Thanksgiving Day in Retrospect

Last week’s meditation was designed to prepare my readers for Thanksgiving Day. This week I would like to share with you some of what I experienced on Thanksgiving Day. For me, this was one of the best I have ever been part of.

The day was spent with our family, who live in this area. The only one missing was our newly acquired Canadian son-in-law, Joshua. He had to work. Thanksgiving Day in Canada is celebrated in October. Having just taken a week off for his honeymoon, he couldn’t afford to take yet another day off.

We all gathered at the home of our daughter Caroline. As dinner was being prepared, some of us enjoyed playing games together. But as things rolled along, the television was turned on to the football game. I sat with my sons-in-law, Kevin and Jared, to try to watch some of the game. But as I did so I began to seethe inwardly. Here we were all together as a family and we were being diverted by the television. I resented those football players charging into the midst of my family and stealing our attention away from one another. I was not amused by the characteristic racket of a football game accompanied by the noisy and often ridiculous commercials. When the ladies announced that dinner was ready, I said in a tone that I am not proud of: “Let’s turn off that television and give thanks to God.” By that point I was upset and it was evident. I emphasized the word God with the intent of placing Him in stark contrast to the American icon of football and television in general. It is not that I think it is a sin to enjoy a football game. But did we have to do it then, on Thanksgiving Day, when we were together as a family? Does television have to invade everything? I then proceeded to explain to all that I had envisioned this to be a day for us to enjoy each other. We are all together on such few occasions, that it seemed to me a shame to let television interfere with this opportunity to interface with each other. When I explained why I was upset about the television, the wishes of the patriarch were understood and respected. The television was turned off never to be heard from again for the rest of our time together. Thanks be to God! In hindsight, I should have calmly explained my position when the game was first turned on. I would have saved myself all that inner turmoil that finally boiled over.

As for the food, the women of my family outdid themselves. It was a rich repast. During dinner we engaged in lively conversation. You get that with the Motts. I think it must be that rich French blood that courses through our veins. Kevin and Jared do not have our gift of gab. Therefore, they quietly ate and endured the rest of us with exemplary Christian patience. Had Joshua been there, he would have been a major participant in the conversation. But then he is also French. After dinner, the grandchildren got to open some presents that Opa and Grandma had brought. Linda and I had purchased a few cheap items from the Dollar Chain and had wrapped them. Each grandchild had a package. And, no, we were not celebrating an alternative Christmas! So don’t even go there. I am fully prepared to bury you with arguments if you try it.

As the ladies cleared away the main courses of the dinner and prepared for dessert, my sons-in-law and I enjoyed a card game called Phase 10. I won every hand leaving Jared not far behind me with Kevin trailing in the rear. For me this was a payback. My sons-in-law and I had recently gone bowling together. Kevin bowled outstandingly. Jared did well, too, but Kevin far outshined us both. Kevin used to bowl in a league. He was glad to find that he had not lost his touch. Kevin’s score so far exceeded mine that the words of Job occur to me as an apt description of my defeat: “I have…defiled my horn in the dust” (Job 16:15). So, needless to say, I was quite enjoying beating him in a game. You see, I stand a chance of winning if it is a game of pure chance. But if the game requires athletic skill, then count me out.

But this is where it really became good. After the dessert, we all gathered around the table for a hymn sing. My wife and I raised our daughters to love music. They all took piano lessons and learned to read music. We are able to harmonize as a family and have sung together ever since we have been a family. I am pleased to report that my grandchildren are learning music as well. They, too, chimed in as we sang. On a couple of songs we adults refrained from singing on the chorus and just listened to the children sing. What a blessing that is! Then we had a time for telling things that we are thankful for. My grandson Ashton said: “I am glad the devil is going to hell because I don’t like him.” I quite agree with you, Ashton. I don’t like him either. My grandson Justin thanked God that he is a child of God and that he will go to heaven someday. My mother expressed thankfulness for how the Lord has been with her throughout all her days. Scarcely restraining the tears, she then pointed to her family as one of her chief blessings adding also the blessing of her church family. My son-in-law Kevin expressed gratitude for the deep friendship that he has with his brother-in-law Jared, to which Jared agreed. I was touched to hear Kevin so openly and unashamedly expressing his affection for his brother-in-law. There is nothing unmanly about men expressing their love for one another. It is such a blessing to see the in-laws in my family getting along so well. Then my little granddaughter Rebekah expressed her thankfulness for cups. Yes, you read it correctly: cups. Now you don’t often hear cups listed when people are counting their blessings. But light was shed on the subject when my grandson Nicklas afterwards prayed. He joined his sister in thanking God for cups. Here were his words to the Almighty: “Thank you for cups to drink out of so we don’t have to sink-drink, because that is disgusting.” Of course, others of us had to subdue a chuckle. But when you think about it, cups are indeed something to be thankful for. Imagine what life would be without them. When my turn came, I thanked God for the wonderful resource for joy and companionship that I have within my own family to offset the hardship and loneliness that often goes with being a minister. We had a time of prayer with some of the grandchildren praying. I prayed what I thought was to be the concluding prayer. But my grandson Brendan expressed a desire to pray at the end. Toward the close of his prayer he thanked God that even though it was dark and rainy outside, we were all inside laughing and that it was sunny in our hearts. That crowned the day! And I believe everyone was truly glad that we had turned off the football game. We did not need the outside world to entertain us after all.

As we parted for the day, I went away with this recurring thought: This was how Thanksgiving Day was meant to be celebrated. Thank you for taking a little time to visit with the Mott family. Ya’ll come again now!

Psalms 136:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thanksgiving

Today’s meditation will be a simple one. But some of our biggest problems arise from overlooking the simple matters of our most holy faith.

This coming Thursday our nation will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, for many, if not most, it will be a day centered on eating and watching football with little, if any, regard given to thanking God. Let me encourage it to be otherwise with you.

First of all, giving thanks to God is just plain a good thing to do.

Psalms 92:1  It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

Since it is a good thing to do, thanksgiving will make your life better. The word better is the comparative form of the word good. So if you add something good to your life, you have made your life better than it was before you added that good thing. This is simple logic, but it is profound in its implications.

Secondly, consider this passage as it relates to our subject.

Colossians 1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Observe that the believer who is strengthened with all might according to God’s glorious power is a believer who is giving thanks unto the Father. Now to be strengthened with all might, and that according to God’s glorious power, is to be strong in the greatest way that a human being can be strong. Show me a thankful Christian and I will show you a person of strong character. His body may be weak and sickly and his possessions few, but he is strong. Also notice that God’s strength leads to all patience and longsuffering. A strong believer can suffer patiently for a long time and still be thankful. To suffer patiently is to suffer with calmness and composure, to suffer without losing it, as we say. And he can suffer with all patience, that is, with God’s strength he can suffer with all the patience he will need for as long as he needs it. Furthermore, a believer strengthened with God’s strength can suffer with joyfulness. His sufferings do not take anything away from his joy. His joy is full. And that his joy is full is explained by the fact that while suffering he is giving thanks. For thanksgiving is the companion of joy as the following passages show:

Psalms 95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalms 97:12  Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Isaiah 51:3  For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Jeremiah 30:19  And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Also consider the following passage as it relates to thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

This verse connects being thankful with letting the peace of God rule in our hearts. Ask yourself this question: Is your heart restless, anxious, or fearful? If so, then the peace of God is not ruling in your heart. If this is the case with your heart, check your thanksgiving. Just how thankful are you, that is, how full of thanks are you? If you are thankful, the peace of God will hold sway in your heart. Because, you see, when you are thankful, you are focused on God and His goodness. This puts whatever troubles you have into perspective; it scales them down in size so that they do not loom so largely over you. When this happens, then God’s peace takes over and calms the heart. In other words, it rules or has the commanding influence in the heart.

So let me close by joining the Psalmist in giving you this exhortation:

Psalms 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Empty Nest

God willing, my last daughter will wed on next Saturday, 14 November. For my wife Linda and me, this is a great turning point. We have had a child in our home for thirty-three years. That is about to end. We now come to that experience that is known as “the empty nest.” So please suffer a father to pour out his heart.

As I muse over the last thirty-three years, I have a lot of mixed feelings. Like most parents I have my share of regrets. If I had it to do over again, there are things I would definitely have done differently. Living day and night with me, you can believe that my daughters have seen my bad side big time. But overall I have to say that I tried to be a good father. To date, all my faults notwithstanding, my girls all love me dearly and respect me highly. The things they say to me in cards for Father’s Day and my birthday often convey their deep appreciation for the lessons I taught them. But more than the cards, I look at the lives they live and that, above all, is the greatest gift that they can give to me. This gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I did something right with those precious lives that God bequeathed to my care.

When my first daughter married, we came home from the wedding only to find a letter from her on our bed. We read the letter and released a flood of tears. The letter expressed her love and appreciation for us and all we had done for her. Of all that she wrote, the only thing that stands out in my memory is the special mention she made of appreciating the model that our marriage had been to her. I once read that one of the greatest gifts you can give to your children is a good marriage. I firmly believe that.

Now that my wife and I face the empty nest together, a good marriage is all the more important. You see, it will just be we in this house most of the time. If we couldn’t stand each other, the empty nest would be a thing to dread. For there will no longer be a child between us. Our daughter will not be here to keep conversation going. No more will we hear the garage door open announcing her arrival home from work. No more will she be a regular presence at our dinner table. No more will we hear the stirrings in her room downstairs. No more will we have the weekly visits from her lover coming to court her and filling our house with their lively conversation and laughter. She will be on her own now living under the authority of the man who will be her husband. Dad will be the number two man in her life. Well, I have been that already, but now it will be even more so. Now she will be bodily removed from my continued surveillance. And Linda and I will return to where we started: just the two of us at the table. We will now face each other with gray hairs, wrinkles, and a wealth of memories good and bad that we did not have when we started. But thank God, we will sit there still in love with each other, more in love than when we began. This will surely help to smooth the transition.

Other parents who have experienced the empty nest speak of it positively, some very positively. And I must say that in one way, Linda and I are looking forward to it. I prayed today that God would give us strength and health for some years to come so that we might enjoy this experience together. Yet in another way, we feel sadness at turning this page in the book of our lives. We have enjoyed our girls. Thanks be to God, none of our children has ever caused us any serious trouble to date. They have been a joy and still are. It is a blessing to watch them as they raise their children. And, of course, the grandchildren are a continual source of great joy. It is as my mother often says: “They are the joy of your old age.” I am blessed to have a family in which we all love one another and enjoy being together. When we are all together I sometimes feel such a sense of blessedness in being the patriarch of this clan. In fact, one of my son-in-laws affectionately calls me patty for patriarch.

Please do not think I am foolishly boasting when I say this, but if ever God has blessed a man on this earth, He has blessed me. The patriarch Jacob expresses my sentiments exactly:

Genesis 32:10  I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant….

Unworthy though I be, I have been the object of unspeakable favours from such a kind and merciful God. Of all the mercies God has extended to this poor sinner, my daughters are among them. When God gave me those girls, He certainly was not dealing with me according to anything I deserve. He could have given me children of Belial that would have been a source of continual sorrow. I deserve as much and worse.

As I muse on these past thirty-three years of raising my daughters, I can honestly say that we have never known the want of anything we have needed. I have relied on the words of Psalm 23:1 and proved them true: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” And it rejoices me no little to know that this same Lord is also the shepherd of my daughters as their faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ attest. I am blessed to watch as He provides for their wants as well. And the good Shepherd will still be taking care of them when I am long gone.

Although my daughters are all now grown and out on their own, there is one thing that will never change: they will always be my babies. Oh, I won’t treat them like that. But in my heart I have that same feeling for them that I had when I first cradled them in my arms. After my father died, I was given a New Testament that his father had given him. I never knew my grandfather, as he died when my dad was only sixteen years of age. My grandfather gave this New Testament to my father on 25 October 1940. It is now in tatters. But in the cover a prayer is inscribed in my grandfather’s beautiful handwriting. This is the prayer that is upon my heart as I send off my last daughter. It is simply this: “God take care of my baby.”

I hope I have not wearied you with my sentiment. I close with tears.

Halloween

This coming Saturday, 31 October, marks the annual celebration of Halloween. The name Halloween is the shortened form of All-Hallow-Even. This day is the eve of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day, which is observed on 1 November. The first day of November was set aside by the Roman Catholic Church as All Saints’ Day to commemorate all the saints who have no other special day of commemoration. Of course, the New Testament knows nothing of All Saint’s Day. Like Christmas and Easter, this is another attempt by the Roman Catholic Church to mix paganism with Christianity.

During the celebration of Halloween houses, schools, and businesses are decorated with images of ghosts, skeletons, witches, black cats, and jack-o-lanterns with monstrous faces carved in them. Haunted houses and horror films are a popular attraction at this time. Children go trick-or-treating through neighbourhoods often in costumes designed to depict death, horror, witches, or even Satan himself. Adults dressed in costumes also participate in Halloween parties. Why are images of death and the occult so prevalent in connection with this day?

The following quotation taken from Encyclopedia Brittanica regarding the origin of Halloween gives us some insight:

“It (Halloween) long antedates Christianity. The two chief characteristics of ancient Hallowe’en were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that this is the one night in the year during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander abroad. History shows that the main celebrations of Hallowe’en were purely Druidical, and this is further proved by the fact that in parts of Ireland Oct. 31 is still known as Oidhche Shamhna, ‘Vigil of Saman.’ This is directly connected with the Druidic belief in the calling together of certain wicked souls on Hallowe’en by Saman, lord of death.”

In addition, we cite this quotation taken from The World Book Encyclopedia:

“The Druids, an order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. They thought the cat was sacred and believed that cats had once been human beings but were changed as a punishment for evil deeds. From these Druidic beliefs comes the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats in Halloween festivities.”

It was believed that wearing costumes and masks of harmful spirits was a way to prevent them from inflicting harm. It was also believed that to free oneself from these evil spirits it was necessary to give them a treat. Otherwise, the spirit would cast a spell, a trick. This is the origin of trick or treat. Also on this night animal bones were burned in large fires called bonfires (bone fires) in order to ward off evil spirits. I have also read that there is reason to believe that in ancient times human sacrifices were made in these bonfires.

For practitioners of witchcraft and worshippers of Satan, 31 October is a high and holy day even to this present time. There are documented accounts of animal and human sacrifices offered on this day. Although many people view this as a time of fun and games, it is taken quite seriously by those who are in league with the powers of darkness.

God Almighty also takes the practices of the occult very seriously and gives stern warnings against it. The following passage speaks clearly:

Deuteronomy 18:9  When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire (might this have been a bonfire?), or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13  Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
14  For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

The world of the occult is very real. There are evil spirits who seek to do us harm and we must have no fellowship with them.

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

1 Corinthians 10:20  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Satan would like nothing more than for us not to take his world seriously. He would have us think of witches and incantations as play things rather than harsh and destructive realities. Rather than celebrating the world of the occult in fun and games, the Christian should rather resist and reprove such things.

Ephesians 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

And as for all the images of death so prevalent at this time, recall that Satan has the power of death. In that sense he is Saman, the lord of the dead. But our Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us from the fear of death by destroying Satan.

Hebrews 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Shall we then celebrate the fear of death as is done at Halloween? Ought we not rather to celebrate our Lord’s triumph over Satan and the destruction of his power of death?

From the foregoing it should be obvious that Christians have no business participating in Halloween celebrations. On Halloween night we turn off the porch light to discourage any trick-or-treaters from coming to our door. Do not let your children trick-or-treat or attend Halloween parties. If you have adults living in your home who do not share your convictions and want to attend Halloween parties, do not let them don their costumes in your home. That is your house and you have the responsibility to ban from your home anything that makes light of the kingdom of darkness. I close with this exhortation:

1 Corinthians 16:13  Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

On Reading Many Books, Part 2

We continue our meditation this week regarding the reading of many books. Last week we saw that it is better to read fewer books, digest them well, and retain their information than to overload the brain with more books than it can process. Today I want to impress upon my readers the importance of thought. As you read a book, take time to think about what you are reading. Allow yourself to sit back and reflect on what you read so that you may absorb the information. Here is another excellent quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon taken again from his work entitled Lectures to My Students:

I would impress upon you the truth, that a man who is short of apparatus can make up for it by much thought. Thinking is better than possessing books. Thinking is an exercise of the soul which both develops its powers and educates them....Without thinking, reading cannot benefit the mind, but it may delude the man into the idea that he is growing wise. Books are a sort of idol to some men. As the image with the Roman Catholic is intended to make him think of Christ, and in effect keeps him from Christ, so books are intended to make men think, but are often a hindrance to thought.

That paragraph is profound in its implications. There is no benefit in reading just for the sake of reading or to convince yourself or others that you are intelligent, because you read a lot. In my profession one comes across a great deal to read. It is easy to fall into the practice of reading through things just to say that one has read them. But this is a waste of time if the information is simply run through the brain without any retention. It is better to be selective in what you read. Sometimes you may be able to skim something and discern whether it is worth your time or not. With limited time and energy I need to be selective with respect to what I read. Reading should be done with a view to personal growth, not pacifying everyone who gives you something to read.

Mr. Spurgeon went on to point out that a man who does not have a lot of books can make up for that lack by being a man of thought. If a man is thoughtfully observant of nature, of men, and of himself, he can learn a great deal. The heavens are an open book that declares the glory of God and much can be learned by thinking about them (Psalm 19:1-3). It is worthwhile noting the many lessons Solomon, the wisest man, drew from the study of nature. When reading the book of Proverbs, notice how many times Solomon makes a point by referencing something in nature. When speaking of Solomon's wisdom, Scripture has this to say:

1 Kings 4:32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

In addition to Mr. Spurgeon's words, I found this interesting passage in a book I possess entitled Lord Chesterfield's Letters. Lord Chesterfield wrote:

It signifies nothing to read a thing once, if one does not mind and remember it. It is a sure sign of a little mind to be doing one thing, and at the same time to be either thinking of another, or not thinking at all. One should always think of what one is about; when one is learning, one should not think of play; and when one is at play, one should not think of one's learning. Besides that, if you do not mind your book while you are at it, it will be a double trouble to you, for you must learn it all over again.

Lord Chesterfield's words remind me of a quotation I cited to you in the series of meditations I did on listening. The quote came from an article entitled Improving your Memory.

You can’t remember something if you never learned it, and you can’t learn something — that is, encode it into your brain — if you don’t pay enough attention to it. It takes about eight seconds of intent focus to process a piece of information through your hippocampus and into the appropriate memory center. So, no multitasking when you need to concentrate! If you distract easily, try to receive information in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.

Reading must be accompanied with thought to be profitable. And this brings us to that very important word in Scripture, the word meditate.

Meditate - To muse over or reflect upon; to consider, study, ponder.

It is obvious that meditation requires thought, focusing the mind upon a given subject. When Paul instructed Timothy to "give attendance to reading," he also instructed him to meditate in order to profit from his reading.

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

No amount of reading is a substitute for meditation, for careful thought. Recall that last time we pointed out the importance of mastering one book above all other books, that book being the Holy Bible. Today's point about combining thought with reading applies here as well. It is not enough to simply read the Bible. You must also think about what you read; you need to meditate upon it. It is by this means that you will derive the greatest benefit from the time you spend in the Scriptures. The following passage powerfully drives this point home.

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

I for one am not a fan of programs for reading through the entire Bible in a year. I find it better to read less and think about what you read, than to consume more chapters just to satisfy a deadline. Granted, one should strive to read the whole Bible. But one should also strive to understand what is being read. And that understanding comes from careful thought or meditation.

Psalms 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

So read something in the Bible each day. Then think about it throughout the rest of your waking hours and your life will become more prosperous in the ways that count.

And as for mastering this one book, the Holy Bible, I can do no better than to close with the advise of Solomon, the wisest of men:

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.