So I realize there will be a bunch of blog posts this week about Thanksgiving…just as there have been already. There’s no problem with that. I just want to give you something a little less predictable…that’s all.
It was my father-in-law who first showed me an interesting difference in Colossians 3:15-17. In all three of those verses, you find some variation of the word thanks:
- Verse 15 uses the phrase “be thankful.”
- Verse 16 uses the phrase “with thankfulness.”
- Verse 17 uses the phrase “giving thanks.”
The interesting contrast is in verse 15 and verse 17—Paul says there is a difference between “being thankful” and “giving thanks.” (Remember the 10 lepers? Only one came back to say thanks when all 10 were probably very thankful for their healing.)
That story’s true. But so is this one…
This past Saturday, I reorganized the books on my bookshelf. (All of them are now standing upright for the first time since we moved to Alabama in December 2014.) My wife is very thankful that she can actually clean the room now…and has expressed her thanks over and over again.
A Topical Study of Thanksgiving
As I went through all my books, I found a paperback book my great-grandpa had given me before he died. It’s called Outline Chalk Talks by Paul E. Holdcraft.
This thing was first published in 1921, but also has had 17 reprints down through 1946.
Long story short, it’s a bunch of sermon outlines arranged in such a way that you can recreate the images on a chalkboard.
Kinda nostalgic, don’t you think?
But there’s one in particular I want to share with you.
This Thanksgiving, I want you to take the “chalk talk” below, and conduct a mini-topical Bible study on how to “give thanks.” It’ll help you carry the spirit of Thanksgiving well into the next year and beyond.
Conclusion
May the Lord bless you and your family this holiday season…not just in you being thankful, but in you giving thanks unlike ever before. May this study enrich your lives as you take the time to examine what to be thankful for and how to express your gratitude for all of it.
Discussion Question: What are you thankful for?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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