Giving Thanks - Pt 3

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV).

The third principle in the Scripture is thanksgiving sanctifies creation. I almost want to apologize for the picture today. We took it in Barre, Vermont as we toured three covered bridges. The picture does not do the beauty of the colors justice. It does serve to remind me that the way we think about God’s good creation is an essential part of our Christian life. Paul says that it should be received with a heart full of thanksgiving: “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. For it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” (v. 4). Paul teaches that creation is good and should be received with thanksgiving because it is made holy through the word of God and prayer. This is true whether you are in New England at the height of the fall color season, or in Texas during the three days of fall color. It was an incredible contrast for us this year as we had two weeks between our trip to the Northeast and our trip to see David and his family in South Florida. The contrast was amazing. Both offered me more than ample reason to be thankful for God’s great creation. There is more than mere nature however. John Piper explains the connection between the goodness of creation, thanksgiving, and prayer more specifically: “The word of God teaches us to taste food as a communication of his diverse goodness and his supreme worth. And when we taste food as a communication of God’s goodness and worth in the eating of this food, we offer up our prayers of thanks, and ask him to give us the fullest possible feast of his supreme worth. And we pray this in Jesus’ name, knowing that every lasting blessing was bought by his blood.” I don’t know what your menu might consist of this year as you celebrate the day; however, would you let it signal the goodness of God in providing it. This is also an incentive to accept all of His goodness toward us in every circumstance.