The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-11-28


expressions of gratitude at posses
things while His greatest gift of a
Saviour is being disdainfully
spurned? True Thanksgiving in
wolves recognition of gifts, and there
can be no adequate recognition of
gifts which leaves out the Christ.
God cannot accept thanksgiving
which has it's inspiration in material
| things alone.
The Christian has the advantage
of the people of the world at every
turn in life, for whereas the thanks
| giving of the world must necessarily
depend upon the material things of
life, the Christian is able to give
thanks always, for all things" In
counting gifts and blessings one is
so apt to enumerate only those
! things which are pleasant and to him
| desirable, whereas the trial, the af-
| Fiction, the misfortune may be the
greatest possible blessing, as will
be clearly seen in after years. "All
things work together for good to
| them that love God" The misfor-
tune and trials of a Joseph wrought
of the nation of Egypt. The cruel
edict of Pharaoh against the He
brew boy babies became the step
ping stone of Moses to the 40 years
of training in the kings palace. The
prosecutions of the disciples at Je-
rusalem spread the glad Gospel mes
sage throughout the world. The
prison walls of John Bunyan became
the sacred temple within which the
inspired book of Pilgrims Progress
was given birth. The Christians
| Thanksgiving is not confined to one
| day in the year, but every day be-
comes a day of Thanksgiving, as
thanks are given always, for all
things
| Recognition of Reciprocal Obliga-
! tionS. We have seen that true
| Thanksgiving involves recognition Of
| dependence and recognition of gifts
| and blessings. We have seen some
thing of what dependence upon God
means and what the recognition of
His gifts implies. We now come to
the third element in true thanksgiv-
ing, namely: Recognition of recip-
rocal obligations. The one who pro-
| feSses thankfulness for gifts re-
ceived, and who feels that the mere
expression of the lips is fulfillment
of all claims, is not really thankful
at all. The truly thankful heart is
! filled with an earnest purpose and
| desire to give expression to it's graf
tude in some substantial way. David
sings: Enter into His gates with
Thanksgiving, and into His courts
with praise: Give thanks unto Him,
and bless His name" And here l
believe he has implied practical eX-
preston of the thainkfulness which
is swelling within his heart. What
David would have you do is this:
Being thankful, enter into the gates
and courts of God; give thanks unto
Him by blessing His name" What are
''the gates and courts of God" and
what is it to "bless His name?"
Do l hear some one say the
churches and meeting houses, the
cathedrals and temples of worship
throughout the world are the courts
| of God, and to "sit and sing the soul
into everlasting bliss" is blessing
His nameI That is the worlds idea,
and I am sorry to say it is the con-
ception of many so-called Christians,
but 1 want to tell you, in the light
! of Gods eternal truth, that the soul
cannot prescribe limits to the courts
| of God, nor can it "bless His name"
in the meeting house, if it has not
| been blessing his name in the
| home, in the business, in the hours
of pleasure and recreation. The
| earth is the Lords and the fullnes's
thereof; the world and they that
dwell therein Gods court extends
to every nook and corner where hu-
man feet can tread; it spreads o 1t
! into the vast universe and includes
| the realm of the saints and the an
gels of Heaven. Entering into the
gates and courts, of God means a
recognition of reciprocal obligation
to Him which makes an honest,
righteous business man, devout and
patriotic citizen, q faithful, affection
ate father, a pure-hearted associate;
it means that wife and children, big
and little, great and small, every
| body, are to give God the first place
| in their lives because they are tread
| ing His courts. 1t does mean some
! thing to enter the gates and courts
| of God! 1t does mean something to
| ''bless His namei" True thanksgiv-
| ing must include recognition of re-
ciprOcal obligations every day and
every moment of the life.
Gods Claim Upon Us.-But what
claim has God upon us for rendering
! unto Him Thanksgiving and praise?
What claim has the faithful parent
upon the child for grateful acknowl-
edgment of the years of love and
care? What claim have you upon
| that friend because of gifts, and
| favors, and service bestowed? Can
| YOU answer these last two queries
and not be able to answer the one
first propounded? Every claim which
| the parent has upon the child, God
has upon us, only infinitely more so.
1--WE are the sheep of His pasture"
We receive all things from Him.
God has laid out the pastures of the
world and stored therein every con-
ceivable treasure for the comfort
and blessing of man. Is it strange
| or unreasonable that man should rec
ognize Gods claims upon him? Man
| must render thanks giving unto God
communion with God, and true
thanksgiving must include recCgni
tion of dependence upon God, must
recognize Gods gifts and blessings,
the first of which is Christ Himself,
and it must recognize reciprocal OBJ
IiUatio Therefore, 'be We thank