Thanksgiving is this week. I don’t know how that happened, but it’s approaching whether I am ready or not. I love this time of year, but the hustle and bustle can cause me to gripe and complain. I would love to blame all the commercialization and my full calendar for my poor attitude, but I can’t. My problem is within me.
For the month of November, I have been doing a 30 day Bible study through Psalm 103. It has been a much needed study for me as I am being reminded to “forget not all His benefits.” My heart is distracted right now as I am trying not to forget all the things I have to do leading up to the holidays. I have my shopping list for next week, my guest list, my regular to do list, and I am starting to make out my Christmas shopping list. These are lists that are important to me because I don’t want to forget anything. In the meantime, my soul wanders away from the Lord and I forget what He has done and all the benefits that I get to enjoy as His child. When I start to forget, I become thankless person.
In Psalm 103, David is urging his soul to bless the Lord because even he understands how easy it can be to forget all that that Lord has done. This particular Psalm has admonished my soul as I have been confronted with my own pride and ungratefulness. My heart is already full of these particular sins, but the holiday season can reveal them even more to me and my loved ones. This may seem like a bad thing, but this is God exercising His goodness towards me to show me areas in my life I need to change. What my soul needs is a good pondering of all that God has done.
Remembering all the benefits that come from the Lord can bend our souls towards a heart of gratitude and worship. Here are just some of the many ways the Lord blesses His people:
You and I don’t deserve any of these benefits. But God who is rich and mercy because of the great love in which He loved us, chose us to be recipients of these good gifts. Remembering these benefits should cause us to bless the Lord at all times, praising His name continually in our mouths. Maybe you are fighting depression this time of year or you are anxious because you have so much to do. This time of year can bring about envy towards those that have more than you do. Some people can just be plain ungrateful because they indulge themselves in the things of this world and forget to thank the One that gave them all they have. Whatever your situation, I exhort you to contemplate this Psalm and all that the Lord has done for your soul.
Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20