Pod Prep: Thanksgiving Lost and Someday found again
A TRUE HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING
The pilgrims arrived in the wilderness of the new world. After several years of failure and near starvation they celebrated God’s bounty in 1623, the first Thanksgiving. They came from Europe to gain religious freedom. They were all alone. At first, they tried a communist (communal) approach. No one owned farm land. Everything that was produced belonged to everyone no matter how much effort an individual expended. They were practically starving. One reason for low food production and other related issues, was the ‘free rider problem’. People had everything in common so the commune lacked individual motivation for all workers. Then Governor Bradford turned to Capitalism. Each family was given their own capital, land, equipment and seeds etc. The family could keep the profits. Productivity rose sharply and the colony became productive and prosperous.
One other factor played into their prosperity. I will call it the fortuitous blessing of God. A camp site was left vacant for them by a small Native American group that had just died because of some disease just prior to their arrival. God also provided a translator in this vast, new wilderness. What a miracle. Squanto was captured off the coast by English fishermen; Learned English in London; Escaped a fishing boat fourteen years later and returned just as the settlers needed a translator who knew the local area tribal languages and English.
The Plymouth colonists built successful relationships with the neighboring Indians who taught them area farming and fishing techniques. Squanto was able to act as an interpreter between the colonists and the local Indians. Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, signed a treaty of alliance with the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims would provide assistance with defense against a neighboring threatening tribe. It was this successful partnership and peaceful treaty that lasted the lifetime of those involved.
The pilgrims were thankful to God for their material and spiritual blessings and peace. They were very religious and had a strong Biblical outlook on life. See I Thess 5:16-18. Abraham’s blessings thru Joseph were being poured out on the Pilgrims, the foundation and beginning of the most prosperous nation on the planet, see Gen 26:4, 48:19-20, 49:1, 22.
THANKFULNESS IS GODLINESS AND IS BEING LOST
Retailers in the last few years have been encroaching on the Thanksgiving Holiday earlier and earlier for the shopping binge called Black Friday. It starts now around 6pm Thanksgiving Day instead of waiting till day is over at mid night. Thanksgiving gets little publicity. Media excitement is from Halloween to Christmas with Thanksgiving being a smaller and smaller bump in the road. Thanking God is being minimized. Look at the failures of socialism and Communism. These movements are creating lots of dependent people who do not appreciate any blessing and just keep demanding more and more from the tax payers. We should not envy those that gained wealth through evil means. THE FUTURE IS MORE SPOILED WICKEDLY UNTHANKFUL PEOPLE, SEE II TIM 3:1-5. See Ps 73:17-20. Be thankful no matter what. We are fortunate that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. The religious leaders of Judah and the world and the top families are not being called so much in the first resurrection. But we are the ones being called now we are the last ones. We are the lucky ones be thankful. See Matt 19:30.
BE THANKFUL FOR THE PARADISE FUTURE THAT LIES AHEAD
God is coming soon to bring prosperity and peace to all the world. This will be led by Israel and the Israelites will be a blessing to all nations. America has also been a blessing to the world even in this age. A vast amount of foreign aid was given by the U.S. to most nations. America rebuilt the nations that lost and were bombed to smithereens in WWII. The vast majority of world private charity has come from Britain and America in world history. But the future is so much greater. Abraham’s seed will be a blessing to all. Every nation will be blessed thru Christ ruling from Jerusalem bringing all the world into prosperity and peace. See Isa 2:2-5 and 11:6-10.
We should be thankful for being born in America, a blessed nation. This nation was also blessed with Bible knowledge. Most of the Bibles distributed around the world come from America. They are paid for in America and the largest amount of religious freedom so far, is in America. We are also fortunate to be called to the truth. Be thankful that we are in America it increases our chances of being called and the freedom of choice. Most nations have state religions. God blessed the pilgrims with enormous success materially and in freedom. That was the beginning of America’s great success.
Let us try and recapture thanksgiving in our lives and homes in the future celebrations of God’s bounty.
