Holidays: Thanksgiving Edition

Everyone loves holidays, but not everyone knows what holiday's are for. Break the word "Holiday" up and it says "Holy day." Why would Thanksgiving be a Holiday?  Well, being thankful is good, but why are we thankful? Why is there a day set aside for giving thanks?
Being thankful is your choice. Most everyone has a big meal, so should you thank you parents for fixing you a wonderful meal? You should, but that is not the purpose of the holiday. The Pilgrims thanked God for safe travel when they where settled in America. What do you have to thank God for this Holiday?
God loves it when we thank him. you don't have to wait until thanksgiving to thank God. You should thank him all year long, but thanksgiving is a reminder that you need to thank God.
In a way it like an alarm clock, when it buzzes it reminds you to wake up. When Thanksgiving rolls around we should be remind "Be thankful!"
Thanksgiving is a Holiday because we remember all God has done for us. I like to write down 100 things I'm glad God gave me. I can usually get to 50 pretty easy, but from there on, I have to think hard. Find a way that work for you, something that gets the thankful part of the mind started up.
What does Holy mean? A dictionary describes it as having a spiritual quality, but the bible means being perfect.
The Sabbath is a Holy day, so a holy day is a day you spend with God, one set aside for God.
A holy person is someone who is perfect, a holy day is a day you remember the only perfect person, God.
Have a great thanksgiving everyone! And remember to give thanks to the lord for thing he has done for you. God is worthy of our praise. And I hope you have a blessing filled holiday!


Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
2 Corinthians 9:10-12


Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.  Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100

2 Thessalonians: 2:13-17 (Part 2.4)

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.


You know, I constantly mention that Paul uses the most of his letter  talking about encouragement. "God...gave us eternal encouragement" ""Encourage you hearts...in every deed and word"
And it is very important to "encourage your heart and strengthen you in every good deed and word"
So remember to be encouraging!


1 Thessalonians Part 1
2 Thessalonians Part 1
2 Thessalonians Part 5

2 Thessalonians: chapter 2:1-12 (Part 2.3)

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,
not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 
He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.


Isn't that a good thing to know? There are people that pick a random date and say Jesus is coming, but he never does, so don't listen to people who say that.

If anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Mathew 24:13;36)

So do not get excited about Jesus coming back, when that verse in Mathew said "the son" it was talking about Jesus, so anyone who says "I know the day!" They are putting themselves about Jesus.

Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,


Fake miracle? So the bible is saying that close to the end Satan will be able to make fake miracles? That does sound a little crazy, but the truth is Satan will soon be able to give his follows the power to heal people and when he does, you need to know what is true and what isn't.


and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.


It's sad to think about how people will be won over to Satan's side by false signs. That's why every christian should be spreading the gospel and when the false prophets rise up, you don't want to be caught in there schemes.



1 Thessalonians Part 1
2 Thessalonians Part 1

2 Thessalonians Part 4

2 Thessalonians: 1:4-12 (Part 2.2)

Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.


It's important to know that God's judgment is right. If you believe God's judgment is not right, then it's best you soon learn otherwise. God wants us to be happy and you can't be fully happy if you don't trust that Jesus' way is best

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power


It's important to remeber God pays back wrong for wrong. I tend to want revenge and not to let God pay people back. That's something I need to learn to trust God about.


on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.


Trust in God. Try and find out what you need to do better. 


Stop bringing meaningless offerings! wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 1:13a;16-20


1 Thessalonians Part 1
2 Thessalonians Part 1
2 Thessalonians Part 3

2 Thessalonians: 1:1-3 (Part 2.1)

Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.


This is a short passage of scripture, but it's Paul's introduction to the three chapters of his letter. Paul had more than three topics to discuss, though.  If I where to continue in this chapter, I get into prayer and being thankful, but I think these first three verses are important. You might look at them as 66 words, but these 66 words have some important thing in them.


Your faith is growing more and more.


Is your faith growing more and more? What would Paul write to you if he knew all the troubles you have. would he say "we ought to thank God for you? and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing?" 
There are some people Paul writes to that don't have a greeting with encouragement. what I mean is Paul does encourage them how he can, but with the Thessalonians, he encourages them more more than he rebukes them.
Of course they aren't perfect.
Be sure to give thanks to the lord as Thanksgiving is drawing near. Share Gods love with everyone one around you.


Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
(Psalm 118:1)
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
(1 chronicles 16:8)

1 Thessalonians Part 1
2 Thessalonians Part 2

1 Thessalonians: conclusion (Part 8)

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 
Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 
Be joyful always; 
pray continually; 
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 
Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 
do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Test everything. Hold on to the good.
Avoid every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
Brothers, pray for us.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.


That is how Paul concludes his letter and that is how I will end mine.


The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

1 Thessalonians Part 1
2 Thessalonians Part 1