In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving each November. The truth is that every day we wake up, there is something fresh and new to thank God for. Sometimes we have to look a little deeper than our present circumstances, but there is always something to be thankful for. For some people, complaining is a way of life. Some people complain that they have problems, but far more have problems because they complain. The attitude of unthankfulness can open the door for misery.

The Bible refers to many cups: The cup of suffering. The cup of sacrifice. There is the cup of service. The Psalmist speaks of a cup of blessing. Perhaps the most critical cup is the cup of salvation. In our text from Matthew, Jesus took the cup and offered it to the disciples. None of the twelve could comprehend the full scope and meaning of that little cup they received that night, and they would all give their lives for that cup. Like the disciples, we often do not understand the fullness and totality of the cup. It is full of redemption, mercy, and forgiveness. That cup is large enough to account for all the sins and shortcomings of the entire world.

The question Brother Hughes poses today is, are we truly thankful for that cup of salvation? If so, how do we show that appreciation to God? What do we do that lets God know that we appreciate His gift? True thanksgiving is not in what we say; it is in how we live. Every day of our life, we have the opportunity to demonstrate our thankfulness to God by the life that is an example of God to a hurting world. If we live a thankful life, we prove our thankfulness for that cup of salvation. Coming to church and singing praise and offering worship is good, but when we walk out of these doors and live a thankful life that others can see and observe, it is the best way to thank God for the cup of salvation.

In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving each November. The truth is that every day we wake up, there is something fresh and new to thank God for. Sometimes we have to look a little deeper than our present circumstances, but there is always something to be thankful for. For some people, complaining is a way of life. Some people complain that they have problems, but far more have problems because they complain. The attitude of unthankfulness can open the door for misery.

The Bible refers to many cups: The cup of suffering. The cup of sacrifice. There is the cup of service. The Psalmist speaks of a cup of blessing. Perhaps the most critical cup is the cup of salvation. In our text from Matthew, Jesus took the cup and offered it to the disciples. None of the twelve could comprehend the full scope and meaning of that little cup they received that night, and they would all give their lives for that cup. Like the disciples, we often do not understand the fullness and totality of the cup. It is full of redemption, mercy, and forgiveness. That cup is large enough to account for all the sins and shortcomings of the entire world.

The question Brother Hughes poses today is, are we truly thankful for that cup of salvation? If so, how do we show that appreciation to God? What do we do that lets God know that we appreciate His gift? True thanksgiving is not in what we say; it is in how we live. Every day of our life, we have the opportunity to demonstrate our thankfulness to God by the life that is an example of God to a hurting world. If we live a thankful life, we prove our thankfulness for that cup of salvation. Coming to church and singing praise and offering worship is good, but when we walk out of these doors and live a thankful life that others can see and observe, it is the best way to thank God for the cup of salvation.

In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving each November. The truth is that every day we wake up, there is something fresh and new to thank God for. Sometimes we have to look a little deeper than our present circumstances, but there is always something to be thankful for. For some people, complaining is a way of life. Some people complain that they have problems, but far more have problems because they complain. The attitude of unthankfulness can open the door for misery.

The Bible refers to many cups: The cup of suffering. The cup of sacrifice. There is the cup of service. The Psalmist speaks of a cup of blessing. Perhaps the most critical cup is the cup of salvation. In our text from Matthew, Jesus took the cup and offered it to the disciples. None of the twelve could comprehend the full scope and meaning of that little cup they received that night, and they would all give their lives for that cup. Like the disciples, we often do not understand the fullness and totality of the cup. It is full of redemption, mercy, and forgiveness. That cup is large enough to account for all the sins and shortcomings of the entire world.

The question Brother Hughes poses today is, are we truly thankful for that cup of salvation? If so, how do we show that appreciation to God? What do we do that lets God know that we appreciate His gift? True thanksgiving is not in what we say; it is in how we live. Every day of our life, we have the opportunity to demonstrate our thankfulness to God by the life that is an example of God to a hurting world. If we live a thankful life, we prove our thankfulness for that cup of salvation. Coming to church and singing praise and offering worship is good, but when we walk out of these doors and live a thankful life that others can see and observe, it is the best way to thank God for the cup of salvation.

Next weekend is a time change weekend. The theory behind daylight savings time is that people can be more productive by manipulating the clock to provide more daylight hours during traditional working hours. Society conditions us to fill our calendars and to be as productive as possible. We make to-do lists and work to check things off of those lists. Too many people schedule themselves to the point that it is impossible to succeed at our unrealistic expectations. Too often, we fail to account for the storms of life, and worse, fail to see the signs and heed the warnings of these pending storms. In our text, Paul and his traveling companions were facing a fierce storm. He had warned the ship’s master that their journey was troubled, but they paid him no heed. They found themselves in a storm that had lasted two weeks. The wind was so bad that they were unable to eat. Paul encourages them to eat, but he took time to offer thanks to God for their bread before he eats.

The day we know as Thanksgiving grew out of a celebration feast in 1621. Being thankful was not new to the Pilgrims on that first Thanksgiving. The early time in the new world was difficult, but the Pilgrims were grateful for what God had provided.

Thanksgiving has become overshadowed by the rush to Christmas. Thanksgiving, the word, means the act of giving thanks, especially to God. It is a public celebration of and acknowledgment of diving provision from God. We must not rush through this thankful time to rush on to the next holiday.

Next weekend is a time change weekend. The theory behind daylight savings time is that people can be more productive by manipulating the clock to provide more daylight hours during traditional working hours. Society conditions us to fill our calendars and to be as productive as possible. We make to-do lists and work to check things off of those lists. Too many people schedule themselves to the point that it is impossible to succeed at our unrealistic expectations. Too often, we fail to account for the storms of life, and worse, fail to see the signs and heed the warnings of these pending storms. In our text, Paul and his traveling companions were facing a fierce storm. He had warned the ship’s master that their journey was troubled, but they paid him no heed. They found themselves in a storm that had lasted two weeks. The wind was so bad that they were unable to eat. Paul encourages them to eat, but he took time to offer thanks to God for their bread before he eats.

The day we know as Thanksgiving grew out of a celebration feast in 1621. Being thankful was not new to the Pilgrims on that first Thanksgiving. The early time in the new world was difficult, but the Pilgrims were grateful for what God had provided.

Thanksgiving has become overshadowed by the rush to Christmas. Thanksgiving, the word, means the act of giving thanks, especially to God. It is a public celebration of and acknowledgment of diving provision from God. We must not rush through this thankful time to rush on to the next holiday.

Next weekend is a time change weekend. The theory behind daylight savings time is that people can be more productive by manipulating the clock to provide more daylight hours during traditional working hours. Society conditions us to fill our calendars and to be as productive as possible. We make to-do lists and work to check things off of those lists. Too many people schedule themselves to the point that it is impossible to succeed at our unrealistic expectations. Too often, we fail to account for the storms of life, and worse, fail to see the signs and heed the warnings of these pending storms. In our text, Paul and his traveling companions were facing a fierce storm. He had warned the ship’s master that their journey was troubled, but they paid him no heed. They found themselves in a storm that had lasted two weeks. The wind was so bad that they were unable to eat. Paul encourages them to eat, but he took time to offer thanks to God for their bread before he eats.

The day we know as Thanksgiving grew out of a celebration feast in 1621. Being thankful was not new to the Pilgrims on that first Thanksgiving. The early time in the new world was difficult, but the Pilgrims were grateful for what God had provided.

Thanksgiving has become overshadowed by the rush to Christmas. Thanksgiving, the word, means the act of giving thanks, especially to God. It is a public celebration of and acknowledgment of diving provision from God. We must not rush through this thankful time to rush on to the next holiday.

One of the ways to understand the character and nature of God is to study the names used for Him in the bible. Our text mentions a compound name of God that gives insight into His character. The story of Abraham and Issac is familiar. Issac was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to provide a son from whom would come a great nation. God then tells Abraham to sacrifice his son. Our text is the end of that story where God has provided a ram as a sacrifice. This is the only location in the bible where we read God’s name as Jehovah-Jireh: God is a provider.

What is a provision? The root word in Latin is provisioun which means to see before. It means to prepare before and to act in advance. It means to see ahead and to prepare for what has yet to come. Abraham was calling God the Lord, who knows exactly where we are, where we are going and can supply all we need. The provision of God is not a random shopping list of things that we think we need, but it is a specific supply of exactly what we need when we need it.

We can all tell stories of God’s provision in our life. These would be stories of an on-time God who provided exactly what we needed at precisely the moment we needed, and He will do this even when we did not see the situation before it unfolded. Abraham had to travel for three days without knowing what was ahead. It was not until the moment of sacrifice that God revealed his plan and supply.

One of the ways to understand the character and nature of God is to study the names used for Him in the bible. Our text mentions a compound name of God that gives insight into His character. The story of Abraham and Issac is familiar. Issac was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to provide a son from whom would come a great nation. God then tells Abraham to sacrifice his son. Our text is the end of that story where God has provided a ram as a sacrifice. This is the only location in the bible where we read God’s name as Jehovah-Jireh: God is a provider.

What is a provision? The root word in Latin is provisioun which means to see before. It means to prepare before and to act in advance. It means to see ahead and to prepare for what has yet to come. Abraham was calling God the Lord, who knows exactly where we are, where we are going and can supply all we need. The provision of God is not a random shopping list of things that we think we need, but it is a specific supply of exactly what we need when we need it.

We can all tell stories of God’s provision in our life. These would be stories of an on-time God who provided exactly what we needed at precisely the moment we needed, and He will do this even when we did not see the situation before it unfolded. Abraham had to travel for three days without knowing what was ahead. It was not until the moment of sacrifice that God revealed his plan and supply.

One of the ways to understand the character and nature of God is to study the names used for Him in the bible. Our text mentions a compound name of God that gives insight into His character. The story of Abraham and Issac is familiar. Issac was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to provide a son from whom would come a great nation. God then tells Abraham to sacrifice his son. Our text is the end of that story where God has provided a ram as a sacrifice. This is the only location in the bible where we read God’s name as Jehovah-Jireh: God is a provider.

What is a provision? The root word in Latin is provisioun which means to see before. It means to prepare before and to act in advance. It means to see ahead and to prepare for what has yet to come. Abraham was calling God the Lord, who knows exactly where we are, where we are going and can supply all we need. The provision of God is not a random shopping list of things that we think we need, but it is a specific supply of exactly what we need when we need it.

We can all tell stories of God’s provision in our life. These would be stories of an on-time God who provided exactly what we needed at precisely the moment we needed, and He will do this even when we did not see the situation before it unfolded. Abraham had to travel for three days without knowing what was ahead. It was not until the moment of sacrifice that God revealed his plan and supply.

Tonight is Halloween. Children will go door-to-door, asking for candy to fill their buckets. When they get home, they will sort through the haul. They will go after the good stuff first and then dump the rest into a big blow to pick through later. After a while, all the candy will begin to taste the same. The candy in the dish will begin to affect the others. If the flavor we are supposed to have is changed, we are of no use to God. The bible is clear that we need to be separate from the world and give no appearance of accepting the practices of the world. If we are not careful, we will take on the flavor of the world, and no one will be able to distinguish us as a child of God. We must not live a life that would cause them to see us as not any different from them. We must be desperate to be separate.