The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-11-18
We Give Thanks
Lesson for November 20, 1860


someone remarked, because no
presents are given at Thanksgiv-
ing. Stores can sell Christmas
gifts. but they can't sell graft
tude!"
Well is this true? No
presents at Thanksgiving? On
the contrary. when this holiday
is truly celebrated, it is precisely
because of the avalanche of gifts.
Only these are not gifts that can
be bought in a store, they are
not gifts to which any price tag
can be attached. They are God S
gifts. and Thanksgiving is the
day when we stop to think about
Him and thank Him. Or do we?
Who Give Thanks
You don't always feel very
deeply grateful for something you
have earned by hard work. You
may be very glad you got what
ever it was. You may be highly
satisfied by getting it. But if
thanks are due, they may be
more in the way of self-congratu-
lations than anything else. You
are most in the mood for thanks
when you know very well that
you did not and perhaps could
not have produced whatever it is
for which you are thankful. We
who give thanks to God-whether
every morning or every Sunday
or on such special occasions as
our national Thanksgiving holi-
day-are His beneficiaries. There
is no possible way of repaying
God for His blessings.
1t is quite true that there are
some blessings in life which we
do not have unless we work for
them. For example, the respect
OF the community where we live
is a real blessing; but without
genuine effort on a mans part,
other people will never respect
him. Health is an incalcuable as
set: but health never perches
over a mans door if the man
persists in doing all the things
that ruin health. Health is earn
ed, respect is earned, in a way:
but nevertheless in both these
cases, and others the reader can
think Of. one can demand either
respect nor health. There is no
delivering SO much honor or
responsibility, in barter for the
! respect. There is no precise set
of rules for the keeping Of which
one will always be as bouncy as
a sixteen-vear- old. Some people
keep health rules all their lives
but are logged by illness. Others
live honorably. yet are repudi-
ated by their own neighbors
Jesus suffered that tragedy
| Whom Do We Thank?
There are OF her blessings
which more evidently come from
God. They were, so to speak
woven in with the world at ere.
alton. The succession of the sea
sons, the beauty Of the skies, the
marvel of life itself, this body sc
crammed with miracles, this
spirit that can soar out Of time
and space: for all these We
thank God because there is nc
other Creator. Yet there are also
blessings that come to us through
friends, parents. brothers anc
SiSterS-yes. even through ou
enemies. Here we can give dou
BILE thanks. First we can thanh
those who brought these bless
ngS to us friends. relatives
strangers and also we car
thank God. For if you sit down
at a quiet time and ask yoWSel
about any particular blessing. lie
us say the trust of a little chile
whom YOU know ask yourself
where did this come from. in tn,
long run?
For What Are We Thankful
We give thanks to God for tn,
great mercies, for sparing ou
lives from destruction. for tn,
forgiveness of sins (the creates
single blessing we can have> ant
for the "hope of glory" But il
the brightness of these great mer
cies we may overlook the smalle
gifts from His hands. those les
ser mercies without which tn
greater could not be. Easiest o
all to overlook are those bless
ings which come disguised. In
time of deep suffering one ma.
not see what God has in mind
one may be tempted even to fee
that God has forgotten and doe
not care. But in time-in God
tine-we can look back and Sc
our pain III prospective. Anc the
we may gratefully sec that no
only did God permit it. He sen
it. for reasons even VIC shall sec
Biased on outlines copyrightf,
BY the Division Of Christian Edu
cation. National Council Of tn
Churches Of Christ in the U. S. A.
Released by Community Pres
Service.)
Tot 80 rs