The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Today is Thanksgiving! But do you ever get the sense that Thanksgiving is sort of “crowded out”? You know, Christmas is coming, and with the emphasis on the materialization of Christmas, decorations are up and store shelves are filled with trinkets and glitter before Thanksgiving even arrives. It ought to make us question whether we are truly thankful, and if so, for what are we thankful?

There are seven words in our English Bible that have the root “thanks” within them. The word “Thanksgiving” is mentioned 28 times in Scripture. Only four times is “Thanksgiving” (singular) mentioned in the New Testament; and each of the four relates only to God.

2 Corinthians 9:11, “…you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which

through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”

Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and

supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude

of thanksgiving;

Revelation 7:12, “…saying, ‘Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving

and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’”

Thankfulness to God is ingrained in the very foundation of our American nation!

The origin of Thanksgiving by our forebears humbly acknowledged their heartfelt gratitude for God’s many blessings upon His people and our nation. The earliest recorded observance of thanksgiving occurred in Virginia in 1607. The celebration we now regard as the “First Thanksgiving” was the Pilgrims’ three-day feast celebrated in early November of 1621.

Immediately upon landing in America, the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service, then quickly turned to building shelters and planting. At the end of a bountiful harvest, they feasted together and offered praise to the LORD of the harvest.

The first Thanksgiving Proclamation was authored by Samuel Adams and issued by the revolutionary Continental Congress on November 1, 1777. It was one sentence of 360 words.

Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received…. together with penitent confession of their sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor; and their humble and earnest supplications that it may please God through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance….

The predominant question is: Are we genuinely thankful? Do we recognize the Divine Hand of God, who

loves us and protects us? In recent storms and fires throughout our land, people have said, “Thank God

we were spared.” When we escape serious trouble, we generally say “Thank God.” But, is that true

thanksgiving?

For what should we be most thankful? Perhaps the words of President Abraham Lincoln express it best.

“When I left Springfield [to become President] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.”

For those of us who know and have accepted Jesus Christ, HE is foremost in our hearts! It is He

who died for us and arose from the dead, forgiving our sins and placing His Holy Spirit in in our lives.

Thank You, LORD, for all You have done!

Please pray for Rose Marie. She is resisting the food she must ingest for strength that will lead to

safe release. Thank you!

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”