Seven Year Release, Gratitude, Forgiveness and THANKSGIVING

Mike Corthell, Editor

''...I came that they may have life, and have abundantly''
- Jesus

''Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...'' This portion of the Lord's Prayer reminds us, especially at this time of year, to forgive and be grateful for what we have and also to recognize that when we have enough it is our responsibility to give in the spirit of our own abundance by our own conscience.

How we treat our fellow human beings - really all of creation is the measure of our virtue, and of our divine origin. 

Something that might interest us all on this Thanksgiving 2013 is the following from Deuteronomy:

''At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.''

The Bible encourages everyone to Give Thanks!

The Bible encourages action over passivity in the need to be thankful.. In the New King James Version of the Bible, the word thankful appears only three times, and unthankful appears only twice. The number of times both words are used is surprising. But thanksgiving occurs over 30 times, and the phrases give thanks or give You thanks occur over 40 times. The words thank and God occur in the same verse 15 times; thanks and God are used together 23 times; thank or thanks and Lord appear together 43 times.

The word praise implies a big thank you given with an abundance of admiration and respect. The world would be a better place with more praise and less criticism. If parents praised their children more, they would need far less punishment. If we praised our families and coworkers, the workplace would be far less tense and would experience more peace and productivity. We humans thrive and strive better under the warm sunshine of praise.

The Bible stresses that the greatest praise should go to God. Praise and God occur in the same verse 57 times, and praise and Lord occur together 97 times. Are you thankful for a beautiful day, a gorgeous rainbow, a spectacular sunset? Tell God about it! Thank the One who created it all!

''We should be thankful for all we've been given, and express it. This is what Thanksgiving Day is supposed to be about. Remember to be thankful for your country and its blessings. Do you express it? Tell your family and friends how much you appreciate them, and remember to give the greatest share of credit and praise to the Great Benefactor, the Creator and Giver of all blessings (James 1:17
).Let's make every day a day of giving thanks—a thanksgiving day. I'm going to try harder, and I hope you'll join me. Come on. You can say it: Thank you''. 

- Don Hooser