Thanksgiving Time by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Nov 24, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 46.

Thanksgiving Time

By Editor

THIS journal will reach its readers when all this nation will be, presumably, giving thanks. The President will have issued his thanksgiving proclamation, and this will be repeated by the various governors in all the states; for it is Thanksgiving time, the last Thursday in November.

“It is a good thing to give thanks.” One apostle tells us, “Rejoice always.” We read again in the Word of God, “Giving thanks always for all things.” But what is thanksgiving time? Is it simply for a day? Recipients of God’s mercy and goodness and bounties for 365 days in the year, are we to use but one day for giving thanks to Him? It is good to do it for a day. We have nothing against the thanksgiving, public or private, on November 25; yet it ought to take on broader scope, oughtn’t it? The soul ought to get such a view of the great Father’s blessings, and of the marvelous ways by which He can turn seeming curses into blessings, that he would thank Him all the time; for it matters not tho the worst of all things comes to us in this world, even death. Christ has broken the power of the grave; and tho sin may have enthralled us for years, He is able still to break its power and make us free. So notwithstanding our condition, whatever it may be, we have cause to be thankful to Him. We may think in our selfish hearts as did Jacob, “All these things are against me;” but if we by steadfast faith look to the Giver, He will make all these things WORK TOGETHER for good to them that love Him. Therefore, let us be truly thankful, not only in this season of the year when the earth is pouring out into our hands its fruits and harvests, but let us be thankful in the seed-time as well; and if some one else gets more of earth’s harvests than it seems to us they are entitled to, still let us be thankful.

Christianity gives promise not only of the life that now is, but of that which is to come. Let us show our gratitude by helping others. There may be the poor and the sick around us, those whom God has permitted to suffer for the necessities of life; let us minister to them of our blessings, show that we are thankful to Him by identifying ourselves with Him in the bestowing of blessings upon others. He tests our thanksgiving in this way. Let us meet the test, and like Abraham of old, while we receive of God’s blessings, be blessings to others. Let Christian hearts remember those without the Gospel in the great heathen lands of earth, and let us send our blessings on to them.