9 Key Ingredients in the Best Thanksgiving Meal

For Christians, we never worry about what comes after this life because we know we will be with Jesus.

Left as unregenerate, we’d never know goodness because there is no goodness in any of us except Christ. As we meet with unsaved loved ones, don’t expect their goodness to be good as defined by our Lord. They are defined by the flesh; we are now defined by the Spirit.

Paul says, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7).

Good food is worth the wait, whether it’s at a restaurant or at the home of a cherished family member or friend. Every soul thirsts for the goodness of God, and Psalm 34:8 tells us to, “taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

None of us likes to be badgered, and we cannot force someone into Christ’s kingdom according our will. God will save whom He will save when He has decided to save them. Period. When we meet with our families and friends at Thanksgiving, be gentle with them as you display all the fruit of the Spirit and as you share your faith. Don’t whip everyone up into a fury.

If you whip the cream for the pumpkin pie too long, you’ll make butter. Whipped cream takes a gentle process to get it to its stiff-peaked beauty atop a piece of luscious pumpkin pie.

Psalm 85:10 encourages us, “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” As God is faithful to us, so too we are to remain steadfast in our faithfulness to Him. Being faithful to the Lord means living a holy life in faithful worship of Him. We can’t do that without Him, and people are watching for us to stumble. God was faithful to His promise to send a Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Jesus said when he directed His disciples to enter into communion with Him, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you’” (Mark 14:24).

The red thread of the Bible — the course of the Old Testament through the New — all points to Jesus. As you behold the tart/sweet and red cranberry relish, may you remember and share what Jesus did for you on the cross.

The dangers of Thanksgiving include over-indulgence and possible provocation by others to engage in unwholesome conversations and even disputes. 

2 Timothy 1:7 states, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Peter 1:5-7 serves as a backup for the 2 Timothy passage, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

Thanksgiving is a time to remember who we are in Christ and how we are to behave. Our soft answers and self-control (even with food consumption) may provoke some questions which can be answered Gospel-specifically.

After the turkey and all the trimmings and delicious side dishes comes the big finish — dessert. We’re all full, the stuffed turkey has transferred to our full bellies. But the pies! Do we eat a slice of pumpkin? Pecan? Or do we have both? Can we wait until after a “digest the food” walk or is the dessert calling our names? Self-control has its own rewards and as we control our appetites and conform our wills to His (Romans 12:2).

Lord,

May we share with our unsaved loved ones “every good and perfect gift comes from above,” from You! Help us bring glory to You—the Lord of the harvest—as we gather for our time of Thanksgiving.

In Your holy and precious name we pray.

Amen.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Alex Raths

Lisa Loraine Baker is the multiple award-winning author of Someplace to be Somebody. She writes fiction and nonfiction. In addition to writing for the Salem Web Network, Lisa serves as a Word Weavers’ mentor and is part of a critique group. She also is a member of BRRC. Lisa and her husband, Stephen, a pastor, live in a small Ohio village with their crazy cat, Lewis.