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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED PROGRAM
Episode 638: The Pilgrams And Why Thankful People Are More Blessed
Notes:
The more the thankful are the most blessed, and why the Pilgrims were so blessed?
THE LAW OF THANKFULNESS AS ADMINISTERED BY GOD
Actions which automatically work are called laws. They cannot be denied. Gravity is a law, so is thankfulness. The first observable law of thankfulness is that ‘Spiritual blessings come to those who are thankful‘. They are HAPPIER. Therefore, it is assumed that law number two is the converse ‘ Spiritual Decadence comes with LACK OF thankfulness or INGRATITUDE.
The Apostle Paul further thankfulness. He emphasized thankfulness in a number of his letters advising Christians on how to grow and become spiritually mature.
Ephesians 5:18-20 filled with the Spirit, 19…in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 GIVING THANKS ALWAYS for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Therefore those who are unappreciative BASED ON THESE LAWS, are not as blessed.
2 Timothy 3:1-3 NKJV 1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, UNTHANKFULL …without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
Those who are not grateful seem to drink in evil influences, that are fueled by ENVY.
Romans 1:21..they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
America was the first nation in world history to grant religious freedom. We should all be so thankful especially- the church of God for this enormous blessing. In Europe and other parts of the world vast numbers of people suffer horribly because of their beliefs. The pilgrims came to the new world to escape religious persecution. They wisely knew that the government should stay out of enforcing religious rules but, at the same time, the people were very Bible oriented. They protected churches from the government but did not keep basic Biblical morality out of government. Their laws were founded on Bible principles.
WHAT IS THE NATION LOSING BY DIMINISHING THANKSGIVING?
America is now increasingly minimizing the Thanksgiving holiday. The two big commercial holidays dominate the public mind. They are Halloween and Xmas. Black Friday shopping is strongly encroaching on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is given only a bump in the road between the big two. Obviously thanking God deserves more! What are we losing? An unthankful populous is an unhappy populous. Being thankful is necessary for a contented mature people. A lot of our youth are restless and discontented in part because they have not been taught to appreciate America and their blessings.
We have so much food that the diet industry is exploding. One big reason for the decline in societies and of mankind in general is a lack of thankfulness and appreciation for God.
Romans 1:20-21 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
2 Timothy 3:1-3 that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers,.. despiser of good,
The U.S. had for centuries the most opportunity laden economy resulting in the most prosperous nation in history. God wants and requires thankful children. GOD DOES NOT want children who despise their blessings or their parents and forefathers.
Psalms 67:3-6 MKJV 3 Let the people praise You, O God; let all the people THANK YOU… 5 Let the people GIVE THANKS to You, O God; let all the people praise You. 6 The earth shall yield its increase; and God, our own God, shall bless us.
A parent is more likely to give more gifts to an appreciative and positive gift receiver rather than a negative, “you owe it to me” demand-er of a gift. So also is God. God loved David so much because he was so thankful positive and thereby blessed him.
THE REAL POSITIVE HERITAGE OF AMERICA
The very biblical oriented Puritan Pilgrims who arrived at Plymouth , did not come as all male conquerors like the Spanish did in South America. They made a peace treaty with the natives that lasted over fifty years which included the life time of all the signers. In March 1621, representatives of the Wampanoag Confederacy negotiated a treaty with English settlers. The two groups helped each other. This wonderful cooperation is the true story of the first Thanksgiving! The Pilgrims were blessed with a Christian translator Squanto who was invaluable in all the negotiations. He lived with them for several years before he passed. The peace accord, taught the English men where to fish and hunt, and the English shared some of the advanced European agricultural methods of the day and profitable fur trading. To celebrate the first harvest at Plymouth, Governor William Bradford and the other settlers invited the Wampanoags for a celebratory three day feast in November 1621, the first Thanksgiving.
Leviticus 23:39-40 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,(fall) when you have gathered in the fruit of the land,..and you shall rejoice before..God.
They wore various colorful clothes at times and were fun loving beer drinking people who believed a lot in sex contained in marriage. Therefore had large families. The Pilgrims claimed to have patterned the first Thanksgiving after biblical celebrations like the Feast of Tabernacles.. They were very thankful for the blessings God had heaped upon them. That is one reason God showered the new nation with such enormous success and blessings. The Charter was a system of communal property and labor. Everything was owned by the community equally. Therefore they had no incentive to work hard because they would share equally in the food regardless. So the people got lazy. They nearly starved. So they switched to capitalism and became very productive. This accurate history is NOT covered in public schools today. The pilgrims have been given a bad image. The nation they founded became the world’s first planet wide superpower, economically, militarily. They became a light to the world.
THANKFULNESS BRINGS BLESSING- INGRATITUDE BRINGS CURSES
The principle behind the 10 commandments forbid envying or coveting what others have, but to learn to appreciate what you have. It is maturity to learn to be thankful and content.
Philippians 4:11 NKJV 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
A population that is thankful and content toward God will receive multiple future blessings from God, this is the true legacy of the first Thanksgiving Day. May we share this with our children and grandchildren. Presidents Lincoln and Washington used Thanksgiving as time to offer prayers for the nation at crucial moments in American history.