who has provided, thankful for the one who, unlike his gifts, will never fade away. Give us a heart of gratitude, which refuses to surrender to frivolous complaint, to seek more than you have given us, to succumb to the annoyances and the frustrations of this world. Give us a heart of gratitude, which is so filled with thanksgiving that worry and concern have no room. Give us a heart of gratitude, which remembers you as the present giver, who is our refuge and our portion. Give us a heart of gratitude, which cries out for thanksgiving and praise, even in the midst of anguish, pain, and frustration. Give us a heart of gratitude, which is capable of love, hope, and peace, despite the tension, hurts, and foolishness of this world. Give us a heart of gratitude, which is ever and always yours. Amen. Have a great Thanksgiving, everybody. I just encourage you to cultivate a heart of gratefulness this year and to remember that everything you have is a blessing from God. Remember the giver, not the gift. Thanks a lot. Catch you on the next episode. Happy Thanksgiving. I'm bestselling author John Seidl, and I'm the Christian who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. Through the power of Jesus, I got sober, and now I'm sharing both my story and the stories of others just like me, along with helpful interviews from trauma, faith, and addiction recovery experts. If you're a fan of messy sanctification and powerful stories, join me on the Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic podcast on Life Audio or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Let's get radically vulnerable.