Thanksgiving and Our National Mission

In 1863, the year when Thanksgiving became a national holiday in the U.S., President Abraham Lincoln stated that “it is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God… and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the holy scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”

Today, while most Americans profess to be religious, many are living very secular lives. We have forgotten our roots; our heritage! We have neglected the foundation of truth and divine instruction, the Bible. As long as we were a Bible-reading society, we reflected the morality of God. Consider this statement from Green’s Short History of the English People: “No greater moral change ever passed over a nation than passed over England in the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. England became the people of a book and that book was the Bible. It was read by every class of people. And the effect was amazing. The whole moral tone of the nation was changed” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 817).

Millions are searching for meaning, understanding, and purpose. The Bible, God’s word, can make a significant difference in our personal and national lives. Jesus said: “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3, KJV). Yes, the word of God influences our behavior and our character—and cleanses us morally. We, as a nation under God, must get back to reading the Bible and the word spoken to us by our Savior. We need to be living by the Bible. As Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’” (Luke 4:4). Are we indeed living that way of life?

The Tenth Commandment from God Almighty states: “You shall not covet” (Deuteronomy 5:21). Our greed, our covetousness and our licentiousness will lead to irreversible penalties. As the Apostle Paul stated, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap!” (Galatians 6:7). And what a nation sows, it will also reap!

We need to repent of our greed and covetousness. If we are truly thankful people, the Creator God expects that we will fulfill the mission He has given us. He expects that we will give the truth of the Bible to other nations! Jesus instructed the Apostles to have the attitude of giving: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

Jesus told the Apostles to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). He told them to “preach, saying, ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 10:7). The Church of God continues to fulfill the mission Christ gave it. We in this Work are striving to give the good news of the coming Kingdom of God to the world. As Christ opens the doors, we walk through them in faith.

The Tomorrow’s World telecast is striving to fulfill that mission! It is available online, and on broadcast television around the world, in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and many other nations—including our recently established telecast in Hong Kong!

The world desperately needs the truth of God. It needs the gospel Jesus of Nazareth preached, the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Pray that the gospel will go out in greater power around the world. As Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Individually and nationally, we need to fulfill our God-given mission. As truly thankful people, we all need to be involved in the Work that Jesus Christ is doing! To learn more, watch our Tomorrow’s World telecast, “Thanksgiving and Our National Purpose” and order your free copy of our booklet, Your Ultimate Destiny.