Thanksgiving Baskets

Thanksgiving is the Queen of Holidays

James 1: 16-17 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

I Chronicles 16: 8 Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. I Chronicles 16: 34-35 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 35 Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name, and glory in Your praise."

Our tradition Of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving predates our Traditions.

Deuteronomy 26: 1-2 Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, 2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name.

Possible contents of baskets : Deuteronomy 8: 8 A land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land where you will eat food without scarcity, Three lessons from the baskets ...

I. We must REMEMBER where our blessings come from. - GOD -

Deuteronomy 8: 10-14 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. 11 Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

We tend to forget how blessed we are and come to feel entitled.

God wants for us to REJOICE. We should be happy and enjoy enjoy God’s blessings.

Deuteronomy 26: 10-11 Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.' And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; 11 and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.

( TRUST - We are secure in Christ. ) God wants for you to enjoy His blessings. I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ( TRUST - We are secure in Christ. )

Matthew 6: 31-34 Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We let worry rob us of joy.

The basket of first fruits teach us to TURN LOOSE and worship God.

We give thee but thine own … #663 Deuteronomy 26: 10-11 Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.' And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; We give thee but thine own … #663

Deuteronomy 16: 16-17 Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.

Hebrews 13: 15-16 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Deuteronomy 26: 16 This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.

Dear God, may we never forget from whom all blessings flow.

We can live eternally with God, because HE died on a cruel cross.