5.14.2013 MOISHE ROSEN ON THANKSGIVING

..if a person wanted to intensify the act of thanksgiving,
what could she or he do?
what could you do?
many of us shop for bargain basement spirituality
-something that looks good enough to be acceptable
and can be gained at a chep price.
but God has provided a more authentic way to
intensify our thanks to Him.

the best way to exercise thanksgiving is
through SACRIFICE.
if God seems remote
and you want to draw close,
maybe you need to make a sacrifice.

sacrifice is a tangible gift, work or deed
that springs from a thankful heart.
sacrifice brings us into fellowship with the Almighty.
it realigns our hearts,
it reassigns our priorities,
and it helps us realize a deeper plane of existence.
sacrifice gives us a sense of the reality of god.

when i was executive director i sometimes felt bad to see
people depriving themselves of things i felt were essential
-things my family and i had not given up
-in order to give sacrificially to jews for Jesu.

once i was so touched,
i felt compelled to send back a sizable donation from a bensioner
because i feared that he was doing with out food and heat
to give it.
in the letter i told him that we were far from desperate.
and that he needed the money more than we did.

i received back a correctly indignant letter
reminding me that the gift was not to jews for Jesus
but to God.
the fact that i was in comfort was irrelevant to this man.
he had given such sacrifices to God
on many occasions throughout his life
and suggested that if i was uncomfortble with that,
maybe i should examine what i could sacrifice.

that man taught me something:
ONE MUST LOOK TO GOD AND ASK
WHAT HE WOULD ALLOW US TO SACRIFICE
God does not receive great sacrifices from just anyon.
but what a sweet, stirring thanksgiving event is possible
when you approach God with
your all, your everything, your life
-and with a smile, say:
'what will You allow me to present to You
as my token of appreciation and love?
and the Almighty smiles back and says,
'if you really mean it,
this (and He indicates something to you)
would be nice.'