A GREAT CAUSE FOR THANKSGIVING!

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." --Col. 1:12, 13
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays in the United States. On this day, Americans typically reunite with family over a big meal to "give thanks" for the year's blessings. At its roots, Thanksgiving is a harvest festival. The first Thanksgiving took place in 1621, one year after European colonists, also known as pilgrims, landed at Plymouth Rock Massachusetts. During the first Thanksgiving, the pilgrims, joined by the local Wampanoag Indian tribe, celebrated and gave thanks for their first harvest in the New World.

Even though Pilgrims gave thanks almost 400 years ago, Thanksgiving was not a national holiday. In fact, it wasn't actually celebrated every year by the Pilgrims or anyone else as a national holiday until much later. It was in 1863 that President Lincoln proclaimed that the last Thursday of November would be a national Thanksgiving Day. In 1941, President Roosevelt signed a bill into law declaring that Thanksgiving would be on the fourth Thursday of November.
Taking time to reflect upon our blessings and being thankful is a good thing, a good tradition. As Christians, this spirit of thankfulness should deeply penetrate our hearts, above all others, so that every day becomes a day of thanksgiving. As we sojourn here on earth as pilgrims and strangers, (1Pet 2:11; Heb 11:13) its proper to remember just how blessed we are to live in the most enlightened and civilized land, a land filled with temporal and spiritual prosperity.

This being said, most of us lack opportunities to compare our circumstances with those less favored in life, so we fail to properly appreciate the common blessings that fill our daily lives. If the humblest child of God in this favored land could form an idea of the gloom and want and degradation of millions and millions in other lands, they would see great cause for thanksgiving for their richer inheritance, they would see great cause for thanking God for his providence which has permitted them to live in a land of liberty, of education and of general enlightenment.

Those of us who live in America and other so called Christian countries have been relieved of the superstitions which retard the progress of so many of our fellow-men from advancement in civilization. And how great are the temporal advantages that arise from progressive ideas, general education and personal liberty. So many of us live in peaceful, comfortable homes, and are surrounded by modern medical facilities and an abundance of stores which supply all our needs and wants.

What immeasurable privileges are ours, to have both personal freedoms and religious freedoms? In addition to the temporal advantages that we’ve received from the Lord’s hand, as followers of Christ, we’ve been delivered from the power of darkness; and secondly, we’ve been translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son; and thirdly, we’ve been made meet (fit) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. (Col. 1:12, 13) Let us appreciate these favors more and more, and use them to the greater honor of God. And while we realize the inability of our own efforts to lift the pall of darkness, ignorance and superstition from the rest of the world, let us rejoice in the near approach of the kingdom of light and peace, and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, which in due time will scatter all the gloom. (Mal 4:2; Mat 24:27)

We must call to mind that our present advantage is not ours because God is a respecter of persons, but because of his favor, his providence, he is preparing us to have part in his great plan for blessing all the families of the earth. Just as God prepared an Eden, like an oasis in the great world-desert, to be a suitable place for the trial of Adam and Eve, so he has prepared certain places and conditions for the development and discipline of his Church: not an Eden, however, but a place and station where civilized conditions exist, and where the general enlightenment may be used for either good or ill, and thus the choice of the individual be made manifest.

The power of darkness is the power of ignorance, superstition, sin and death--the power of Satan, who works in darkness. From this kingdom of darkness we have been graciously translated, lifted over, into the kingdom of God's dear Son. While yet we sat in darkness the message came to us that the price of our redemption had been paid, and that, if we had faith in the message and desired deliverance, we could be at once translated into the kingdom of light and peace--the kingdom of God's dear Son. Gladly we heard the message and gladly we accepted the free favor thus offered; and, as a reward of our faith, came the sweet peace of God into our hearts.

The first new ray of light admitted was followed by more and more; and the darkness of ignorance of God and his ways, and of superstition and error, began to flee away, and the soul was flooded with light and joy and a peace that surpassed all understanding to the previously darkened soul. (Phil 4:7) Great was our joy when we first realized this blessed change, when we were told that now we were the children of light, and were counseled to walk thenceforth as children of the light. (Eph 5:8)

As children of light and subjects of Christ, our Redeemer and King, we have been walking from day to day and from year to year in the light of his countenance and of his Word, going on from knowledge to knowledge and from grace to grace. The old errors of ignorance and superstition have been gradually replaced with truth and an intelligent faith in the pure Word of God. And daily, as we are enlightened by the truth, we endeavor to bring ourselves into fuller subjection to our King; and thus, having been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son, our precious Redeemer, we grow more and more fully into the divine likeness and favor.

But in addition to all this favor we are further informed of our privilege to become partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. (Col 1:12) What is this in heritance? It’s the promise of joint-heirship with Christ in his kingdom and glory, when in due time his kingdom shall be established in all the earth, and we shall be made with him partakers of the divine nature. (Rom 8:17; 2Pet 1:4)

For such a position we naturally feel our unworthiness; for what are we, or what good thing have we done, to make us worthy of such an inheritance? We look at the degraded condition from which we came and then at our present imperfection as measured by God's perfect standard of righteousness and we say that call must have been a mistake: it surely was never meant for me. Yet our heart bounds with joy at the first suggestion of such a favor, and when trembling faith is reassured by the statement that God has made us meet for that inheritance, and that "Faithful is he that hath called us, who also will do it," (1Thes 5:24) With this promised assurance we take courage and reckon ourselves henceforth as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.

By nature, or of our own selves, we know that we are not meet for that inheritance. Our sufficiency is in Christ, whose merit, applied to us through faith in his blood, makes up all our deficiency, while we earnestly strive to conform to the divine will. Thus we are now reckoned of God as meet for the glorious inheritance with Christ, until in due time our actual fitness shall appear, when, having fully submitted ourselves to the guidance and discipline of Christ our King, he will present us to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. (Eph. 5:27)

This grand hope is our reason for thanksgiving. Shall we set apart a special day to render praise and thanks to God for such unmeasured favor? Or shall we instead set apart every day as a day for the expression, in deeds and in words, of our hearty thanksgiving to God for his abundant favors to us. Thanks be to God for preparing our way before us in a land where, though we are merely aliens and foreigners, we have such inestimable privileges and advantages for growing in knowledge and in grace, and for advancing the cause of truth. And thanks be to God for delivering us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and peace, and calling us to be the bride of Christ and joint-heirs of all things with his dear Son. (Rev 21:9)

The Apostle tries to convey to our minds some idea of the glory of our inheritance in becoming the bride of the Son of God, saying, "He is the image [to us] of the invisible God, the first born of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or powers: all things were created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Col 1:15-17)

What a glorious Bridegroom! Truly the chiefest among ten thousand, the one altogether lovely, and the heir of all things; for by him and for him were all things created. (Son 5:10) And all things are ours also, if we are Christ's--all dominions and principalities, all power and wisdom and might and glory and honor and blessing. And he is able "to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight, if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard." (Col 1: 22,23)

Surely we have a great cause for thanksgiving during this season and cause for giving thanks unto the Father each and every day of our lives!