“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” —Psalm 136:1

Thanksgiving is now here, and from this point on, we will eat, drink, and breathe Christmas. I don’t mean that we will be reflecting on the Christ’s birth, but we will be experiencing that commercial extravaganza, Christmas!

Commercial culture has pretty much hijacked every holiday. Christmas, instead of being about the birth of Jesus, is instead about Santa, Frosty, presents, and shopping till you drop. Easter, instead of being about the resurrection of Jesus, is about bunnies, eggs, and Spring Break.

But the one holiday that’s remained fairly untouched is Thanksgiving, although it’s quickly being encroached upon by “Black Friday.”

Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD Group, a retail research consultant, has said, “Retailers have basically ruined every holiday. They have commercialized every single holiday by creating a good reason to promote something and drive traffic.”

But we as Christians should not lose the focus of Thanksgiving. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens” to be celebrated each year.

Giving thanks is something we are commanded to do again and again as Christians. For us, every day should be Thanksgiving (minus the turkey, etc.)! The Bible reminds us to “give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercies endure forever” (Psalm 136:1).

Now, if God ceases to be good, I suppose you can cease to give thanks. But since that will never happen, Scripture is commanding me to give thanks always.

So, have a blessed Thanksgiving!

P.S. – Don’t forget to set your scales back 10 pounds.

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”—Ecclesiastes 12:1

I made a commitment to Christ when I was 17 years old. By that time I felt as though I had already lived a very long life because of my mother’s alcoholism and multiple divorces, as well as my own experimentation with drugs and drinking. I was ready for a radical change.

As a result, I gave up quite a few things and pretty much dumped all of my so-called friends. I didn’t want to be in that environment anymore. I needed a new start in life. I committed myself to studying the Bible, being a part of the church, and growing spiritually. Did I give up a few so-called fun times? Yes. But I have had so much more fun as a follower of Jesus. I don’t regret any of those things I gave up.

Every now and then, I will run into an old friend from high school. What is really sad is when someone still thinks they are in high school when they are 60, and they can’t let it go. They’re still living that life (or at least trying to live that life). Some of them are on their second, third, or even fourth marriages. Or maybe their substance abuse has taken a toll on them. I look at them and think, Why did you live that way?

Solomon, at the end of Ecclesiastes, came to a clear conclusion. Among other things, he deeply regretted wasting his youth and didn’t want others to make the same mistake. He wrote, “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, ‘Life is not pleasant anymore’ ” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Youth is such an important time. It’s there that you set the course of your life.

The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.—1 Kings 11:2–3

When Solomon dedicated the first temple in Jerusalem, he prayed, “May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us. May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all the commands, decrees, and regulations that he gave our ancestors” (1 Kings 8:57-58).

That sounded great. But there was just one problem. Solomon was not doing that himself. Before the temple was built, the people would offer their sacrifices to God on pagan altars. Solomon did this, too, all the while saying that he loved the Lord. Solomon was married to an Egyptian who worshipped false gods, so he worshipped false gods as well.

Did Solomon cause her to worship the true and living God? No. But she persuaded him to worship at pagan altars. That is why the Bible warns us, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

That is what happened to Solomon. One thing led to another, and things went from bad to worse. Solomon started a collection: he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Not only was this wrong morally, but it caused him to turn to other gods these women worshipped.

Maybe as a Christian you are attracted to some of the things the Bible has told you to steer clear of. You are like a moth drawn to the light. Learn the lesson of Solomon, who did it all and reaped the consequences. Don’t go that way.

“Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”—1 Kings 3:9

Imagine if God were to come to you today and say, “Ask what you want, and I will give it to you.” That is what happened to Solomon. But because Solomon had his priorities in order, he responded in the right way. He said,

“Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:7–9)

Solomon’s answer pleased God, and God gave him what he asked for. You might wonder, Would God ever do that for me? Yes, He would. But let’s not miss the condition. Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

If you are walking in close fellowship with God, and His Word is at home in your heart, then you will pray for things that bring God glory. If you are praying for self-indulgent things, then it would be doubtful that you are maintaining a living communion with Him and that His Word is at home in you.

Prayer is aligning ourselves with the will of God.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. —Ecclesiastes 12:13

Before Solomon was anointed king, his father said to him, “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9).

David was saying, “Son, listen to me. I know a thing or two about life. I’ve made my mistakes, but I also followed the Lord and served Him. You need to serve the Lord with an undivided heart. You can’t live off my faith, son. You need your own faith.”

Initially Solomon followed David’s advice. His heart wasn’t divided at first. But then he started opening himself up to things that he had no business being a part of. Things went from bad to worse. He went on a little research project to see what was out there. Solomon did everything and tried everything. In the end, here was his conclusion: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

The word for fear that Solomon used also could be translated “reverence,” “respect,” or “awe.” God is the Creator of the universe. He is holy and righteous. To fear Him means to have reverence for Him. It’s a healthy respect. Solomon was saying, “Have reverence for God. Keep His commandments.”

God’s commandments are like guardrails on the road of life, which keep us from getting ourselves into trouble. When Solomon said, “This is man’s all,” he was saying, “This is what will make a whole man.” If you want to be a whole man or a whole woman, then you need to fear God.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”—Psalm 100:4

I really like Thanksgiving, because there is not a lot of pressure to go out and buy things. You have to get food, of course. But apart from that, Thanksgiving is not about shopping. It is more about getting together with family and friends and doing what most people love to do, which is eat.

We can enjoy the food. We can enjoy our family. We can enjoy our fellowship. But the real purpose of Thanksgiving is to give thanks. It is a day to focus on giving thanks.

Of course, that is sometimes easier said than done. It is easy when things are going reasonably well, the bills are paid, we have a roof over our head and our health is good. But when times are hard, we don’t want to give thanks at all. But here is what the Bible says: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1 NIV).

Notice this verse does not say to give thanks to the Lord when you feel good. Rather, it says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”

Someone might say, “Well, what if my heart is not in it? Should I still give thanks?” Yes, you should. Many times when we offer our worship to God, it is just that: a sacrifice. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

The Bible not only commands us to give thanks regardless of circumstances, but it also tells us to verbally give thanks to God. It would be like a husband never telling his wife that he loves her. She needs to hear it from him. And of course, a husband needs to hear “I love you” from his wife, too.

God knows all things. He knows whether we love him. However, He still asks for us to give Him verbal praise. Far too often, we fail to give God what is due him. As Psalm 29:2 reminds us, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.—Ecclesiastes 1:14

After his futile search for the meaning of life, Solomon concluded, ” ‘Vanity of vanities,’ . . . ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2–3).

The word vanity Solomon used didn’t mean the same thing it means to us today. When we think of vanity, we think of people who’ve never met a mirror they didn’t like. But the vanity Solomon spoke of could just as easily be translated “emptiness,” “futility,” “meaningless,” or “nothingness.” Solomon was saying, “There is nothing on this earth that will satisfy us completely: no thing, no pleasure, or no relationship.”

It’s not unlike riding a stationary bike. You see on the little video screen that you’re going uphill, so it gets a little more difficult to pedal. Then you go downhill, and it becomes a little easier. But the reality is that you haven’t moved an inch. You’ve spun your wheels without going anywhere. That is the idea Solomon was conveying. He was describing a life without God.

Have you ever wondered why the super rich or super famous often have substance abuse issues or other problems? I think it’s because they get to do what others only dream of. They accomplish a certain thing, and then they move on to the next thing. They experience another success, and then they move on to something else. They can’t keep that high they were on, so they turn to the next thing.

You might say that Solomon tried it all, and he realized that it all was meaningless. He was saying, “I’m a seasoned pro. I know what I’m talking about here. If you take God out of the picture, your life will be empty, meaningless, and futile.”

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.—1 Corinthians 4:5

We may be able to evaluate what people do, but we cannot evaluate the motive of why they do it. Only God can.

Some believers give up certain pleasures and activities because they don’t want their spiritual lives dulled. Someone might look at them and say, “What a waste! They missed out big time!”

Or, when someone with a promising career ahead decides instead to go to a developing nation as a missionary, someone might say, “What a waste!”

Still others will decide to simply live for themselves and do whatever they want to do with their lives. And then God will say, “What a waste!”

Let’s not be so quick to judge another person’s heart. We can’t see his or her heart. Rather, let’s judge our own hearts and why we do things. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

I think that one day, the people who took the time for God’s Word, for worship, and for serving the Lord will be glad they did. And I also think the people who didn’t take time for those things will realize how much they wasted their lives.

It has been said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.”

We can’t change the past. But we can decide what we are going to do in the present and how we are going to live in the future.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.—Proverbs 12:2

When Mary poured a flask of costly, fragrant oil on Jesus, not everyone appreciated her sacrifice and generosity. Matthew tells us, “But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor’ ” (26:8–9).

In a way, you can almost see their beef. The perfume was worth about $35,000. We may think, Is that good stewardship? Was that really a good idea? But John’s Gospel gives us a significant detail that provides us with important insight into who led this little revolt:

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. (John 12:4–6)

Judas was in charge of the money. His motive was not a concern for the poor; it was a concern for money leaving his pocket. Ironically, the name Judas means “the son of waste.” (What kind of name is that to give to a child?) Here was a man whose name meant “the son of waste” accusing Mary of waste.

This is typical of hypercritical people. I have found that those who are so quick to find fault with others, often challenging their motives, usually are guilty of something far worse. They project their sins on the people they accuse, when, in reality, they are the ones with the problem.

I have also found that these people tend to do very little, and those who complain the least typically are the ones who do the most.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! —Psalm 46:10

I want to ask you to do a mental exercise that you might find very difficult. For just a moment, imagine someone you love, someone you care about. Now imagine that this will be the last day you will be with him or her. What would you like to say? What would you like your last conversation to be? My suggestion to you is say it now. Don’t wait until he or she is gone.

That is what Mary did for Jesus. That is why she lavished the costly, fragrant oil on His head. There with Lazarus, the apostles, and Jesus, it suddenly dawned on her that Jesus was about to die. What could she say to Him? What could she do for Him? She wanted to demonstrate her love in a tangible way and thank Him for all He had done.

I think we need to learn from Mary’s example and sit at the feet of Jesus. You might be thinking, That all sounds very spiritual, and I’m sure you have a lot of time to do that, being a preacher. But I have a life. I’m busy. I have all kinds of things going on. I don’t have time to sit at the feet of Jesus. Could He just text me when He wants me to know something?

It is possible to sit at the feet of Jesus. How? You make time for it. That was Mary’s secret, and it can be yours as well. Sometimes it means unplugging your computer or turning off your phone. But the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

There is a time for work, and there is a time for worship. Mary understood that. A lot can happen when you sit at the feet of Jesus.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”—Romans 8:28

Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a man who was shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. He painstakingly built a little hut for protection from the elements where he could keep the few items he had salvaged from the wreck.

For weeks he lived in this little hut, with only the hot sun and cold nights to keep him company. Prayerfully, he scanned the horizon for the approach of a ship, but nothing appeared.

Then one evening, when he returned from a search for food, he was terrified to find his little hut in flames! He tried to put the fire out, but it was too late. Everything he had in the world had gone up in smoke.

He went to sleep that night listening to the pounding of the surf, amazed at his misfortune. The next morning he awoke to find a ship anchored at the shore! It was the first ship he had seen in all the weeks he had been marooned.

Still trying to believe his eyes, he heard footsteps, and then heard the captain’s voice: “We saw your smoke signal and came to rescue you!”

What may seem like a disaster in your life might be just the thing that leads to your deliverance!

Has God used bad things in your life to bring about good?

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.—Psalm 90:12

Have you ever wasted your time? Let me restate the question: Do you have a television or a smartphone?

There are so many television channels now. Yet I’ve sat with a remote control in hand and hardly found a single thing worth watching. I’ve also found myself wasting a lot of time. And now we have smartphones, which people can’t seem to stop looking at. They look at them while they’re driving. They look at them while they’re standing in line. They look at them while they’re walking down a crowded street. Everyone is sidetracked with this current technology, and I wonder how much time we waste.

It isn’t good to waste time, but it’s much worse to waste a life. In Matthew 26 we find the story of a woman who was accused of great waste. Interestingly, this accusation was made by a man whose life actually was a complete waste.

I’m convinced that when we get to Heaven, we’ll see things much differently. I think some things that we will have thought of as good during our lives on this earth may not be perceived as good in the same way. We think that good obviously means excellent health and having a lot of money. We think good means having a very successful career or ministry. I am not saying these things are bad. But maybe they won’t be as good as we once thought they were.

On the other hand, we may think of any kind of a setback, sickness, or failure in life as a horrible thing. But I think that when we get to Heaven, we will realize that some of those setbacks and failures actually produced more spiritual fruit in our lives than the so-called good things. Things are not always as they appear.

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.—Deuteronomy 32:4

Some parents are terrified when their children question the authority of the Scriptures or have questions about various things we believe as Christians. But I don’t think it’s a horrible thing when children start asking the hard questions. Skepticism isn’t necessarily a sign that a person is wrong; it may be a sign that he or she is thinking.

Christian parents need to answer their children’s questions and help them work through those things. Sooner or later, children will have to grow up. They will have to find out for themselves who God is.

If you were raised in a Christian home, thank God for that legacy. But some people have been raised in Christian homes where there was a lot of hypocrisy. Maybe their parents argued all the time, or there were other problems. This is very disillusioning to a young person, who may say, “My parents talked about God all the time and couldn’t live it out. It’s all a bunch of nonsense.” They base their views of God on their parents.

I am not excusing Christian parents who have not been good examples to their children. But I am saying that even if your mom or dad blew it, even if someone you looked up to blew it, don’t base your view of God on what that person did or did not do. You need to find out for yourself who God is.

Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “[The LORD] is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”

Don’t base your view of God on someone who may have misrepresented Him. God is who He is. He is faithful. He is perfect. He is flawless. And He never will be a hypocrite.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. —Ecclesiastes 3:11

Sometimes we think that certain things in life are good, while other things are bad. But as we live a little longer, we have the advantage of being able to look back and see life in a different way. We begin to realize that certain things we thought were good were actually bad, and certain things we thought were bad were actually good.

This is one reason David was described as a man after God’s own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14). He knew God was in control of His life. David reasoned that the things he was going through, even the hard times, were preparing him for what came next. And he was right. David was being prepared for the great responsibilities that would eventually rest on his shoulders.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” I’m convinced that when we get to heaven, we will have a completely different perspective on what happened to us in life. We will look back at some of the most difficult times in our lives and realize that God was at work, developing character, endurance, and, most importantly, Christlikeness in us.

Believers love to quote Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” But very few people quote the verse that immediately follows: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

God’s end game is to make us holy. God’s goal is to make us like Jesus.

David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord’s army and the nation of Israel, because they had died by the sword that day.—2 Samuel 1:11–12

If an enemy who had opposed you for years was finally dealt with, what would be your first thought? I doubt it would be how to show kindness to that person or to members of his or her family. Generally, we want to give the way that we get. If we get hit, we want to hit back—even harder. That is human nature.

But David had made a promise to Saul’s son Jonathan, and he was a man of his word. He would look out for Jonathan’s children and show mercy and kindness to his descendents.

After Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle, there was no king over Israel. David was the rightful king, but the battle continued between the house of David and the house of Saul. Saul had a son named Ishbosheth, and Abner, Saul’s general, made him king. He ignored the fact that God had chosen David as Saul’s successor.

Then Abner and Ishbosheth had an argument, and Abner threatened to defect. Sure enough, he went over to David’s side. But there were problems with that because Joab, David’s general, hated Abner. He couldn’t believe that David would allow Abner into their ranks. This escalated, and Joab ultimately hunted down Abner and killed him.

David was outraged. He was tired of the fighting and wanted it to end. He didn’t want to deal with his enemies in the way they had dealt with him. He wanted to forgive them. David could have engaged in some big-time payback. But he did the very opposite. Even before all of the experts figured it out, David knew the power of forgiveness.

Was David a perfect man? No. Did he have his flaws? Yes. But God loved David. And He uniquely described him as a man after His own heart.

“The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”—Proverbs 3:35

Parents, today you are leaving a legacy by your life, words, and actions. This will affect your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren, and beyond.

1. H. Spurgeon said, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you. So carve your name on hearts and not on marble.”

We need to think about the legacy we are leaving. Because when your last day on earth comes, you will not be remembered for what you may be making the focus of your life today.

When someone passes, foremost in their eulogy is who they are survived by. We talk about them as a spouse, a parent, a son or daughter, as a person who did good for others.

We don’t celebrate the wealth they acquired or how attractive they were, because when they are gone, we collectively realize those things don’t matter.

Socrates said, “Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim: Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?”

Our goal as parents is to lead our children to Christ and get them to heaven.

We are all leaving a legacy. The question is, is it a good or a bad one?