This month's "Thoughts about" reminds us to be thankful.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving
1 Chronicles 16: 8 - 37

Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples,
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.
Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually,
Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,
O seed of Israel His servant,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac.
He also confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, as the portion of your inheritance."
When they were only a few in number,
Very few, and strangers in it,
And they wandered about from nation to nation,
And from one kingdom to another people,
He permitted no man to oppress them,
And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying,
"Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm."
Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and joy are in His place.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him;
Worship the Lord in holy array.
Tremble before Him, all the earth;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns."
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord;
For He is coming to judge the earth.
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation,
And gather us and deliver us from the nations,
To give thanks to Thy holy name,
And glory in Thy praise."
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.

Then all the people said, "Amen," and praised the Lord.

Selections from...

Pearls from Many Seas
A Galaxy of Thought
from
Four Hundred Writers of Wide Repute.

compiled by
Rev. J. B. McClure
1898 edition

Thanksgiving
Giving thanks always for all things,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to God, even the Father.
--St. Paul.

Thanks for Ills Escaped
Rather than upbraid God for the ills that have befallen thee,
thank Him for those which nave not befallen thee.
--Ivan Panin.

The Thankful Heart

For all that God in mercy sends--
For health and children, home and friends;
For comforts in the time of need,
For every kindly word or deed,
For happy thoughts and holy talk,
For guidance in our daily walk--
In everything give thanks!

For beauty in this world of ours,
For verdant grass and lovely flowers,
For song of birds, for hum of bees,
For the refreshing summer breeze,
For hill and plain, for stream and wood,
For the great ocean's mighty flood--
In everything give thanks!

For the sweet sleep which comes with night,
For the returning morning light,
For the bright sun that shines on high,
For the stars glittering in the sky--
For these and everything we see,
O Lord, our hearts we lift to Thee;
In everything give thanks!
--E. I. Tupper

Counting Our Mercies

Counting up our mercies and our every-day reasons for
gratitude, looking at the hundred little things and
large things, gentle words, loving smiles, flowers sent
to cheer us, children to greet us, old friends to
advise and middle-aged friends to uphold us, good books
to read, dear songs to sing, meetings in gladness, even
parting in hope for the better life, we do not know
where to end the list. The only thing to do is to live always
in an atmosphere sweet and vital with thankgsgiving.
"Praise God, from whom all blessing flow!"
--Margaret E. Sangster

Thanksgiving Prayer

We come, O Lord, these Autumn days,
With hymns of gratitude and praise.
Harvest of gold the plains adorn,
Rich fruits roll forth from Plenty's horn;
Thou givest treasures from the rocks;
The little hills are clothed with flocks;
The seas are with their burden white,
And new Thy mercies day and night.

For changing seasons as they go,
For Autumn leaf, for Winter's snow,
For the green verdure of the Spring,
For life in plant and life on wing,
For Summer with its ripening heat,
For hopes the rounded years complete,
For morn and noon, for night and day,
For light that marks our heavenward way.

For all the blessings of Thy hand,
For freedom in fair freedom's land,
Pursuits of the right that bring us wealth,
For schools and churches, peace and health,
For commerce, yielding up her stores,
Brought for man's use from distant shores;
For countless gifts, O Lord, we raise
Our hymns of gratitude and praise.

Thou settest man in families,
And all his wants the earth supplies;
Of children, be they far or near,
Of children's children gathered here,
We thank Thee for Thy gracious care,
And lift for them the secret prayer,
As clustered round each social board
We eat and drink, and praise the Lord.
--J. E. Rankin

Reasons for Thanksgiving

Plato, looking through the dim spectacles of Nature, gave
thanks unto God for three things:
First, that God created him a man, and not a beast;
secondly, that he was born a Grecian and not a barbarian;
thirdly, that not only so, but a philosopher also.
But Christians, that are better bred and taught, turn
the stream of their thanks into another manner of channel:
First, that God hath created them after His own image;
secondly, that He hath called them out of the common crowd of
this world and made them Christians;
thirdly, and more especially, that among those who
bear the name of Christ He hath made them faithful ones;
like a few quick-sighted men among a company of blind ones;
like the light in Goshen, even all Egypt was dark besides;
or like Gideon's fleece, only watered with the dew of Heaven,
while the rest of the earth was dry and destitute of His favor.
Great cause of thankfulness indeed!
--Spencer

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