That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.
-Alma 34:38
GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
-Hopkins, Pied Beauty
—
What’s your favorite Thanksgiving scripture?
The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Psalm 126:3
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
I did not have a favorite thanksgiving scripture, so I looked up several that have touched me tonight as I have pondered upon my great blessings:
Alma 24:10 – And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son.
Mosiah Ch. 24:21-22
Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their athanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their bburdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God. And they gave athanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God.
3 Nephi 19:31-34 (sometimes this is how I feel during times of overflowing thankfulness)
And it came to pass that he went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father; And tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed. And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their hearts were open and they did understand in their hearts the words which he prayed. Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be uttered by man.
Alma 26:37 – Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen
Mosiah 2:19 – “O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!”
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Col 1:11-14
And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances … the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.
D&C 59:15-20
We are beautifully given the reason to give thanks: The earth is given for our sustenance and enjoyment — not to excess nor by extortion.
I vote for the Thanksgiving Psalm, which didn’t exist until B. H. Roberts was put on the spot by some contemptuous WWI chaplains. The account comes from Church News, Nov. 22, 1975:
The last Thursday of November fell shortly after Nov. 11, 1918, the signing of the Armistice. Everyone was grateful for the ending of hostilities and Thanksgiving Day found the American “doughboys” gathered in one grand Thanksgiving service. The large attendance included high-ranking military officers and the services were conducted by the chaplains, who were seated on the grandstand.
Elder Roberts was relegated to one of the rear seats. He had not been asked in advance to participate on the program, therefore, it was with great surprise that he heard the chaplain in charge announce: “Elder Roberts, the Mormon chaplain from Utah, will now step up and read the Thanksgiving Psalm.”
Elder Roberts had never heard of the Thanksgiving Psalm but, hiding his personal embarrassment and possible impending embarrassment to the Church, he arose and walked to the podium, not knowing what he should say. Years later he testified that, during the long walk to the front, he distinctly heard an audible voice announce: “The 100th Psalm.” It was as clear as though another person had spoken at his side. Elder Roberts faced the crowd, paused, then opened his Bible and read Psalm 100:
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 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.
“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.”
After Brother Roberts had closed his Bible and was returning to his seat, he noticed that his fellow chaplains refused to look at him; their eyes were immovably fixed on the floor.
It was then he realized that his part on the program had been a deliberate attempt to embarrass him, the Church and the priesthood. He acknowledged the help which he had received from the Lord in his moment of need and, when he returned to his tent that night, he checked the Book of Psalms, discovering that the 100th Psalm contained the most pertinent and appropriate sentiments on Thanksgiving.
We just read this one that I like in family scripture study:
And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.
–D&C 78:19
The part I like is the idea of finding a way of receiving all things with thankfulness