Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. Stay Encouraged!

MichaelH

Inactive
Remember that Holidays are great times to practice our love walk toward family members not convinced that we do actually Love Jesus. We never know how spiritual a person really is until we get that video tape of them spending the day at home with family.

I encourage everyone not to mention past money owed, or past grudges. When I was young my mom and her sister (aunt) would fight over the time someone grabbed someones blanket at a camping trip we were suppose to be enjoying. I think my mom by mistake took my cousins blanket for one of us boys. This upset my mom's sister.

I don't really remember much about all those past get together but I do remember that blanket argument and I do remember the few times my mom got drunk.

Lets put all the family stuff aside and give family the Love of God shed abroad in our hearts that they may also remember that years later. How we represent Jesus may not seem to have mattered in the present, but I can tell you that 30 years later it would have mattered in a young boys life who is typing this right now.

God bless everyone.

Michael.
 
i love the days of feasting like Thanksgiving and Christmas ... for us at my house it is never ending food and games... yesterday at my brother's house i loved watching my son play board games with his cousins while the food kept on coming... is this gluttony...? Not in my opinion, we just love to cook and share the foods we know all love and we all love to taste the different dishes made, of course there is not enough space to fit it all in by we try... love to all and enjoy the rest of this wonderful weekend...
 
American History 101 ..

Centuries before the Communist Manifesto was even published, the Pilgrims set up an economic system that looked similar to the “utopia” advocated by Karl Marx. In the early plantation, there was no such thing as private property or division of labor. It was even forbidden for an individual to produce their own food. All food and supplies were held in common. Plantation officials were supposed to equally distribute goods to all. Plymouth County Governor William Bradford wrote, “the taking away of property, and bringing in community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing.” Needless to say, the colonists didn’t live happily ever after.

The Pilgrims experienced chronic food shortages. Half of the Pilgrims died or went back to England in the first year alone. Governor William Bradford writes in this diary, “So as it well appeared that the famine must still ensue the next year, also, if not some way prevented.” In most classrooms, students learn that various external factors are to blame for the Pilgrim’s suffering. But as economics Professor Benjamin Powell states, “Bad weather or lack of farming knowledge did not cause the pilgrims’ shortages. Bad economic incentives did.”

Incentives matter. Since all colonists received the same rations whether they contributed or not, there was little incentive to actually help produce any food. People quickly realized that it was easier to do nothing and still get rewarded. Despite their Puritan religious convictions, many Pilgrims stole food from one another. Other settlers faked illnesses to get out of work. It was a deadly disaster.

In 1621 and 1622, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians did share two meals together. But it wasn’t until the “miracle of 1623? that they celebrated a bountiful feast like we do today. As Governor William Bradford wrote that year, “instead of famine now God gave them plenty.” This was the year that Bradford switched to a more capitalist system.

After three winters of misery, Governor William Bradford finally changed course. He began to note the flaws of communism, “For this community (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort.”

Private property saved the Pilgrims. The Governor decided to assign “every family a parcel of land” to do with it as they saw fit. Some kept what they produced and others mutually exchanged goods with other Pilgrims. Finally, families could enjoy the fruits of their own labor. The results were dramatic. Never again did they face starvation and food shortages comparable to those dreaded first years. The greater system of property rights allowed everyone to live a richer and fuller life.

In 1623, Governor William Bradford states that this more capitalism system “had very good success for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been. By this time harvest was come…the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many.”
 
those of you that are astute scripture students know it was only the church of Jerusalem which did this ..

Act 2:44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
Act 2:45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

this is in fact the "Law of Christ" IF it is freely done ..
IF it is mandatory, then love has been eliminated from the equation and charity is no longer involved .. I reflect back on Jesus WATCHING those who tithed (under the Law of Moses) and the widow .. the Law of Moses was basically laws given to the Israelites from God as guidelines for their heart .. we as Christians not being under the Law of Moses, yet being under the Law of Christ (1Cr 9:21) have the freedom to be even better or worse in our love towards others .. yet Jesus warns that those who are greedy (not a good steward who God blesses and invests those blessings) it is harder to pass through the eye of the needle ..

note: the eye of the needle was the "narrow gate" within the BIG gate .. and a pack animal laden could not pass through it ..

this also applies to those being poorer and expect from those with more .. a sense of entitlement developed becomes a hardening of the heart as well as gratitude is forsaken .. so God allows us the freedom to follow our hearts and define our own hearts ..
I look at it as the Law of Moses was made for little kids, while the Law of Christ is for young adults whom should have the sense and responsibility to do what is right without being told .. yet IF you abandon love for others in favor of love only for self in your life, you are breaking the Law of Christ .. the poor are a gift to us .. and WHY Jesus when He was leaving said "you always have the poor" .. they become our teachers ..

may God bless you all ..
 
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I pray everyday we all Give Thanks to God .. for He is Good ..
the woes of life are never greater then the blessing ..
and like the poor, the woes in life also become our teacher ..
for what is greater the woes, or the Grace of God to have paid our debt ???

ego .. is indeed our greatest foe, for not even the devil could get us to embrace sin if we have our ego in check ..
 
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IXOYE... i was so curious to find more about the first Thanksgiving that i found this which expounds even more on your writing... :
http://patriotsheepdog.blogspot.com/2010/11/happy-thanksgiving_25.html

It is such a lesson for all of us that socialism and collectivism which is Communism does not work, it is not the nature of humans to work and have their effort given to another without any reason or cause, except when we voluntarily do so to help another... it is competition and incentives which drives the human nature to better themselves and to elevate themselves from the state they are in... we see it first hand, during the USSR dominion Russia had industries with goals they had to meet, i remember reading in school that a shoe industry did meet their goal but produced only one side of the shoe and not the other... we see it today in our own society with welfare, and it is getting worse... why work, when the government which abuses the taxpayer and gives it to those who probably, most of them do not deserve it food, housing, phone, TV with cable, and in some states even a car... yet the ones that do need it and are honest do not get the help. In NY former mayor Giuliani decreased the number of welfare recipients and decreased crime, we see now a turn around since Bloomberg and we shall see even worse with the new socialist coming in DeBlasio... and our taxes go up...
 
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