Will your blessings result in a Thanksgiving Calamity?

© 2015 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

Many enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, each year, with family and friends. At these festive gatherings some families will offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His material blessings. Ironically, our focus on these very blessings, for which we give thanks, can cause us to be unthankful. Because we always want more, we become dissatisfied over the fact that we are not yet as wealthy as we want to be.

Jesus once spoke of an extremely wealthy land owner who had just had a bumper crop. He was elated. His barns and storehouses were full to overflowing. Speaking of this man Jesus said,

“… The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?” (Luke 12:16-17).

We might expect that, because of his great blessing of wealth, this man would become a very thankful person. Instead, he became dissatisfied over his lack of storage facilities for this new wealth.

“And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:18-19).

Then God revealed to him a very unexpected and sobering truth.

“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21).

This man was so focused on acquiring wealth that he ignored the unavoidable physical death to which each member of our fallen race has been appointed (Hebrews 9:27). The only one who can rescue us from eternal spiritual death is God the Son, Jesus Christ, who shed His blood to save His people from their sins. Has God moved your heart to call out to Him in repentance asking forgiveness?

What will characterize your Thanksgiving festivities this year? Will your repentant heart throb with thankfulness to the Savior who has granted you eternal life, or will you experience the same Thanksgiving calamity that overtook the rich man Jesus described?

 

You may leave comments for Tom & Kathy (website administrators) below.