God, and the peace of God shall garrison our minds. We may cast all our care upon Him, knowing that He cares for us. (See Philippians 4:6, 7 and I Peter 5:7.) We should be thankful that as a people we have ability to comfort and bless a needy world— to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to give liberty to the cap tives. Pray and pay to send the gospel, which gives spiritual liberty, into all parts of the world, and praise God for the privilege. T h i r d : What should be the expression of our Thanks giving? David says, “Take the cup of salvation.” This salvation was wrought out for us upon Calvary’s cross, and every sacrifice that men have made is cheap by com parison. In our tragic world, personal salvation is not only of the utmost importance but also THE ONLY POW ER that will bring us through the hell of men’s insanity that may break loose at any time. God wants folk to bring their sin to Him saying,
W h e n G e o r g e W a s h i n g t o n issued the first presiden tial Thanksgiving Proclamation, he said: “ It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection.” This is America’s imperative duty today. David in Psalm 116, by the Holy Spirit, translates this duty into personal experience, and so must we: “ What shall l render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I w ill take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord . . . I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and w ill call upon the name of the Lord” (vv. 12, 13, 17). This is the true Thanksgiving spirit. How may we get it? F i r s t : W e should avoid the too prevalent false Thanks giving spirit — expressing gratitude only for material blessings. We would find little for which to thank God in the early Puritan scene when they celebrated that first
“ Just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me.” He will save and keep you in the hour of tribulation. Be sure you thank God for the eternal things. An out-of-town visitor to New York got out of the subway train at Times Square. He asked the subway guard, “When I reach the surface I want to find such- and-such a street. Can you tell me where it is?” The subway employee, with typical indifference, said, “ Don’t ask me anything about ‘up there,’ Mister. I don’t know anything about up there. I know all about down here but nothing about up there.” A good many of our professing Christians are like that. Millions in our land care little about anything “up there.” Ignoring God, preoccupied with the material things of life, they are destroying our heritage of freedom. Let us thank God for His “ Unspeakable Gift,” Jesus Christ, and all material and spiritual blessings through Him. Available in printed form from the Am erican Tract Society, Oradell, N J .
Thanksgiving. There were only eleven houses along the village street — hardly luxurious quarters for fifty per sons. Remember, Christianity puts no premium upon ma terial things. Paul said he had suffered the loss of all things, that he might win Christ. America has all but forgotten this. How long has it been since you’ve knelt down before God with the feeling that you just wanted to be near Him and speak to Him and listen for His word because you love Him? This prevalent boasting of full-stomach satisfaction while the world bleeds is hardly in keeping with Chris tianity. S e c o n d : What basis can we find for a true Thanksgiving spirit? We may have inward peace in the midst of the world turmoil. The Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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