🍂 What do you enjoy most about Thanksgiving? Is it the vibrant display of colors that fills your heart with joy as the leaves begin to turn? The beautiful fragrance of a pumpkin pie-scented candle burning, if P-spice is your way of life --> I have my husband to thank for that added touch of humor. Maybe it's the time spent with family, reflecting on how truly blessed we are. Or, if you're like me, it's the delicious food that brings back memories of loved ones who have passed, yet the traditions still live on because of the recipes passed down from generation to generation.
God's Word does say "taste and see," after all 😉 and what can I say? I LOVE food!
November is upon us, which can only mean one thing... and NO, it is not Christmas trees and mistletoes. Slow down, friends; Thanksgiving must come first because it is the key to what's to come as we look forward to the coming of Christ. To truly get in the spirit of Christmas, we must first desire more of Christ and show Him the thankfulness in our hearts. We must praise Him for what is to come: Christ. After all, the reason for the season of CHRISTmas is to celebrate the life of Christ Jesus.
I have been reading Psalm 100:4, and what I have learned about myself reading through this delicate yet powerful piece of scripture is this:
I look forward to Thanksgiving because it's a taste of heaven here on Earth, and I crave the taste of Heaven immensely because I can't wait to wrap my arms around my Savior. Whenever I see this picture, my heart bursts with indescribable joy and anticipation for what's to come. My hope and Salvation are in the arms of my Savior, and I can't wait to be in His arms for eternity.
The season of thankfulness gives me a glimpse of what every day in Heaven will be like, and God wants us to start preparing for that now! Thankfulness should never go out of season here on Earth because it will always be the season in Heaven.
We will feast (Luke 14 is where we get a glimpse of this) on some heavenly delicious food with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords every day in heaven.
I wonder if this food includes my Grandma's Heavenly Chocolate Pie, my Husband's smoked turkey, my sister's green bean casserole, or maybe my mom's baked pineapple.
I digress...
to the kitchen.
Just kidding.
Sit back down and keep on reading. 😊
Let's return to reality with some scripture to guide us.
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name."
The key to entering the gates of heaven is through our thanksgiving - our gratitude and faithfulness to the only One who can grant us admission into the courts of heaven. We should practice using this key day in and day out, minute by minute, because every second in heaven, we will be thanking and praising Jesus. Heaven will be full of worship. Since He is worthy of all my worship when I get to Heaven, He is worthy of all my worship here on Earth.
Worship is a form of thankfulness, and Worship Will Be Constant and Consistent in Heaven.
Why not get a taste of that now?
"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:1-4) with the angels of Heaven's armies, with the heroes of the Faith, and with all who believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you and me.
Thanksgiving is a time for followers of Jesus to reflect on and remember where their blessings come from as we give praises of thankfulness and our hearts to Him in worship.
I understand that the tradition of Thanksgiving is not rooted in Christianity, but the idea of giving thanks is deeply connected to Christian values, which I personally hold near and dear to my heart. I believe that everything I have to be thankful for comes from above, why? Because scripture says so.
I believe God wants us to start practicing gratitude in our lives so when we get to Heaven, it won't be a foreign concept to us. It is why the words of Paul still stand true today:
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Make no mistake, these words still have a much-needed purpose and place in our lives today. We prepare our hearts with praise and Thanksgiving, and then a month later, we get the greatest gift we will EVER receive: Jesus Christ, who was born to save not just us but the world.
We prepare our hearts now with praise and Thanksgiving with the hope of heaven on the horizon for the day when our King will return and take us to paradise.
We get to celebrate and be thankful for what is promised to us and is yet to come: Heaven.
I know sometimes thankfulness and gratitude can be difficult to utter, especially if you are in a season of struggle, despair, or grieving, but let me give you a few ways that you can still be thankful in the struggle.
God is still Good: Psalm 107:1
When we know Jesus, we have victory: 1 Corinthians 15:57
His grace is free: Romans 3:24-25
Nothing can separate us from His love: Romans 8:38
When we know Jesus, we know peace. Colossians 3:15
He has good plans for me: Jeremiah 29:11
The best is yet to come: Revelation 21-22
Because in the end, the only thing that will be uttered from our mouths is words of praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving with our hands full of worship. No more complaining, worries, or anxieties, all tears will be wiped away for all eternity!
And that’s the hope we can live in and be thankful for today. Right this very second, no matter what you’re going there, there is ALWAYS HOPE and a reason to praise.
Praise because you know Jesus.
Praise because in heaven, you will get to spend every moment with the greatest Savior ever to exist. The One that saved you from the ruins of hell.
YES, AND AMEN PRAISE THE LORD!
Let's GO!!
God promises this in His Word, and He is faithful to fulfill His promises!
Give this song a listen to:
𝓙𝓮𝓼𝓾𝓼, 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈, 𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓅, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔
Every day in Heaven will look like Thanksgiving day here on Earth, let's get started with Heaven here and now!
My prayer is that just as the leaves fall gently from the trees in this season of change, it will be a season of heart change for you as you fall deeply in love and in the arms of your Savior. I pray you to know that He (Jesus) never leaves.
“For the believer there is hope beyond the grave, because Jesus Christ has opened the door to heaven for us by His death and resurrection.” -Billy Graham
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