American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio

>> Alex McFarland: The Bible. It's the word of God.

>> Bert Harper: Sharper than any two edged sword.

>> Alex McFarland: This sacred book is living and active.

>> Bert Harper: And contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions.

This edition of Exploring the Word is dedicated to giving thanks on Thanksgiving

Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Alex McFarland: Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. That's Psalm, 107:1. And with that we give thanks to the Lord. And we welcome you to the program today, Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here along with my friend Bert Harper. And we're so glad you're listening to the program. And this is a very special edition of Exploring the Word because it's dedicated to the subject of Giving thanks. Bert. the word of God in so many places. You know, I think about Psalm 37 says, I will give to the Lord thanks due his name. the Bible has a lot, a lot to say about Thanksgiving, doesn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It really does. And the verse you opened with in Psalm 107 is just outlined with thanksgiving over and over and over again. And what an opportunity it is for us to be thankful to the Lord. Alex, I've said it many times. I've never met a spirit filled believer who does not have an attitude of gratitude. there's thankfulness in that. And so, on this Thanksgiving Day, we want to look unto the Lord and say thank you.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, amen. Amen. And you know, I had the privilege of writing an article for the AFA journal, the Stand magazine. And it came out and I, called it Remember why and, and to whom we give thanks. We give thanks to God. And we're gonna talk about why we give thanks to God.

U.S. history is firmly rooted in giving thanks to God

And Bert, I'd like to give a little bit of, U.S. history that is firmly rooted in giving thanks to God. I mean, acknowledgement of God, not just being thankful that we've had a nation and prosperity and things like that, but let's remember not just the blessings, but the blesser, if I can say that acknowledgment, of God, this goes back to the very beginning of our country, doesn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It really does. And so when we remember the pilgrims that we do and those people that came over on the Mayflower, when we read the Mayflower compact, you find out they came with a purpose. they just were not fleeing persecution, they were coming for purpose. And that purpose was to share the good news of God, Jesus Christ. And so, after the difficult start Even with death and so much tragedy, guess what still had a spirit of thankfulness. And so that happens with a lot of us when we are going through so many things that, we have a spirit of thankfulness even in the most difficult days. And so we, you know, Alex, you and I are not exempt. We have difficult days. But in those difficult days, we look under the author and finish of our faith, don't we?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, we do. We do. You know, the Bible talks about fixing our eyes on Jesus. And, you know, one of the beautiful things about being a Christian, as you know, that, there is purpose even in the struggles of life. And I think that.

Alec: Edmund Burke said that we esteem freedom too lightly

Well, Bert, I want to give a quote from Edmund Burke. He was one of the leaders in colonial America, and Edmund Burke. And it relates to how imperative it is that in this generation we restate who God is and how we're accountable to God and how blessed we are. Because Edmund Burke said this. He said, that which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. I've, shared this quote many times. Now listen. That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. George Washington said this. George Washington said, liberty will look easy by and by, when nobody has to die to get it. See, one of the reasons that, you know, the founders knew God was with them. And I want to give a little backstory on the pilgrims and the colonists. But, Bert, I feel like today day. And look, I love America. I've been to all 50 states, the lower 48 states, many times over. I love this country. I appreciate this country. But I just think a lot of people don't realize the blood, sweat and tears and, the sacrifice, the loss of life, just, what it took to carve out this nation, but really what a gift from God it is. We have obtained it easily, and I think we esteem it. To paraphrase Edmund Burke, we esteem it too lightly sometimes. Would you agree?

>> Bert Harper: I would agree. And when you look at the scriptures, you see God reminding the children of Israel of, what happened in Egypt and the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and even in the Promised Land, what they had in order to occupy that land. And so we need to be reminded, and that's why it's so important in our schools. And if the schools are not doing it, let's do it in our homes and even, in our churches. Recently, in a church where I was, I went through some of the history using the word of God as my guide about the price that we have for freedom. So we need to be reminded of that Alec, So clearly and many times over and again, if we're not struggling, we need to be reminded of those who went before us that did struggle. it's just like Jesus on the cross. Spurgeon, Charles, Haddon Spurgeon would say it. He says, one of the ways to keep my mind clear, my mind pure, is to think of Jesus Christ and him on the cross. And so, Alex, when we think of the pain that people went through in order to give us what we have today, even if we did not pay that price so much, it makes us appreciate it a little more. So we need to do that, in our homes and our churches as well.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, amen. Amen, folks.

Exploring the Word: Thanksgiving is a day of thanksgiving to God

this is Exploring the Word, and this is a prerecorded edition. It's Thanksgiving. And we hope that you're at a place where you can be with people that you love, your family and those that love you. And I hope that your heart is just brimming with thanksgiving to God today. You know, Bert, I wrote in my article, for the stand, that in 1779, Thomas Jefferson, he was governor of Virginia at that time. Thomas Jefferson signed a proclamation designating November 11th of 1779, a day of, quote, public and solemn thanksgiving to Almighty God. Jefferson was not an atheist or a deist. A, day of thanksgiving to Almighty God. And so America's earliest and most respected leaders, they were on record acknowledging that we have a responsibility to give thanks to God. And so, you know, public and personal, private, petitions to God and even governmental edicts to give thanks to God. They've long been a part of our culture, and frankly, I think, we need it now more urgently than ever.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Alex, you was reading from Psalm 107, and it's hard for me to turn away from it, but listen to this. In verse 19, they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He sent His Word and healed and delivered them from their destructions. I would say that verse, what you're just talking about America and where we are and giving thanksgiving, that we cry out to him in thanksgiving, but also cry out to him as we see difficulties and heartaches, and, he sent His Word and healed them. How important it is that the pulpits and the Sunday school classes, the small groups, whatever, you're in the radio programs, that we share the Word of God and so on this Thanksgiving, among the things that we're thankful for, for our country and for the freedoms we have, is that we have the word of God in our language printed for us so that we have it available. It's not chained to the pulpit. It's not hidden away, but it is before us. And we need to share the word of God in our lives and our family and with our world.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen.

Bert says Mayflower Compact was first document of civil government in America

Well, you know, a little bit of history. On Thanksgiving, in 1621, the first Thanksgiving ceremonies were held. You know, The Mayflower had 102 passengers, and they had spent two months coming to sea. You know, Bert, I was reading about when they tried to leave the Netherlands. There were several ships, and they were just so ramshackle. And, a couple of the ships were not many miles from the European shore when they sank. And so the fact that the Mayflower took two months across the Atlantic Ocean, but they made it, that was no small miracle in itself. But December 11th of 1620, they signed, before they disembarked, the Mayflower Compact, the first document of civil government in the new land. The New World, they called it. And here's what they said. They stated that their purpose for coming here was, quote, for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. End of quote. Now, Bert, I want to talk about Thanksgiving, but right away. You can't miss the fact, folks. This country, the first settlements, and the colonists that came here, from the pilgrims to all the people up and down the Eastern seaboard. And it's been my joy, Bert, to be in so many of these churches, some of the churches that go back to the early 1700s. And they believed that God was building America. They believed that this was part of the Great Commission. They believed that they were going to craft a culture and government based on the word of God. And I mean, from the very Mayflower Compact, the glory of God, the advancement of the Christian faith. We're living today in a nation of destiny, aren't we?

>> Bert Harper: We are. And again, what they went through. What was the name of that ship? The Stairwell Steer? Well, I think something like that. That was sinking. And they had to. Some had to go back to England because they could not make it. And the others, cramped on this small, small ship, Mayflower. When you see a replica of a Mayflower and how small it was, how big the Atlantic Ocean is, I would say it was the hand of God that brought them to that place. And also, when you look at the history of where they settled and where they occupied that space, it was safe there at that time. All the other areas that they had looked at, the possibility of them being attacked was even greater than where they were. So I would say they came with purpose and the hand of God on them to establish this country. And as you said, the first document that talks about the freedom that we have in Christ. And so that is the most amazing thing that I know. And, so it was the Speedwell, not the stairwell. I got it. Thanks.

>> Alex McFarland: It was the Speedwell.

>> Bert Harper: Speedwell.

>> Alex McFarland: You know, at that time of the Pilgrim's Voyage, the Speedwell was over 50 years old. And, you know, I think about the courage, the courage, Bert, whenever I travel internationally and I have to fly in an airplane over the ocean. And I know we've done that to go on mission trips and things like that. The vastness of the ocean is very daunting and intimidating. And that they would get on in the 1600s. They get on ships that had been built in the 1500s, ramshackled to cross the Atlantic Ocean. That was courage and certainly the leading of God.

>> Bert Harper: It was. And then when they wear heard the words, go west, young men, go west. And they went through the prairie. That was daunting as well. America, we've got a great past. We want a great future. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We'll be back with more. Right, to this break.

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American Family Radio celebrates Thanksgiving with Bert and Alex Harper

This is exploring the word on American Family Radio. Everybody here looking for revival in our own hearts and across man. Anybody looking for a revival, lift up your voice and say, man, amen we love that song, Alex. Every time I hear it, I. I know you've gone to churches, and they've just got that, that song ready for you as you start preaching.

>> Alex McFarland: They do. They do.

>> Bert Harper: And we're thankful for that. Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: We are among the things we. We've got so much for which to be be thankful. Folks, this is exploring the word with Bert and Alex. Very honored you're listening, and we wish you a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving. This is a prerecorded show, and so we can't take live calls today, but if you ever do want to send in a question or a comment, you, Of course you can call on the days that we are live, which is 99% of the time, Monday through Friday. But you can also email us wordfr.net word w o r d wordfr.net but you know, Bert, growing up as a kid, Thanksgiving was always one of my favorite holidays, because all the family came over, or we would go to the cousins and grandparents, and Thanksgiving was a big deal. I love it. I really do. But, I'm going to be straight with you, Bert. I loved it because I love to eat. And, grandmama and mama and aunts and everybody, we had a lot of good food. we were blessed with much, and we still are.

>> Bert Harper: Well, I. The Harper clan was the same way. As many of you may know, I'm the youngest of nine. So on our Thanksgiving, they would come. All my brothers and sisters, most of them that could, would come in. We always had a crowd if half of them were there. And, it was a joyful time and to give thanks unto the Lord. And so that's what we want to do today. But we also realize there's some people who are hurting. this may be your first Thanksgiving without a loved one. And those memories of those family gatherings, they're there, but they're joy with some sorrow. And, that sounds like life. Sorrow and joy. And, So the ups and downs and the curves in lives come. But the Lord is a steadfast hope. He is our strong and mighty tower. The word of God's stands. Sure. So I pray that you would just relish in the Lord Jesus Christ today and what he's done. He's at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for you, and he's on your side, desiring that you would have a great day today. And, so, Alex, as we give Thanksgiving, I know we're going to get back to your article, but let me share with you.

Bert Harper thanks God for his wife and mother in law

Let's talk about some things we're thankful for. Personally, a little bit. I just want to say thank God for my wife, Jan. I know we talked about our wives here on Exploring the Word, several times. And, God just gave me who I needed so much. And so Jan is such a, such a vital part of my life, and she's helped me. She is that. She is the completer, you know, that I desperately needed. And, I thank God for her. First and foremost, after my relationship with Christ, that relationship is best.

>> Alex McFarland: Oh, my goodness, yes. And you know, Bert, I just want to be on record expressing my thanks to God, of course, number one for salvation for the Lord Jesus, giving his life on the cross for me. I thank God for a Christian mom and dad. Both of my parents are in heaven now, but they were both born again believers. my mother in law, with whom I was very close, she went to be with the Lord about six months ago. but I thank God for Angie. And you know, Bert, you know, and we preachers especially, we do lean on our wives, but I thank God for Angie. The, times I get out my suitcase to pack and hit the road and go preach, which is very, very frequently. she. One of her things, she always has clean undershirts for me. And, you know, I've been in many a hotel room, I think, oh, my goodness, I forgot to bring socks. But invariably in my suitcase there'll be clean socks. And, you know, it's just the 10,000 things. Dr. Dobson used to say. This Dr. Dobson said, it's not chains that holds a marriage and a family together. It's threads, 10,000 little threads of love. And I, thank God I could tell you so many things. I know you could about Jan. But folks, be thankful for your loved ones around you. be thankful for those little things. and I know as human beings, we sometimes we rub each other the wrong way and we stress each other. I know that. But you know what, folks? You think about the hot coffee that's in the coffee maker when you wake up, or there's, you know, gas in the car or the house payment got paid. we as a family, we serve each other, and it's, being served we ought to be thankful for. But even the responsibilities. Bert, I believe one of the greatest gifts of life that the good Lord gives us is responsibility. Husbands. And isn't it an honor that you can work and help pay the bills and provide for a family? What an honor it is to be encumbered with responsibilities and, family. Bert, I've often said this, and, you and I have talked about this before, but one of the greatest. I mean, it was just sheer genius. A place where we can earn rewards in heaven. We can grow spiritually. We can learn self discipline, self control. Frankly, we can be purged of carnality and selfishness. This incredible, glorious miracle called the family. It's a place where we can become more Christlike. And today, maybe we just want to reflect and thank God for family and all. Yes, the responsibilities therein, but the opportunities therein as well.

>> Bert Harper: And I would say for those that maybe their family wasn't as good as those that you and I came from. Alex, let me just share, make it a goal for you to be the one that would start that Family. Good family. trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, living by his word, just as best you can, following him. listen, it is a challenge. If it were up to Bert Harper to live, quote, the Christian life. It is the biggest failure anybody could ever have. But it's amazing. And this is what Paul said. He says, it's Christ in me. And Jesus said, I am not going to leave you as orphans, but I'm going to send my spirit. And when the spirit comes, he will guide you to all truth. He empowers us. He instructs us. What a privilege that God would not leave us as orphans, but let the Holy Spirit come and dwell in us as we were. Being thankful. I want to thank God for that. Because, yes, I'm thankful for the Father, I'm thankful for the Son. But sometimes the Holy Spirit gets left out of that thankfulness. And what a joy it is to know that we are the temple of God. Matter of fact, what was the temple? It's where the Holy of Holies was. It's where the presence of God, the Shekinah, glory of God dwelt. And we have God who chooses to dwell in us as followers of Christ. Alex, that's beyond measure for me, trying to comprehend his love for us. So I just want to express that love. And if you don't know Christ today, you're listening, and you're all alone. You may. You may be incarcerated, but you're listening. I want to just tell you God is there. You're not alone. And, so I pray that you trust him, turn to him. And on this special Thanksgiving Day, when maybe you're not getting all the things that you would love, and, you're not having the memories that you used to have, they're no longer real. turn to Christ. Let him fill your life. Let him be that friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is that kind of man, that kind of God, that kind of person that wants to be in our lives. Alex, that's good news, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it really is. And. And again, no matter where you are in life's journey, God is with you. Psalm 100, verses 4 and 5. Psalm 100 says, Give thanks to him. Bless his name for the Lord is good, his loving kindness is everlasting, and his faithfulness to all generations. I mean, we could preach a whole sermon on that. But, Bert, I was reading that, the concept of thanks or Thanksgiving is at least 102 times in the Old Testament and at least 76 times in the New Testament.

One of the keys to being upbeat and not depressed is to be grateful

So, we're talking nearly 200 times. The Bible tells us to give thanks to God. And I want to get back to the pilgrim story, but let me just say this. And Bert, you elaborate if you would. Very often, the time to praise God and give thanks is when you least feel like it. You know, because, it's been documented by psychologists that one of the keys to just being upbeat and not depressed, you know, a good, healthy emotional state, and it will help shield you from stress and depression, is to be grateful. And you might think, well, but I've got this, this, and this going wrong. Praise God. Give, God glory. And it's just one of the laws of reality. Your spirits will be lifted as you count your blessings and give thanks. And it is appropriate to give thanks, because let's remember, this world is not all there is. This is just the vestibule. And we're getting ready to step into the big room, that infinite place called eternity. And this is just the, staging area. You know, they often talk about that.

>> Bert Harper: You know, is this the green room?

>> Alex McFarland: This is the green room. And so life, even with all of its struggles, there's so much for which to be grateful. And, I don't mean to, be, taking over here, but I've said this before. life itself. I mean, God did not have to create us, did he, Bert? And yet here we are. So, for the gift of life itself, that's just one of the starting points of being grateful.

>> Bert Harper: It is.

Alex: Forgiveness is a freedom that you can have

And I want to share with you two things. And I wrote them down as you were talking, Alex. And one is forgiveness. There are some people that's listening today that's been wronged. You were. You were treated shabbily. It was bad. It may have Been by a family member. It may have been by a friend. It may have been a church member. It may have been a church you felt that way about, or an individual. I just want to share with you. Forgiveness is a freedom that you can have. you say, well, they've never asked me to forgive them. Have an attitude of forgiveness. you know, we've said it before. Unforgiveness and bitterness is an acid that destroys the container. And someone has said, it's profound. Yeah. And it's drinking poison, expecting someone else to die. And so I found out unforgiveness and Thanksgiving usually do not stay in the same body. They, you know, they fight against one another. So if you can have a division, develop an attitude of thanksgiving, it will help you with the issue of forgiveness for others. And when that happens, I want to tell you there's some freedom in that. That's what we're talking about. And Paul talked about the liberty that we have in Christ. That liberty comes from the forgiveness through Christ. And it also comes from an attitude of, thanksgiving on our part. And so we, we're trying to encourage you today. That's this program of Thanksgiving. Yes, but it's an encouragement to, be thankful. And it's for your benefit, Alex. You've made that point again and again. It is beneficial psychologically, physically, spiritually. In every mode of my human existence. Thanksgiving is an aid and a help for me in my health. It's. It's an aid in my spiritual growth, and it is an aid in my thinking. not thinking crooked, but thinking straight. And let. I. Let me just say I encourage it greatly, brother.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, amen. Amen.

Alex: One thing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving is our jobs

You know, Bert, another thing to be thankful for are our jobs. And, you know, if you're looking for employment, then our prayers are with you. But I got to tell you, work is a blessing. I mean, it really, really is. You know, we talk about the fall of Genesis 3. Work was not part of the curse. Now, maybe sometimes the hardness of work and it seems like futility. And, you know, work, there's just seems like there's this built in opposition to progress. Sometimes it's called the law of entropy. But work itself, work was part of God's design from the beginning. Remember, Adam had been told to cultivate the garden and care for it and be a steward of it. And so, Bert, I got to tell you, in working with men, it's very demoralizing to be unemployed. And there have been a lot of men that I've had to counsel with, and they were really down when they were between jobs. And so let's remember that to be employed. And maybe it's not your dream job yet and you're, you know, climbing a ladder and you've got goals and that's fine. But Bert, how I thank God for the gift of employment. That's something for which to be very grateful, isn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It is. And you know, the last day when God had created the heavens and the earth and he sat back and he rested, he observed what he had done and he said it was good. Guess what it was. It was the work of the first six days, you know. Now again, for God was at work, you know, not laborsome, but it was a work of God. And he sat back and observed, rested in what he had done, and it was good. I think that's exactly right, Alex, for any of us that have job or we're working, however that work might be. I know some men who have retired from their occupational job and, and now they're serving the Lord and working, helping others, driving people to, to doctor's appointments, helping people go get groceries, doing so many. But work ethic is a part of our life. And when that work is not being completed in our lives, there's a hole in our lives. Just like we've talked about. There's a hole in every person's life that only God can fill. I, I believe with all my heart there is a space in our lives that work makes it fulfilling. And so I think we need to be thankful for that job. It may be difficult and hard, and it may be hopeful of something better. That's okay, man. I know that and understand that. So on this Thanksgiving Day, we are to be thankful for those things that God has given us. Going back to the Pilgrims, and we're going to pick up there in the next segment. When they had gone through the harshest times, the most difficult times, they still gave thanks. That's exactly what we want to do today. We want to give God thanks for who he is, what he's done, where he is, and what he's going to do. Stay tuned for more here on Exploring the Word.

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>> Alex McFarland: When a mother looks at her child through a sonogram, it does something to you. I ended up deciding to keep my son who is now five years old today. He's amazing.

>> Bert Harper: He brings absolute joy to my heart.

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>> Alex McFarland: Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.

Psalm 100 combines mercy and truth on Thanksgiving Day

Now, Psalm 100 is a very brief Psalm, just five verses, but I'm going to finish reading it here on this edition of Exploring the word, verse 3 of Psalm 100. Know ye that the Lord, he is God. It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Now listen to this. On this Thanksgiving Day, enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations. Wow. Just five verses. But on this Thanksgiving Day, those, words of Psalm 100, they certainly stir my heart. How about you, Bert?

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Thanksgiving and praise. Let your life be that. A life of praise. A life of thanksgiving. we're going to go through difficult times, and it may be we're talking to someone right now. It's the most difficult times of their life, Pastor. And for as many years as I have, Alex, every time I get up before a group, I realize that this is some of the best days some of the people have ever had. And for some, it's some of the most difficult days they've ever had. And they're in that same group. And yet we're to give thanks unto the Lord and praise his holy name. That Psalm, 100 speaks well. Notice what it is. His truth. Now notice he combines mercy and truth. Can I share with you only God can do that. and we can only do it through God's power. A lot of times we want to weigh on mercy. you know, y' all are heavy on mercy. And then y' all guys, y' all heavy on truth. No, mercy and truth. And the Word says, his mercy is how long everlasting. Have you figured out how long that is yet, Alex?

>> Alex McFarland: it's more than I can measure. Yeah, but I love, you know, in verse five there, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations. Do you know, in this world of spin and just so much out there of people saying this and that, I am so glad that. That God's truth is forever. listen, Jesus was the Savior. Jesus still is the one and only savior. the Bible was the word of God. The Bible is the word of God. Heaven and earth will pass away. God's word will never pass away. I am so glad, in a world of endless opinions, that Psalm 100, verse 5, God's truth endures to all generations. Aren't you thankful for that?

>> Bert Harper: Amen. And it's from generation to generation. Now, let's think about this for a moment. Think of a relay race. And usually it's four runners, and they go around and they've run their cycle, and they're extending that baton, holding it forward. And the person that's going to take up that baton is reaching backward to take that baton and carry his leg of the race. It's your leg of the race. Right now, you who are listening, you're running your race, and you've received it. Alex and I and anybody who is saved. We are standing on the shoulders of giants who have passed the word of God, the truth from what generation to generation. And you need those of you that have not received that gift of salvation. You. You need to get it and let Christ penetrate your heart. And you can have this spirit of thankfulness, this spirit of gratitude in your life of praise for who he is, what he has done, and what he will do. He's still working on me. A moment ago in the second segment, Alex, you were talking about some things that God's still working on us. I could not help but think of that children's song. He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be. I guess what I'm. I got gray hair now and, kind of, you know, been around a while now. They make fun of me here at afr. They said you and Moses had a. Had a good experience back there, didn't you. They. They just let me go, but let me just share this with you. His mercies are new every morning. And I am telling you what the mercies of the Lord are blessing. And we want to encourage you to, to be thankful. And the longer I serve him, as Bill Gaither would write, the sweeter he grows. And so Alex, he's still working on me to make me what I ought to be. Guess what? I hadn't arrived yet.

>> Alex McFarland: Brother, do you remember, that song? And I think it might have been written by the Gaithers. I really don't remember. But when I was a youth pastor and children's minister, we would teach our kids this song. I am a promise, I am a possibility. Do you remember that?

>> Bert Harper: I do. I think you're right. I think it was Bill and Gloria.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. But here's a line in that for any of us, and on this Thanksgiving Day, maybe gratefully we would recommit ourselves to, to this but said I'm learning to hear God's voice. I'm trying to make the right choice. I promise to be anything he wants me to be. And we, you know, that's just part of our legacy as Christians.

Bert Fouling: Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to God

Now folks, when you read about the Pilgrims and that first Thanksgiving, telling you it was, just more like a movie script or something. They 16, 21. They had been there a year because they were two months at sea, 102 passengers. But by the spring of 1621, more than half had died and that they farmed and they tried to grow crops. But December, 13th of 1621, they began a three day feast to thank God and celebrate with the friendly Indians. Now I want to read the words of pilgrim Edward Winslow and two people that you really ought to know about. One was Edward Winslow, but also, William Bradford. But Winslow said this quote. Our harvest being gotten in. our governor sent four men on, fouling. In other words, go hunt. Go shoot some pheasants or turkeys. Fouling. Right, okay. That we might, after a special manner, rejoice together. Many of the Indians came their greatest king, king Massasoit, and 90 men. For three days we entertained and fasted. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time, yet by the goodness of God, we were far from want. And so there, just a year in and they had had to bury half of their group. And yet they were giving thanks to God. And again, to my point, the time to praise God. The time to lean in tightly to Jesus and to really and maybe write it down on paper, you know. Right. And I would submit to you, if you try to list the things that you're grateful for, you're going to run out of paper because there's so much to thank God for. Now, two years after that, in 1623, two years after the first Thanksgiving, William Bradford, the governor of the people, he proclaimed November 29, 1623 to be an official day of thanks. And he wrote, as governor of the pilgrims, he said, I do proclaim that all ye pilgrims with your wives and little ones, do gather at ye meeting House, that's the church there, to listen to the pastor and render thanksgiving to almighty God for his blessings. So, Bert, from 1620 to 1623, they had survived. They, sure, they had to bury, the dead, but they grew the crops, they built some buildings, and by 1623 had a church house built and much more, I could say. But folks, look, the destiny of the Lord, a calling from God, leaning on God, raising families to know the Lord and perpetuate the spread of the gospel. That is who we are. Bert. I would submit that, with abortion and immorality and just the decline of Christianity, that's not who we are. We as a nation are out of step with our true identity as a God ordained land. To a degree, we're out of step with our identity, aren't we?

>> Bert Harper: Wow, Alex, that is well said. We are. And we need to get back in step with God. And when I see that, we're in. Anytime you're in Psalms, you're going to get for Thanksgiving and all of that. But Psalm 103, just ahead of Psalm 100, says this. Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: M. Listen, the benefits of God are so numerous. You said, count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will amaze you what God has done. And there's no doubt. And I listened to a documentary this past week, about Fanny Crosby, the lady who. She was born with eyesight, but she had an eye infection. And a fake doctor is the only thing that you could call it. Put a poultice on them and it burned her eyes. And she was blind for the rest of her life. And she was saved later on in life, although she was raised in a godly home, memorized scripture because she had a fantastic memory. At age 43, she started writing hymns and wrote over 10,000. And many of them are so good, you know, blessed assurance. I mean, what a sin.

>> Alex McFarland: Leaning on the everlasting arm that was her.

>> Bert Harper: And she had, with her eyesight gone on, somebody that was. Wasn't qualified. That cost her her eyesight. And her dad died early on. Her mom had to work. She, her grandmother poured into her. It was a difficult, difficult life. But in that God had his work in her to do. And so, when I look at the word of God, when I look at the Pilgrims, when I look at those that's gone before me, when I look at Fanny Crosby and I see where I am as a follower of Christ, I praise God for that legacy that has gone. And America has that legacy. We have a great legacy. Alex, you've done a great job of sharing that with us about the Pilgrims, their purpose for coming, their determination, their thanksgiving to God for what he has done. And if you'll look at it, you remember that scripture, you said truth from generation to generation. Even since then, the founding fathers and what they gave us, those that went west, the circuit riding preachers in America, I mean, they would get on the. They got it from John Wesley because he did that in England. And so those circuit riding preachers that would come to America and they would go from town to village to community, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. We had the first Great Awakening. We had the second Great Awakening. We had the great prayer revival. Alex. Yes, I would say his truth is from generation to generation. And my hope is, although it's difficult and dark out there, that we are going to take that baton of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: And we're going to continue to proclaim it, until the Lord takes us home.

Bert Simpson shares personal story about American responsibility on Thanksgiving Day

>> Alex McFarland: Brother Bert, I'm so glad that you read from Psalm 103. and let me, let me talk about our responsibility in this era. I love history. I love to read about, the revolutionary period and how the Continental army and the colonists just bravely carved out our freedom. I love the 1787 and 1789, the writing and then ultimately ratification of the Constitution, because I think our governmental structure was just a gift from God. But, Bert, let me share, if I could, a little personal illustration that I think about our responsibility in this day. I grew up playing baseball for years. I love baseball. And, I remember when I was in Little League, just starting out, and I was on, I might say second string, but it was probably third or fourth or fifth string. But, one of the coaches was a man named Wayne Moser. And, he was a good guy he really was. And I remember, I had gone to every practice, but I was part of the group of little guys coming up. I don't know if I was in fourth or fifth grade, but we had not really gotten to play in a game yet, although we had been to all the practice. But there was a game I'll never forget, and my team, I played for Southern Railroad. And some of you from the eastern seaboard, you'll know what Southern Railroad is. That was our sponsor. But he came to us, he said, listen, guys, he was talking to my group of the, the, the beginners. He said, we're up by five. And, you know, it was like the last thing he said, I'm gonna let y' all in the game and you're gonna get some playing time. And we're up by five. But I'm, I'm gonna trust you guys. I'm gonna put y' all out there. So don't lose it. You know, we're, we're, we're gonna win this game, but you guys get out there and do your best. So don't, don't lose what we've got. And I think about that, this is not a perfect illustration, but, the first stringers handed off to us up and comers a, winning ball game. And you know, when the coach said don't lose it, I took that seriously. I was on first base that night, I'll never forget. And, I was able to make the final out. And yeah, we won the game. But here's the thing, brothers and sisters and citizens of 2022, William Bradford and John Langdon and George Washington and Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln and all these icons I can name, they've handed us a winning game. Let's not lose it. You know, Bert, we've got to rise and by the help of the Holy Spirit, be the best and do the best we can do. Number one, do you know that you're saved? And all of this thing about thanksgiving and knowing God's purpose and joyfully facing each day, it may be as you're hearing this broadcast, that the first step in your heart and soul getting right, you need to turn to Jesus and be born again. The Bible says that if you put your faith in Jesus, he will forgive your sins. And, Bert somebody today, your brand new chapter of life can begin by opening your heart to the Lord Jesus. I mean, that's the meaning of it all. But then, as a Christian, being a citizen, we're here to help you with American family radio and the stand and goodness, all of the myriad of resources created by this ministry. We want to together be the salt and white, and we can be the citizens that God will use to turn this country back to God and truth.

>> Bert Harper: And as we do that, we're asking God to do a work in our lives on this Thanksgiving Day. What a joy it is to have been with you, some of you with family. And maybe you're headed that way, or leaving and going back home, or you may be alone, but we want to wish you a, happy Thanksgiving and remember what God has done and forget not all his benefits. You have been blessed. And we thank God for Jesus Christ. And thank God for his great, great salvation.

>> Alex McFarland: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast do not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or. Or American Family Radio.

The Best of Exploring The Word: Giving Thanks

✍️ Episode References

American Family Radio
https://afr.net 

AFA Journal
https://afa.net/journal 

Psalm 107
https://biblehub.com/psalms/107.htm 

Edmund Burke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke 

George Washington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington 

PreBorn Network
https://preborn.com