Prayer
– Lord God, we are at that thankful time of the year with our Thanksgiving holiday
this Thursday. Thank You for being our God—and for providing all that we need…especially
our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
But
the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the
faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, by means
of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding
iron, who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has
created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For
everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God
and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:1-5 NASB (Underlined
for emphasis.)
Meditate
on gratitude.
Gratitude—grateful, appreciative, acknowledgement,
recognition, thankfulness. Appreciate of benefits received.
Thankful—grateful, appreciative, indebted,
delighted, pleased, gratified. To be conscious of a benefit.
Yes.
These two words are very similar with comparable synonyms. Are they the same to
you? Do you show your gratitude to God and to those around you in appreciation
for what they have done for you?
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is
good! His faithful love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
It is
important to give thanks before the meal. Remember how Jesus gave thanks at the
Passover meal…known as the Last Supper? We should offer a blessing at any meal.
Do you pray before you eat to “consecrate” your meal? Did you know that it is a
Jewish custom to pray after the meal to give thanks?
It is a Jewish custom to give thanks, offering a blessing after the meal,
particularly one including bread. That is known as the Birkat
Hamazon. Grace after Meals. It isn’t so much as to express thankfulness as it
is to be humble—recognizing God’s dominion.
Here is a
short example:
Blessed is The Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who sustains the entire world with goodness, kindness and mercy. God give good to all creatures, for God’s mercy is everlasting. Through God’s abundant goodness we have not lacked sustenance, and may we not lack sustenance forever, for the sake of God’s great name. God sustains all, does good to all, and provides food for all the creature whom God has created. Blessed is The Lord our God, who provides food for all.
 |
| Sign seen along a path in Jerusalem. |
- Blessing the food just eaten, not just by us, but
food for the whole world.
- Blessing the land…and the Torah as it recounts the Exodus story. Includes
physical and spiritual blessing.
- Blessing Jerusalem.
- Blessing for God’s Kindness and Goodness.
Additional
blessings can be expressed for the hosts, family and the coming of the Mashiach
(the Messiah).
If
it is not your habit, consider giving thanks, before and after your
meals…especially the Thanksgiving meal coming up soon. It has been a custom at
my family Thanksgiving meal to have everyone share what they are thankful for
either before or during the meal. Even little ones can be thankful. What does
your family do as a tradition at your Thanksgiving meal? Giving thanks,
showing appreciation to God and your hostess is a choice—but one that is a wise
choice.
Verses
of Salvation ~ But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught.
You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You
have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you
the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make
us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and
teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to
do every good work. 2
Timothy 3:14-17
Give
thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the
(NASB®) New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
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