Milestones of Thanksgiving - Rejoice!

The first Milestone I want to consider is the believer's rejoicing over God's mighty acts. Psalm 118:22-24 is a passage used in the New Testament referring to Christ, the chief Cornerstone. These verses form a template for Thanksgiving because they demonstrate the kinds of things that cause rejoicing in the human heart.

Verse 22: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." In every building project there are materials deemed to be of insufficient quality, and rejected. The spiritual leadership of Israel rejected Christ, but God made Him the foundation of God's plan of redemption. But this was not only so with Christ. David, the youngest and possibly smallest of his family, was thought to be insufficient to a man's work by his family. He was, however, chosen by God lead His people, Israel. Matthew was a tax collector. As such, he was reputed by some in Israel to be a traitor - not worth much. However, he was chosen by Christ to one of the 12 disciples, an Apostle, and the author of one of the accounts of His Lord's life. John Newton was a slaver. No one accounted him of any value. A more wretched man could not be imagined. However, God's grace so changed this man that he wrote one of the most beloved hymns in our hymn books, "Amazing Grace." That God can take that which others reject as useless and make it, not just useful, but a reflection of His glory should make the believer rejoice.

In verse 23, the Psalmist says, "This was the Lord's doing; it was marvelous in our eyes." In old Israel, General Naaman wanted God to heal him. To demonstrate His power, God commanded that Naaman bathe in the Jordan River. No one else could heal him, but God could and did. Coming down from the mount of Transfiguration, the Lord encountered a demon-possessed boy that His disciples could not care for. But He could. George Mueller looked around London and saw the heart-crushing poverty and loneliness of the orphans of his day. No one really cared, and thought he cared, deeply, he had no resources. By trusting His God to meet the need, and moving forward in faith, he saw God move and provide in ways no one else could have. The child of God has always found reason for rejoicing in the fact that God could use them, even though they, and others, might have thought them of little of no value.

Verse 24 says, "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." God is the one who makes opportunities. In Revelation 3:7, to the church at Philadelphia, He calls Himself, the God "who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." Paul spoke of the door God had opened for Him to speak. In the circumstances of our life, at the most unlikely moments, God opens an opportunity for victory.

At this Thanksgiving season, we can rejoice that God has given us the opportunity to serve Him, and make the most of it for His glory.