11/16/13- Thanksgiving as Blessing

3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:3-5)

Thoughts: Thanksgiving blesses everything.  Thanksgiving makes what is questionable acceptable.  Everything is worthy of thanksgiving in some sense- for all that is created was good.  While the good becomes corrupted by our abuse, our sin, our addictions, and our problems, thanksgiving is a call for God to bless and to forgive.  When we bless our food we give thanks.  Thanksgiving is blessing and blessing is thanksgiving.
    The context of this is eating meat sacrificed to idols.  This meat was given to the Temples of pagan gods who, of course, did not consume them.  So it was sold cheaply.  Christians had two views.  Either the meat was polluted because it was offered to false gods that lead people astray.  Some went to call these pagan gods demons.  Others had the view that these weren't really gods anyway so they didn't have the power to make the meat polluted.  Timothy says what makes the difference is thanksgiving- blessing the food.
    So even today we say "grace", or "blessing", or "give thanks" over our food.  Calvin said that saying words of thanksgiving over our meals (normally three times a day) was an essential part of our daily prayer life.  So give thanks and bless what is before you. 

Prayer: In a world that is corrupted by so much, let me live a life of thanksgiving.  Let me bless all those around me- turning the corrupted into the blessed.